Logano holds off Caisse for victory

LOUDON, N.H. – Joey Logano of Middletown, Conn., held off Sean Caisse to win the Aubuchon Hardware 125 Busch East race at New Hampshire International Speedway Friday night.

Logano all but clinched the points championship with his fifth win of the season.

Caisse, the 21-year-old Pelham, N.H., native who drives for the Andy Santerre Motorsports team, registered his fifth consecutive top-three finish including four top-twos.

Caisse overtook Matt Kobyluck for second place in the points with just one race left. Kobyluck wrecked and finished 33rd. Caisse now leads him by 32 points.

Pole-sitter Rogelio Lopez of Mexico finished third with Peyton Sellers of Danville, Va., and Jamie Hayes of Norlina, N.C., rounding out the top five in the 41-car field.

Scarborough’s Ryan Moore finished eighth and his father, Kelly, wound up 27th.

Jeffrey Earnhardt, the other driver for the Santerre Motorsports Team, finished 11th.

“It was a great race. It was the best Busch East race I’ve seen here in three or four years,” said Cherryfield’s Santerre, who is the team owner and Caisse’s crew chief. “We made a mistake in the pits on our first stop [and it cost us]. We definitely had the fastest car. Sean came up through the pack twice. He caught [Logano] on the last lap but couldn’t get around him.”

He also said rookie Earnhardt ran in the top 10 all day, but his car “fell off” at the end and he had to pit with just 20 laps to go.

“It was a good day [for the team],” said Santerre, who will spot for Caisse this afternoon when Caisse makes his debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series.