THE RACE
Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-mile speedway, Concord, NC)
No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion driven by Brad Keselowski | No. 22 Pennzoil Platinum Ford Fusion driven by Joey Logano
Sunday, May 25, 6:00 pm ET
THE CARS
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
The No. 22 Pennzoil Platinum Ford Fusion
Primary Chassis:
PRS-912
Primary Chassis:
PRS-911
THE NEWS AND NOTES
· TWO CHARLOTTE FIRSTS FOR THE NO. 2: Keselowski owns one pole and one victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He started on the pole at the 2011 Coca-Cola 600 and he won the fall race at Charlotte last year.
· SIX HUNDRED STATS: Keselowski has competed in four 600-mile races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His best finish in NASCAR’s longest race came in 2012 when he finished fifth.
· NO DOWNTIME AT HOME: While being home for a little over two weeks during the long NASCAR season is a nice change of pace, Keselowski has another busy week as he is testing at Kentucky on Tuesday and Wednesday. He’ll then return to the car to begin the weekend at Charlotte on Thursday.
· STRONG START STREAK: Starting with the new knockout-style elimination qualifying format, Keselowski has a remarkable 4.6 average starting position since the new format was introduced at Phoenix earlier this year.
· EPICENTER TAKEOVER: Miller Lite is taking over the EpiCenter in downtown Charlotte for race week. Keselowski will be there to support and encourage fans to enjoy the Charlotte metro hotspot on Friday night, May 23 at 7:00 p.m.
· FORD VIP SPECIAL APPEARANCE: Keselowski will make an appearance at the Ford Racing VIP Hospitality area this Sunday at 3:15 p.m.
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> · MILLER LITE STARS STRIPES FORD: The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion will be decked out in patriotic splendor this weekend in recognition of Miller Time in America and the NASCAR “An American Salute” platform beginning with Memorial Day Weekend’s Coca-Cola 600.
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> · CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME: Keselowski will finish up the two and half week home stretch with a brand new charity event. The launch of the Frontier Collection at David Yurman will benefit Charlotte area Purple Heart recipient Jacob Lerner. The event will take place at the David Yurman jewelry store at the South Park Mall Wednesday, May 28 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET.
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> · HOMEGROWN TALENT: Three members of the No. 2 Miller Lite pit crew are from North Carolina. Mechanic and Gas Man Nick Hensley is from Asheville, NC. Jackman Braxton Brannon and Truck Driver Jason Taggart both hail from Mooresville, NC.
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> · HAPPY BIRTHDAY: On Saturday, Logano will celebrate his 24th birthday while running the No. 22 Pennzoil Platinum Ford Fusion in practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Logano’s birthday has long been a focal point in his career, from early on when he waited for his 10th birthday to “officially” make a run in Legends cars to his 16th birthday to become eligible for the NASCAR East & West Series (where he won his first West and first East starts) to his 18th birthday, when he was eligible to make his long-awaited NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) debut.
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> · STILL A FRONT RUNNER: Through the first 11 races of the 2014 season, Logano continues to show his strength through impressive statistics. Despite being sixth in the point standings, Logano remains first in one of the biggest stats, driver rating. His 108 driver rating is 2.2 points better than series point leader Jeff Gordon’s 105.8 rating. Logano has also spent more laps in the top 15 than any other driver and his 8.2 mid-race average position is also best in the series. His 447 laps led (already a career-best) ranks third behind Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick. Logano has also led laps in 10 of 11 races, best in the series.
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> · BUSY CHARLOTTE WEEK: As is typical with Charlotte “race weeks,” Logano will be extremely busy leading into the Coca-Cola 600. Logano will race in the Little 600 at the GoPro Motorplex on Tuesday night. He will throw out the first pitch at the minor league Charlotte Knights baseball game on Wednesday night and he will make an appearance at the Coca-Cola stage at Speed Street in Uptown Charlotte on Friday night.
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> · A NEW LOOK 22: Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford Fusion will carry a special Pennzoil Platinum paint scheme in Sunday’s race. The special design scheme continues a month-long schedule of activities celebrating the launch of Pennzoil Platinum® and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum™ Full Synthetic motor oils with PurePlus™ Technology. PurePlus™ Technology is a patented, revolutionary process that converts pure natural gas into a first-of-its-kind, high quality full synthetic base oil.
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> · ANOTHER COKE CHAMPION: On Friday night, Logano will receive his 2013 Coca-Cola Chug for Charity Champion trophy at Speed Street in Uptown Charlotte. Logano won the Chug for Charity Championship in 2012 and again in 2013. The Coca-Cola Chug for Charity programs allows Coca-Cola Racing Family members to drink Coca-Cola on camera during race weekend interviews and, in turn, earn money for their favorite charities.
THE Q&A
BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD
THIS IS THE LONGEST RACE OF THE SEASON; DOES THE ADDITIONAL LENGTH CHANGE YOUR APPROACH?
“That last 100 miles, in terms of distance, doesn’t really change how the driver approaches the race. The team does have to make a few adjustments to allow for the extra distance. It used to be that these long races were challenges to men and machine, but technology has benefitted human and mechanical performance to the point that we are pretty much flat out every lap.”
PAUL WOLFE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD
HOW DOES THE LONGEST RACE OF THE YEAR EFFECT YOUR PREPARATION?
“We have pretty solid procedures that we follow to prepare for every race, so in terms of preparation there is not much we do different. During the race itself, we do have to be cognizant of our engine and brake temperatures. Other than that we have to plan for a larger window track changes since this race is so long. It runs later into the night than usual and there is just that much more rubber build up as well.”
JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 PENNZOIL PLATINUM FORD
ARE YOU GOING TO BE DOING ANYTHING SPECIAL TO CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK?
“I guess I’ll just be celebrating behind the wheel of the No. 22 Pennzoil Platinum Ford. I’m totally focused on practice on Saturday. But maybe Saturday night, I’ll go out to dinner. But not too late. The night before a race, I try and get as much sleep as possible and be ready. I mean, it’s not that big of deal. Birthdays when you are 24 aren’t like they were when you were 12. It’s really just another day of the week anymore.”
YOUR BIRTHDAY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BIG PART OF YOUR RACING CAREER. DID YOU FEEL THAT PRESSURE GROWING UP?
“We were always looking towards my next birthday, because it seemed like every year, growing a year older would let me race another car or in another series. I raced Legends cars younger than I was supposed to. I couldn’t run in ASA even though they would let me practice and qualify. We were waiting for my 16th birthday to be able to run in the East and West Series. And of course I had to wait until I was 18 to be able to run my first Nationwide Series race at Dover. So I’ve always looked towards it. But I guess that is over now. I’m pretty much old enough to do anything anymore. I’m getting to be an old man for sure.”
