Sixteen-year-old racing phenom Joey Logano accomplished what Jimmie Johnson could not this past weekend. He raced past the reigning 2007 Daytona 500 Kevin Harvick to win the NASCAR Grand National Featherlite Coaches 200. Harvick earned a $1 million payday Saturday night, winning the Nextel All-Star Challenge but didn’t have enough left to hold off the young Logano.
The largest crowd in Iowa Speedway history – estimated paid attendance 24,741 -witnessed terrific side-by-side racing as Logano and Harvick changed the lead 15 times during the race.
The only people happier than Logano had to be the Iowa Speedway management and Rusty Wallace. Harvick had lots of great things to say about the track despite the loss. His most encouraging comments came when he said the Speedway would be a great facility for the Craftsman Trucks and Busch Series. The Nextel Cup series schedule is a little full but overall Harvick’s comments had to be music to Newton’s ears.
With nearly 25,000 attending a Busch Grand National race it ought to be an awesome crowd for the upcoming Indy Racing League. Not sure if any tax breaks were involved with the Speedway (a little dig Joe) but it sure is great to see that kind of development in Iowa and the enthusiasm exhibited by the fans. It was great fun and I highly recommend you grab a seat for the upcoming Indy race on June 24th. Even if you are not a big race fan it is sure to be a great time.
For more on the action last Sunday check out Doug Mitchell’s post on Moments of Clarity.
P.S. That’s me in the green shirt behind as Harvick gets into his car before the race. Thanks to Dave Slinker for the pictures. Dave and I reported for the Iowa Sports Connection about the race.