THE RACE
Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-mile speedway, Concord, NC)
No. 2 Detroit Genuine Parts Ford Fusion driven by Brad Keselowski | No. 22 Pennzoil Platinum Ford Fusion driven by Joey Logano
Saturday, October 11, 7:30 pm ET
THE NEWS AND NOTES
· A NEW SHADE OF BLUE DUECE: This weekend the No. 2 Team Penske Ford Fusion will feature blue Detroit Genuine Parts colors. This marks the second race that the No. 2 Ford Fusion is appearing in the livery this season (Richmond). A key Alliance Truck Parts partner, Detroit Genuine Parts is a premiere brand in the transportation aftermarket that supplies remanufactured parts to commercial on- and off-highway customers around the world.
· THIRD TIME IS A CHARM: After a tough result at Kansas last weekend, Keselowski is now ranked 10th in the Chase standings. This marks just the third time through 30 races this season that he has been that low in the standings. Keselowski was ranked 11th for races 10 and 11 (Talladega and Kansas). He had not been outside the top-five since the first Pocono race and had held the No. 1 spot for the four weeks heading into Kansas.
· FIRST LAST FALL: Keselowski enters the Bank of America 500 race as the defending race winner after he notched his lone victory of 2013 during the annual Charlotte fall classic, leading just 11 laps en route to the win.
· HOME RACE HOUSEKEEPING: While racing in Charlotte means that drivers and crews get to stay at home for the week – it also means entertaining many guests. This week Keselowski will help play host this week as he will meet with a large contingent of Australian and New Zealand guests in support of Team Penske’s new trucking partnerships down under. Keselowski will also make appearances for Miller Lite and Freightliner during the course of the week.
· UNIFORM MEASUREMENTS: The week’s activities also included spending time with representatives from Puma that are visiting from Europe. Keselowski is working with Puma on designs for 2015 fire suits and driving shoes.
· TEAM PENSKE FOR 10: On the heels of Team Penske teammate Joey Logano’s victory last weekend at Kansas, the team now owns 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories in 2014 competition. With both Keselowski and Logano claiming five victories, they are tied as the winningest drivers this season and no other team has two drivers that can match that impressive production.
· MILLER LITE SPOT LIGHT: Keselowski will make an appearance at the Wal-Mart located at 5825 Thunder Rd NW, 5825 Thunder Road in Northwest, Concord this Wednesday, October 8 beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET.
· THE TOP SPOT: For the first time in his career, Joey Logano is ranked first in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings heading into this weekend’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Logano’s lead is six points over Kyle Busch after the first race in the Contender Round.
· WHAT AN AVERAGE: After the first four races of the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, Logano has a remarkable average finishing position of 2.5. Even more impressive, Logano has started two of those four races outside of the top 15, meaning he has moved to the front in each of the races. Logano’s finishes during the Chase include two wins (New Hampshire and Kansas) and two fourth-place finishes.
· ANOTHER BUSY CHARLOTTE WEEK: As is typical with Charlotte race week action, Logano will not only be busy at the track, but also outside of it. Logano is participating in several initiatives throughout the week, including a meet and greet with 60 representatives of Western Star Trucks, a new Team Penske partner based in Australia. Logano is also participating in a go-kart event at the Go-Pro Motorplex for Pit Stops for Poverty.
· THE STATS CONTINUE TO PILE UP: The career-best 2014 season for Logano continued with his victory at Kansas Speedway last weekend. The win put him in a tie with teammate Brad Keselowski for the most wins in the series this year with five apiece. After 30 races, Logano also leads all drivers in top-five finishes (14), top-10 results (19) and average running position (8.9). Logano has also made more “quality passes” than any other driver and has spent 86.1 percent of his laps run this year inside the top 15, also best in the series. His 107 driver rating is the best of his career and ranks third in the series, along with his 916 laps led, thus far, this season.
· A DIFFERENT LOOK TO THE NO. 22: Logano’s No. 22 Ford Fusion will carry a special Pennzoil Platinum paint scheme on Saturday night. The special design, celebrating the 2014 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. Logano ran a special scheme on the No. 22 Ford at Charlotte in May and another new look this weekend.
THE BROADCAST
Race: Bank of America 500
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway
Race Start Time: 7:30 pm ET
Radio Broadcast: Live on PRN & SIRIUS XM NASCAR Channel 90
TV Schedule
Saturday
7:00 pm ET, Qualifying (ESPN2)
3:00 pm ET, Practice (ESPN2)
5:30 pm ET, Final Practice (ESPN2)
7:30 pm, Bank of America 500 (ABC)
THE Q&A
BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 2 DETROIT GENUINE PARTS FORD
CHARLOTTE IS ALWAYS A FOCAL RACE FOR MANY REASONS, BUT WITH THE NEW CHASE FORMAT IT HAS BECOME CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ENTERING THIS WEEKEND?
“The first thing that comes to mind is that we won this race last year. That is a nice confidence booster. We have a strong intermediate track platform, and the No. 2 Detroit Genuine Parts team has been performing well this season. It does feel as though Homestead came early this year – subsequently we need a big weekend in order to keep our season alive. This team thrives with adversity, and I am not one to back down when challenged, so I feel as though we are ready for this one. On top of all that we are running the Detroit Genuine Parts Ford this weekend, and that car is going to look great under the lights.”
PAUL WOLFE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 2 DETROIT GENUINE PARTS FORD
THIS RACE HAS TURNED INTO A RACE WITHIN A RACE. WHAT ARE YOUR CHALLENGES THIS WEEKEND?
“This new Chase format does create new challenges, but it also brings new opportunity. While it is easy to get caught up in thinking about the Chase and this Contender Round in particular, we can only do one race at a time. Charlotte is a very temperature sensitive track and this is a long race so keeping up with the changing track conditions is key. Since it is a long race, it seems as though alternative strategies often come into play. We have done a pretty good job so far this year, and we know what we have to do to keep it going. Racing here at home kind of adds a little something to mix as well. I am looking forward to it.”
JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 PENNZOIL PLATINUM FORD
WHILE IT’S TOUGH TO PUT TOO MUCH INTO IT, HOE DOES IT FEEL TO BE LEADING THE SPRINT CUP SERIES POINT STANDINGS AT THIS POINT OF THE SEASON?
“With the Chase system that we have in place right now, it is tough to put too much stock into it, but it’s a big thing for me and the team and this year. It shows the work and effort that we’ve put into not only the whole year, but also thus far in the Chase. The thing about it is that we haven’t really changed anything or done anything different than we’ve been doing all year. I think that shows in the results and in the fact that we are riding a steak of 10 finishes inside the top six in 10 of our last 11 races. We are just doing what we’ve been doing in the regular season. And it’s paying off by winning races and leading the points.”
YOU WOULD HAVE A HEALTHY LEAD IN THE POINTS UNDER THE OLD CHASE SYSTEM. DOES THAT MAKE YOU WISH WE STILL HAD THE OLD SYSTEM?
“I mean when you are in the position that we are in, of course, you would love to see the old system still. But that’s not the system we are playing under this year, so you can’t really look too much into it. I think it just shows performance. Sure right now, we would like to see the points not reset, but they are. They will reset again after Talladega. And by that point, we could be eighth. You just don’t worry about it. It’s nice to look at and its good for the guys and their moral, but we just want to look one weekend at a time and one race at a time. Our ultimate goal is to win this championship, and we will do what we need to do to win it in the system that we have.”
