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[/media-credit]DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Joey Logano captured the pole for the Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR at the newly paved Pocono Raceway on Saturday afternoon and earned a starting spot in next year’s Daytona Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.
Logano, behind the wheel of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, turned a record-breaking lap of 50.112 seconds, 179.598 mph to become the 19th driver to lock up a spot in the star-studded field of top drivers that will compete in the fan-favorite event that kicks off Budweiser Speedweeks 2013.
“We had a great car,” said Logano, who earned his fourth career NASCAR Sprint Cup pole. “Jason’s (Ratcliff, crew chief) done a great job with this thing — all week being here. It’s cool to get a pole here — get a new track record here too.”
Logano, who went on to win Sunday’s Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR, has four career starts in the Daytona Shootout with a best finish of seventh in 2010.
Eligibility requirements for next season’s Daytona Shootout return to its roots with the field consisting of pole winners and past Shootout winners who have attempted to qualify for at least one race during the 2012 season.
2012 Pole Winners:
Greg Biffle
Carl Edwards
Denny Hamlin
Kasey Kahne
Mark Martin Jeff Gordon
Martin Truex Jr.
AJ Allmendinger
Aric Almirola
Joey Logano
Past Shootout champions:
Kyle Busch
Kurt Busch
Kevin Harvick
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Tony Stewart
Jimmie Johnson
Bill Elliott
Terry Labonte
Ken Schrader
The stars of NASCAR return to Daytona International Speedway on July 6-7, 2012. Tickets to the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, featuring a special hour-long pre-race concert by multiplatinum, Grammy-winning superstars Train, and the Subway Jalapeno 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race are available by calling 1-800-PITSHOP or online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.
Fans can also stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter (www.twitter.com/disupdates) and Facebook ( www.facebook.com/DaytonaInternationalSpeedway) for all the latest news all season long.
