THE RACE
Irwin Tools Night Race – Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval, Bristol, Tenn.)
No. 2 Wurth Ford Fusion driven by Brad Keselowski | No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion driven by Joey Logano
Saturday, August 23, 7:30 pm ET
THE NEWS AND NOTES
· NO. 2 TWO-TIME WINNER: Bristol is just one of two tracks where Brad Keselowski has produced multiple NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories (Kentucky is the other track). He won back-to-back races at Bristol starting in the fall of 2011 and then in the spring race of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Championship season of 2012.
· RED WHITE AND WURTH: This weekend, the No. 2 Team Penske Ford Fusion will feature the red and white Wurth paint scheme. This marks the third race of the season for the Wurth Ford and its first time racing under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS).
· BUSY BRISTOL BUSINESS: Keselowski will make the rounds on Thursday leading into the Bristol NSCS race as he’ll visit the Snap-on plant in nearby Elizabeth, Tenn. After that, he’ll participate in Ford pace car laps at BMS and then will finish out the day for Miller Lite with an appearance at the Bristol, Tenn., Walmart SuperCenter.
· FUTURE-SHAPING TEST: Keselowski was one of a handful of drivers that stayed an extra day at Michigan International Speedway Monday as NASCAR tested several potential 2015 competition specifications and car configurations.
· KEEP ON TRUCKING: On Wednesday, Keselowski will race his No. 19 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) entry at the famed half-mile oval. The occasion will mark his 62nd career NCWTS start and his third start of the 2014 season.
· THREE CHANCES TO SEE KESELOWSKI: The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford will appear at the Walmart Supercenter, 220 Century Blvd. in Bristol, Tenn., at 6:30 pm ET Thursday, August 21. Keselowski will also appear at the No. 2 Team Penske merchandise unit at the BMS Fan Zone on Friday at 6:10 pm ET and then at the Miller Lite Stage in the Earhart Campground at BMS at 6: 45pm ET.
· BARTENDER BRAD TWITTER CHAT: This Friday night from 7:10-7:40 pm ET, Keselowski, a.k.a. #bartenderbrad, will host a twitter chat on @keselowski.
· GETTING THE KINKS WORKED OUT: Joey Logano will return to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend ready for a little redemption at the high-banked, half-mile track. Logano looked to be on his way to a top-five finish at Bristol in the spring race when a power steering problem took its toll on the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford. Despite the issue, Logano and the team took full advantage of a long red flag period to formulate a plan and fixed the issue in just three laps, racing back from 39th to 20th at the conclusion of the race.
· A LEGITIMATE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER: Following Logano’s third-place finish at Michigan last weekend, the 24-year-old driver moved up to fourth place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. Logano has now produced four straight finishes of sixth place or better to move from ninth to fourth in the point standings. Logano continues to hold onto fifth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase Grid as the highest ranked driver in the standings with two wins this season. This is the highest that Logano has been ranked in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings over the course of his six-year career.
· STILL QUALIFYING UP FRONT: Last weekend at Michigan, Logano continued his strong qualifying results in 2014, making the final round of knockout style qualifying for the 20th time in 21 tries. The only time this season Logano hasn’t made the final round was the restrictor plate race at Talladega Superspeedway in the spring. Logano also earned his seventh front row starting spot and his sixth second-place qualifying effort. His average starting position of 8.5 is the second best in the series behind teammate Brad Keselowski.
· THE HOMETOWN SHOWDOWN: Logano will head back to his home state of Connecticut next month to race for a cause at his foundation’s inaugural Hometown Showdown Driven by AutoTrader.com. The friendly go-karting competition is set for Thursday, September 18th from 3:30-9:00 p.m. ET at On Track Karting in Wallingford, Conn. The night will provide an opportunity for fans to test their racing skills against Logano and other participants in a fun competition. In addition to the on-track racing, the event will host a variety of activities, such as a silent auction, a raffle and plenty of opportunities to interact with Logano.
THE BROADCAST
Race: Irwin Tools Night Race
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Race Start Time: 7:30 pm ET
Radio Broadcast: Live on PRN & SIRIUS XM NASCAR Channel 90
TV Schedule
Friday
Friday
Saturday
11:00 am ET, Practice (FS1)
1:30 pm ET, Practice (FS1)
5:30 pm ET, Qualifying (ESPN2)
7:30 pm ET, Irwin Tools Night Race (ABC)
THE Q&A
BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 2 WURTH FORD
YOU OWN TWO WINS AT BRISTOL BUT HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED THE LAST FEW TIMES OUT. WHAT’S YOUR MIND SET HEADING INTO THIS RACE?
“We were good here during the spring race, but we didn’t close the deal. This has been a different track for us these last few races and honestly it has been a bit of a struggle for us. The team has been working diligently to improve our Bristol car, and we hope to turn things around this weekend. Overall, the team has been doing well, and we feel good about where we are at this point of the season. This track and this race in particular is one that I truly enjoy and even though we have a couple of wins here – we always want more. We will certainly do everything we can to get our Wurth Ford to Victory Lane this Saturday night.”
PAUL WOLFE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 2 WURTH FORD
THIS TEAM HAS HAD ITS HIGHS AND LOWS AT BRISTOL. HOW DO YOU SEE THINGS PLAYING OUT THIS WEEKEND?
“We have had some great runs at Bristol, and then we have had our fair share of struggles there too. We do have areas that we have been working to improve as we all must continually do to stay competitive. There are also some things that are out of our control – like we saw last weekend with the flat tire at Michigan. Over the course of the season, we all go through ups and downs, and it often comes down to who manages the bad days the best. This No. 2 team is pretty good at that – we prepare for days like that so we’re ready for them. Having said that, we are in pretty good shape right now, and we feel like we are a threat to win on any given weekend. I like racing on Saturday nights, and I like our chances this weekend too.”
JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD
YOU HAVE RUN VERY STRONG IN EACH OF YOUR RACES AT BRISTOL WITH TEAM PENSKE, BUT DON’T HAVE THE TOP FINISHES TO SHOW FOR IT. CAN YOU PUT IT ALL TOGETHER THIS WEEKEND?
“I think we can for sure. We have been strong at Bristol since I started over here with Team Penske. Last spring, we got wrecked out while battling for the lead. In the fall, we had a solid race and finished fifth. Then earlier this year, we were running in the top five and we blew a power steering pump and had to go behind the wall to fix it. I’ve always loved going to Bristol and having a good car under me these last couple of years has helped. I’ve been able to win at the track in the Nationwide Series, but I really want to win now in the Cup Series. I think I have that chance with Team Penske. I want to get that third win before the Chase starts.”
YOU CONTINUE TO CLIMB UP IN THE STANDINGS. IS THE TEAM TURNING A CORNER?
“I don’t think there is a corner to turn honestly. We have been strong all year long. You look at the finishes that we have that are outside of the top 15 or so, we have had problems or been wrecked in those races. There is maybe only one weekend all year that I would say we have been off and not a top-10 car. We just ran into some bad luck in the middle part of the year and we are righting those issues now. I feel like this is the time you need to start getting to this point, the few races leading into the Chase. That way, when the Chase starts, you can carry that momentum into Chicago and on. We have led laps in most of the races this year (17 of 23 races) and we have been a constant threat. It’s just time to fine tune it, which I think we have been doing the last couple of weeks. It feels good to be running at the front like this though.”
