Joey Logano 3rd at Michigan, hopes he's 'out of the funk'

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) If you saw Joey Logano's reaction Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, you might have thought he won.

The Team Penske driver finished third, marking the first time in six races that Logano has placed in the top 20.

''Yeah, you have no idea how good this feels,'' Logano said. ''It's been a struggle the last month-and-a-half, and it's nice to come here to Michigan, maybe our best race track, and be able to overcome a lot.''

Logano started from the fourth row but had fallen to the middle of the pack with 50 laps remaining. But a series of restarts allowed him to move toward the race leaders.

''When I was sitting in 20th I didn't think I had a shot at all,'' he said. ''After a couple of good restarts and then I restarted fourth, I thought I had a really good shot at winning this thing if I could get a good start. I was able to get a good start but I just couldn't stay attached and push Kyle (Larsen) out there. We just ended up losing too much track position.''

Larson won the race , and Chase Elliott was second.

Logano finished in the top 10 in eight of the first nine races of the season, including a victory at Richmond. Then his struggles on the track began, including accidents at Talladega and Kansas.

''Are we out of the funk? Yeah, I think so,'' Logano said. ''I'd like to think so.''

''We made the most possible out of our car,'' he said. ''The only way we were going to do better was if something crazy happened in front of me and we sneaked by to get the lead. That was the only way we were going to do it.''

In 17 Cup races at Michigan, Logano has two wins, five top-five finishes and has placed 12 times in the top 10. Last year, he won the June race at MIS and finished 10th in the August event.

The third-place finish Sunday allowed Logano to move up one spot to 10th in the points standings.

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