No. 20 GameStop Toyota News, Notes & Paint Scheme:
· BACK TO WHERE IT ALL STARTED: Joey Logano and the No. 20 GameStop Toyota team will head back to Dover International Speedway this coming weekend for the Dover 200. But the Dover event isn’t just like any other race on the schedule. In fact, Dover holds a special place in the heart of Logano and the No. 20 team. Back in 2008, it was at Dover that Logano made his first-career NASCAR Nationwide Series start, driving the No. 20 GameStop Toyota. In that event, Logano shocked and surprised many, starting ninth and finishing in sixth place, completing all 200 laps. Since that time, Logano has competed at Dover in the Nationwide Series two other times. Last season, Logano won the pole and finished second after leading 87 laps at the “Monster Mile.”
· PRACTICE MAKE PERFECT: The No. 20 team will be hitting a different track of sorts in the coming weeks. The team will test the “new” NASCAR Nationwide Series car at Rockingham Speedway in the coming weeks, in preparation for the upcoming Dollar General 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That event will mark the fourth of four events on the 2010 series schedule that will utilize the Nationwide Series “new car.” The “new car” will run the full schedule in 2011.
· KIDD DETERMINED: Although this will be Joey’s first race at Dover with Kevin Kidd as his crew chief, it isn’t Kidd’s first foray at the “Monster Mile.” Kidd has been to Dover a number of times in the past with several other teams that he has helped over the years. Kidd also took the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team to Dover earlier this year with Denny Hamlin behind the wheel. In that race, Hamlin qualified second and led 11 laps before getting involved in an accident late in the running and settling for a 12th place finish. Kidd said he is determined to win the race this weekend and knock the monkey of the No. 20 team’s back.
· CONCRETE CHASSIS!: The No. 20 GameStop/Joe Gibbs Racing team will take chassis #2083 as the primary car this weekend in Dover. The car has become the king of concrete, with two other races this year, both coming at the high-banked Bristol Motor Speedway. Logano has also used this same chassis at Bristol in 2009, as well as the event at Texas Motor Speedway, the only asphalt track the chassis has competed on.
· STAT OF THE WEEK: 17. Logano has raced his way to 17 top 10 finishes in just 18 events in 2010 while driving the No. 20 GameStop Toyota. That marks a career-high of top 10 finishes in a season for the 20-year-old. Logano scored 14 top 10 finishes in just 19 starts in the 2008 season, while in 2009, Logano earned 16 top 10s in 22 starts.
· FEATURED ON THE No. 20: GameStop store #6247, based in Waterloo, Iowa, will be the featured store on the lower rear quarter panel of the No. 20 GameStop Toyota this weekend in Dover.
Logano’s Season-To-Date NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats:
Starts
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Poles
Laps Led
Earnings
Avg. Start
Avg. Finish
18
1
9
17
4
546
$659,005
5.5
5.3
Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats:
Starts
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Poles
Laps Led
Earnings
Avg. Start
Avg. Finish
59
7
27
47
11
1278
$2,255,984
7.7
7.5
Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats at Dover International Speedway:
Starts
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Poles
Laps Led
Earnings
Avg. Start
Avg. Finish
3
0
1
2
1
87
$85,961
6.3
7.3
Joey Logano Quotes:
“I’m ready to get back in the No. 20 GameStop Toyota, and I’m glad it’s going to be at Dover. The last time we were at the track, I was on the pole and we had a shot to win the race, but we got caught up behind our teammate Kyle Busch on the final restart when he had a tire going down and that let the guy in third pass both of us. It was a race that we should have won, but we had to settle for second.
“I think we are going to be really good this weekend. I know (Crew Chief) Kevin (Kidd) has been working really hard to improve our cars and get us better on the short runs. That is what has hurt us this year. If we had a little bit better of a car on the short runs, I think we would have three or four wins this year. But I know the guys are working hard on it and we will get better. When I talked with Kevin this week, he said he is determined. He is tired of finishing second, third, fourth and never winning the races. So I feel pretty good going into this weekend that we have a real shot at it.”
Kevin Kidd Quotes:
“I’m coming into this weekend determined to win this race. I always go into the weekend looking to be competitive and put ourselves and Joey in a position at the end with a shot to win the race, but this weekend, I’m determined to win this thing no matter what it takes. We’ve been close all year long. There should be at least three or four wins under our belt, and we just can’t close the deal. We know Joey is giving it his all, and the guys on the team are doing everything they can. We just need to put it all together, and that is what I’m ready to do in Dover.
“Dover is a tricky track. Some of it drives like a short track, some of it drives like a speedway. That means you’ve got to really watch your setup and make the right adjustments depending on what part of the track needs improving. We had a great car at Dover earlier this year with Denny (Hamlin), and I learned a lot from that race. I think that will make going back this weekend even more beneficial to us, because I can take what we learned and start from there. Denny could have won that race, and I think Joey’s got as good of chance this weekend as anyone. And we could all use another trip to Victory Lane.”
No. 20 GameStop Toyota / Joe Gibbs Racing Team
Crew Chief – Kevin Kidd Car Chief – Tony Hamm Engine Builder – Mark Cronquist
Lead Engineer – Mike Lorusso Engine Specialist – Dan Bajek Spotter – Mark Robertson
Jackman – TJ Ford Front Tire Changer – Terry Spalding Front Tire Carrier – Aaron Shields
Gas Man – Chris Webb Rear Tire Changer – Chris McMullen Rear Tire Carrier – Matt Tyrell
Catch Can – Brian Larson Truck Driver – Charles Sampson Tire Specialist – Ryan Martin
Shock Specialist – Joel Weidman Mechanics – Matt Aschbrenner & Ben Chase
