Joey Logano / No. 20 GameStop Toyota Preview
O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway
No. 20 GameStop Toyota News, Notes & Paint Scheme:
. HOMECOMING. FOR GAMESTOP: While New Hampshire Motor Speedway is considered Joey Logano’s home track, Texas Motor Speedway is the home track for GameStop, sponsor of the No. 20 GameStop Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing and Logano. GameStop is headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, just a short drive from the racetrack. GameStop is the world’s largest video game and software entertainment retailer and has been a supporter of Logano and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota since he made his debut at Dover International Speedway during the 2008 season.
. LIKE A “G4”: Logano and the No. 20 GameStop Toyota will be featured this coming week on the ever-popular show “X-Play” on the G4 network this coming week. A camera crew from G4 was with Logano in California to talk about Joey’s gaming habits and the recent release of NASCAR The Game 2011. X-Play, hosted by Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb, is television’s most-watched gaming show, with reviews, previews, tips, tricks, interviews and all of the information you can handle about the videogames that you love, and love to hate. Logano’s segment is scheduled to air on Thursday, April 7 at 6:30pm EST, but be sure to check your local listings.
. NASCAR THE GAME 2011 RIDES ON THE NO. 20 AGAIN: With the recent release of NASCAR The Game 2011, developed by Eutechnyx and Activision, the game will once again ride on the hood of the No. 20 GameStop Toyota at Texas Motor Speedway. The Xbox and Playstation 3 versions of the game, which feature most of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers, as well as several NASCAR Nationwide Series competitors, were released on March 29 to raving reviews. In addition to his Cup Series ride, Logano’s No. 20 GameStop Toyota is an “unlockable” car in the game. Players can choose to play as themselves or as one of the sport’s real-world drivers as they battle it out for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Each pro driver has the AI characteristics of his or her real world counterpart, setting the stage for intense rivalries played out on the track. From the 22 real world tracks to full pit stop strategy action, NASCAR The Game 2011 captures the real atmosphere, sense of speed and spectacle that embodies NASCAR.
. LOOKING FOR THAT COWBOY HAT: Joey Logano is looking for his first Texas Motor Speedway victory this weekend. Logano’s previous NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Texas have produced impressive results, with three top-five finishes in five career events at the track, including a pole and runner-up finish in the spring Texas event last season. However, Texas also holds the distinction as being one of just three tracks Logano has recorded a DNF at, coming in late 2009.
. CHASSIS: Chassis #20108 will race this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway for the GameStop team. This is the same car that Denny Hamlin led laps with and drove to a top-10 finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier this year for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team. It will be the first time Logano has raced the chassis, which was built during the offseason.
. STAT OF THE WEEK: 97%. Logano has run 770 laps in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition this year and has been in the top 15 for 747 of those laps, or 97 percent of the time. That mark is tops among all NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers that have run two or more events in 2011.
. THE RACE: The O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, TX; 1.5-mile banked oval) is set for Friday night, April 8, 2011. The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m. EST, with radio coverage on PRN starting at 8 p.m. EST.
Joey Logano Quotes:
“There are few tracks on the Nationwide schedule that I’d like to win at more than Texas. GameStop has been a huge supporter of mine, and there is nothing I’d like to do more than get them a win at their home track. They are the sponsor that took a shot with me back in 2008 when I was relatively unproven, and they’ve been there ever since. So it would be huge to win at Texas for them and for Joe Gibbs racing. I’ve been to the headquarters just down the road a few times in the last couple years and they are very into their racing program. I want to win everywhere we go, but if there is a place I’d really like to win, especially in the Nationwide car, it’s in Texas.
“Texas is a fast track. Probably one of the fastest we go to in the Nationwide Series. It’s a track where handling is very important because you are on the gas so much. And the more you can stay on the gas and keep your momentum up, the better you will be. These Nationwide cars are all about momentum, so it’s important. When I first started coming here, I was not very good. Texas had my number. But last year, something clicked and I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better here. Plus, our stuff at JGR has been really good the last few years, so that has helped. I know we haven’t been as fast early in the year here as we’ve wanted, but I know the guys are working on it. I think we’ll be back on our game and competing with Kyle (Busch) before you know it. Hopefully, we can start this weekend.”
Adam Stevens Quotes:
“The thing that stands out about Texas is how very fast it is. Speed is important in these Nationwide cars, so getting the car to handle is the biggest thing I need to key on this weekend. Texas is pretty comparable to and a lot like Vegas and Charlotte. So we are taking the Vegas car, which ran well with Denny. It’s also a car that I’ve already worked with this year, so I know its tendencies and think we have a great baseline setup to start adjusting on when we get to the track.
“One of the biggest issues as far as handling at Texas is always the bumps in turns one and two. They always seem to be an issue. If you can get over the bumps, you can be fast. We’ve also go to watch the weather, because it has been an issue there in the past. As of right now, it’s looking ok, it’s just going to be very hot, which will be the first time we’ve experienced such warm conditions this year. We have extra practice time this week, which is nice and has actually been better for the No. 20 team this year. When we’ve had extra time, we’ve been better. The only real issue is that we race at night, but don’t ever practice at night, which is always challenging.”
No. 20 GameStop Toyota / Joe Gibbs Racing Team
Driver – Joey Logano Crew Chief – Adam Stevens Car Chief – Mike Sibley Race Engineer – Curtis Ratzlaff Shock Specialist – Joel Weidman Front-end – Nick Fuller Rear-end – Dave Rudy Tire Specialist – Chris “Yoshi” Jones Engine Tuner – Roger Purcell
Truck Driver – Tim Clancy Jackman – Jason Tate Gasman – John Eicher
Front Tire Changer – John Royer Front Tire Carrier – Brett Morrell
Rear Tire Changer – Coleman Dollarhide Rear Tire Carrier – Eric Groen
