Joey Logano No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry
AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Home Depot Team Notes of Interest
· Joey Logano will be making his 100th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) start in the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday. Logano made his Sprint Cup debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway at just 18 years of age on Sept. 14, 2008 for Joe Gibbs Racing. In his 99 starts, Logano has one win, three pole positions, 14 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes. He also currently holds the records for youngest pole winner and youngest race winner in NSCS history.
· Logano and his crew chief Greg Zipadelli will head to Gillette Stadium and Patriots Place in Foxboro, Mass. prior to the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Thursday, Sept. 22. The pair will tour the stadium and head to the field during the New England Patriot’s practice session. The pair will then head over to CBS Scene Restaurant at Patriots Place for a question and answer session and an autograph signing with fans. The fan event will begin at 2 p.m. ET and will also include chances to win tickets to the NHMS race as well as other give-a-ways.
· The No. 20 Team and Logano head to Atlanta, the headquarters of The Home Depot, this weekend for Logano’s fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS). Atlanta has been a problematic track for Logano and the team in their previous four starts, his best finish at the 1.5-mile track is 22nd. Last fall, engine troubles on lap 110 of 325 left Logano short on horsepower. The Home Depot Toyota’s engine lasted to complete the race in the 27th position.
· About the last race: Logano bounced back from an early-race issue to become one of the fastest cars on the track during the midway point of the night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Handling issues on No. 20 Home Depot Toyota cost the driver a couple of positions during the closing laps but he still walked away with a 13th-place finish.
· Logano currently sits 18th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings following his top-15 finish last week. He is just three points out of 17th and 14 points out of the top 15.
· Zipadelli and the No. 20 Home Depot Team are bringing chassis #319 this weekend for Logano’s 100th Sprint Cup start. This chassis has been raced just once this season in Pocono where Logano captured the pole position. He ran in the top 10 most of the day but a cut tire with 12 laps to go which dropped him to 26th place by the time the checkered flag waved. The back-up chassis is #303 that Logano tested on the Thursday of Kentucky and most recently ran at Michigan International Speedway in June.
· Welcome Aboard to The Home Depot Associates from store #587 from Southlake, Texas. The store number will ride with Logano this weekend on the quarter panel of the No. 20 Toyota Camry.
· To access information on The Home Depot Team visit: www.joegibbsracing.com and follow twitter.com/jlogano, twitter.com/homedepotracing and twitter.com/joegibbsracing.
Logano Quotes on 100th Start:
Does it feel like you have made 100 NSCS starts?
“It doesn’t really feel like it’s been that long. It’s gone by pretty quick. 100 races — I guess that’s a lot, but at the same time it really isn’t. Winning one out of 100 is not where we wanted to be so we need to win some more. It’s a steep learning curve, but it’s like that for everyone. I’ve worked really hard and I’m proud of what we’ve done so far. We’re not stopping — we’ve got a long way to go. We’re still working at it. We’ve come a long ways and that means a lot.”
How has your relationship developed with Greg Zipadelli?
“A lot has happened in 100 races. It’s been good and it’s had its ups and downs like any other relationship. We’ve done a good job working with each other and figuring out how each other works. We’ve worked on our communication a lot which helps a ton.”
Do you think you got into the Cup Series at just the right time?
“I hit it right at the right time. The economy was good and I was winning the right races in front of the right people and got the right opportunity. Now, even with this new race car that’s out now, you see guys coming into the Cup Series and it’s a lot harder than people think. Now the driver with experience is the guy that teams want rather than the young kid coming in. That’s definitely something I have on my side now so it’s a big deal for me. It makes it harder for all my friends now and I’m watching them coming up and seeing what they are struggling with.”
Logano 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats
Starts
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Earnings
Ave. Start
Ave. Finish
24
0
4
6
$2,800,363
15.1
17.5
Logano’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Atlanta Motor Speedway Stats
Date
Start
Finish
Laps Led
Laps complete
Laps
Status
Earnings
09/05/10
31
27
0
324
325
Running
$123,490
03/07/10
29
35
0
323
341
Running
$105,580
09/06/09
34
22
0
324
325
Running
$138,026
03/08/09
42
30
0
324
330
Engine
$121,551
Starts
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Ave. Start
Ave. Finish
Earnings
4
0
0
0
34
21
$488,647
Logano’s Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats
Starts
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Earnings
Ave. Start
Ave. Finish
99
1
14
29
$14,775,103
18.1
18.7
No. 20 Home Depot Team
Primary Team Members:
Crew Chief – Greg Zipadelli Car Chief – Jason Shapiro Engine Builder – Mark Cronquist
Lead Engineer – Jacob Canter Engine Specialist – Michael Johnson Spotter – Mark Robertson
Over-The-Wall Crew Members:
Jackman – Jason Tate Front Tire Changer – John Royer Front Tire Carrier – Brett Morrell
Gas Man – John Eicher Rear Tire Changer – Coleman Dallarhide Rear Tire Carrier – Eric Groen
Other Crew Members:
Truck Drivers – Tom McCrimmon, Scott Crowell Tire Specialist – Jerold Shires Shock Specialist – Dusty Boyd
Mechanics – Scott Geerts, Todd Foster Pit Support – Bill Byrne IT Support – Nathan Boone
Second Engineer – Mike Lorusso
