THE RACE
FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway (1-mile speedway, Dover, DE)
No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion driven by Brad Keselowski | No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion driven by Joey Logano
Sunday, June 1, 1:00 pm ET
THE CARS
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion
THE NEWS AND NOTES
· A MONSTER MEMORY: Brad Keselowski needed to lead only 14 laps to tame the “Monster Mile” during the fall race in 2012, as he earned his lone NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) victory at the famed concrete oval. The victory would prove to be a pivotal point in his winning the NSCS championship that season.
· MULTIPLE “MILES” WINNER: Along with his 2012 Cup Series victory, Keselowski owns a NASCAR Nationwide Series win at the Dover International Speedway. He drove to victory lane to win his first “Miles the Monster” trophy in 2009.
· HIGH SPEED ART: This weekend, the Miller Lite Ford Fusion will feature country superstar Luke Bryan on the hood. Bryan, who will be the Grand Marshall for the FexEx 400, and Keselowski will get together for some pre-race antics Sunday morning.
· MILLER LITE PIZZA NIGHT: Keselowski will appear at Grottos Pizza, located at 102 Silicato Way Milford, Del., on Thursday, May 29 at 7:00 p.m.
· NEW MAN UP FRONT: Hunter Masling will make his debut as the front tire changer on the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford this Sunday. Masling, who changes tires on the No. 22 Discount Tire Mustang in the Nationwide Series, will be a double-duty changer for Team Penske.
· ANOTHER TEST TO PASS: Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite team were at Road Atlanta this week as they prepare for the upcoming road course races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. This is the second time that Keselowski has returned to the track since his testing crash there in 2011.
· TEAM PENSKE AT THE MILE: Team Penske made its first start at Dover International Speedway in the 1972 Delaware 500 with Dave Marcis driving the No. 16 entry. Team Penske has enjoyed its share of success at the notorious concrete oval. In 84 starts, the organization has recorded eight wins, nine poles and 25 top-five finishes at Dover. Team Penske drivers have led 1,692 laps at the track.
· ONTO HIS “FAVORITE”: One of the most common questions all racecar drivers get in various question and answer sessions seems to be “what is your favorite racetrack?” And while Joey Logano normally answers with the track he’s currently at, deep down Logano will say that Dover holds a special place in his heart as his “favorite” track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) schedule. And while most people remember Logano’s end-over-end barrel roll at Dover in 2009, Logano will point to top-10 finishes in his last four NSCS starts at Dover as the highlights he remembers most from his favorite track.
· DOVER DOUBLE DUTY: Logano will again run double duty in Dover, as he returns to the seat of the No. 22 Hertz Mustang in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend at the Monster Mile. In fact, Logano will run double duty in four of the next six NSCS weekends, including Dover, Michigan, Kentucky and Daytona.
· TESTING & GOLFING: There is no rest for the weary, including Logano, leading into the Dover race weekend. On Tuesday, Logano tested with his No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team and Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski at Road Atlanta in preparation for the upcoming road course race at Sonoma. Logano will then fly to Dover early to participate in the Drive for Autism Golf Tournament on Thursday afternoon with crew chief Todd Gordon.
· MICHIGAN BOUND: After returning from Dover, Logano will take part in his first of several NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Victory Tour appearances on Tuesday afternoon. Logano will fly to Michigan and meet with members of the Detroit Lions team at their practice facility in Allen Park, Michigan. Logano will also be part of a “radio takeover” with track president Roger Curtis on 101 WRIF.
· SERIOUS NATIONWIDE SUCCESS: While Logano has reeled off four-straight top-10 finishes in NSCS competition at Dover, his success record in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) is unmatched. Logano has won the last four NNS race at Dover, sweeping both races at the track in 2012 and 2013. In those four races, Logano has led a total of 510 of the 800 laps run. Sponsor Hertz has also experience tremendous success, winning all six of the races last season where they ran the Hertz yellow paint scheme.
THE Q&A
BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD
DOVER IS A PLACE WHERE YOU HAVE WON. DOES THAT CARRY ANY WEIGHT HEADING INTO THIS RACE?
“Having won a race at Dover definitely has an impact on the mindset of both the team and driver. As a driver, knowing that you have won adds to your confidence that you can win again at that track. From a team standpoint, it is always good to be able to look back at the race notes and see what changes and strategies worked to your advantage. Of course, this new car does present some new variables and more than a few unknowns, but our Ford Fusion has had speed and we’ve been qualifying very well. I enjoy the challenges that Dover presents and I am looking forward to contending for the win.”
PAUL WOLFE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD
THIS IS A TRACK THAT YOU RACED ON WHEN YOU WERE DRIVING. DOES THAT GIVE YOU A SPECIFIC ADVANTAGE IN HOW YOU APPROACH THIS RACE?
“I don’t think that it gives an advantage specific to this track. In general, it probably helps me to understand what Brad is saying when he is giving me feedback about what he feels the car is doing and what he needs from the car to be fast. Having done some driving has certainly been something that has helped Brad and I communicate. At the end of the day, the driver and the crew chief have to be able to understand one another to win races so any little advantage you can find is helpful.”
JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD
AFTER THE CRAZIENESS OF CHARLOTTE, THE SERIES SEEMS TO GET IN A GROOVE STARTING AT DOVER. DOES IT FEEL THAT WAY FOR YOU TOO?
“Charlotte is a different animal for sure, because you are at home and you get to spend nights in your own bed and you normally have a lot of extra appearances during those couple of weeks. When you get to Dover, you feel like you get into a routine. And on top of that, we get to see a lot of different types of tracks in the next couple of weeks and that really tests the teams. Dover, Pocono, Daytona and Sonoma are all pretty different, so that makes this stretch of races fun. It’s definitely the summer groove though.”
WHY IS DOVER YOUR FAVORITE TRACK ON THE SCHEDULE?
“I always tell people that almost more than any other track we go to, you can feel the sensation of speed at Dover and Darlington more than anywhere else – even more than when you run 210 mph at Michigan. But I’m not sure what it is about the place that I like, I’ve just always liked it. It’s a fun place to race. It’s a lot like Bristol, just bigger. You kind of fall down into the corners and it really plants your butt into the seat. You have to stay on your toes and always kind of be looking ahead of yourself because things can happen fast there. I’ve had some good times and I’ve had some bad times at Dover – the flip in 2009 comes to mind – but I always am pretty excited to come here. You want to win at every track, but Dover ranks pretty high on my list. I’ve got a few of the monster trophies for the Nationwide Series, but I want a big one holding my Cup car.”
