Joey Logano and the Joe Gibbs Racing organization are still putting the final touches on the looks for the 2012 season. Wanna get a sneak peak at Joey’s 2012 Home Depot firesuit? Check it out.
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announces today that Jason Ratcliff has been named crew chief for its No. 20 Sprint Cup Series team, replacing Greg Zipadelli who is leaving the organization to pursue an opportunity with Stewart-Haas Racing.
“We appreciate everything Greg has done for us here at Joe Gibbs Racing. He has been a big part of our success, but we felt the timing was right to make this transition for our race team which allows Greg the opportunity to pursue a director of competition position with Tony (Stewart),” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “We also felt that the timing was right to bring Jason (Ratcliff) to our Cup operation. He is a proven leader with a tremendous track record in our Nationwide program and we think he and Joey will work well together.”
Ratcliff spent the previous seven years as crew chief for JGR’s No. 18 Nationwide Series team. No team has been better over the past three seasons as the team won two consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Championships in 2009 and 2010. They narrowly missed out on a third consecutive title this past season finishing just a few points off the pace in second. Over the past three seasons JGR’s No. 18 Nationwide Series team has won an incredible 30 races, with 68 top-five, and 85 top-ten finishes. In addition, they have led an astonishing 6,124 laps over that time.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to join our Cup operation and work with Joey and everyone on the 20 team,” said Ratcliff. “There is a great history with this program and we have two of the best sponsors in the sport with The Home Depot and Dollar General. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Joey a few times now on the Nationwide side so there is a familiarity there, but I’m looking forward to getting started fulltime and working alongside Dave (Rogers) and Darian (Grubb).”
Zipadelli has been the crew chief for JGR’s No. 20 program since the team was formed in 1999. Over the 13-year span he has won 33 total races and two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships with driver Tony Stewart (2002 and 2005). He was also on top of the pit box for Joey Logano’s first career victory in 2009 which made him the youngest driver ever to win on the Cup level. Zipadelli is leaving JGR to pursue an opportunity with Stewart-Haas Racing.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver reflects on the top moments of his season including two poles and the points lead during the summer.
The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season came to a close on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway following two rain delays and one of the best championship battles in NASCAR history. Former Home Depot driver Tony Stewart claimed his third series championship after capturing an exciting win at the 1.5-mile track while Joey Logano and the No. 20 team finished up the season with a 19th-place finish.
“This has been a tough year, but I know we are going to come back stronger than ever next year,” said Logano. “I can’t thank my team and The Home Depot enough this year, I know this isn’t the season we hoped for. We will take some time off, regroup and prepare ourselves for a better 2012 season.”
Logano started the Ford 400 from the 32nd position and had gained a few spots when the first rain shower hit the track on lap 12 bringing out the caution. Logano told crew chief Greg Zipadelli the car was loose on entry and exit of the corner but tight in the center. The Home Depot pit crew made a chassis adjustment and fitted the car with fresh tires. Logano worked his way into the top 25 on lap 39 but was still having trouble getting the car to turn. He made a green-flag stop on lap 77 shortly before the No. 6 car lost its engine to bring out the caution.
At lap 100 of 267 Logano told the team the center was turning better, but a rain shower brought out the caution on lap 107 and the red flag on lap 109. Following the delay, the team pitted on lap 113 and restarted from the 14th position. The Home Depot Toyota was loose at the start of the run, but still tightened up throughout the run. A multi-car incident brought out the yellow flag again on lap 153 and several teams elected to remain on the track or take just right-side tires. Zipadeli called for a four-tire stop to continue to work on the handling of the car. When racing resumed Logano was 15th.
Logano dropped back to 19th when green-flag stops began again on a lap 193. The Home Depot Toyota was getting better fuel mileage than most, so Zipadelli kept Logano on the track until lap 210 knowing the car could make it to the end on fuel while most of the team’s competitors would have to make one more stop. However, another rain show fell over Homestead-Miami Speedway on lap 213 and NASCAR kept the cars on the track under caution for 17 laps giving other teams the opportunity to save fuel and take the advantage away from the No. 20 team.
Racing resumed again on lap 230 with Logano in the 22nd position. He battled his way up to 19th before the checkered flag waved on lap 267. Logano’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch finished ninth and 23rd respectively. Logano ended the season 24th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver standings.
The Home Depot Team and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series return to the track in February 2012 for the running of the Daytona 500 and the start of the new season.
| Driver | Car # | Start | Finish | Sponsor | Make | Led | Laps run |
| Tony Stewart | 14 | 15 | 1 | Office Depot/Mobil 1 | Chevrolet | 65 | 267 |
| Joey Logano | 20 | 32 | 19 | The Home Depot | Toyota | 0 | 267 |
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Joey Logano Ford 400 Video
Results from today’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying session at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Ford 400 Qualifying Results
| Driver | Car # | Rank | Sponsor | Manufacturer | Speed | Time |
| Carl Edwards | 99 | 1 | Aflac | Ford | 175.467 | 30.775 |
| Joey Logano | 20 | 32 | The Home Depot | Toyota | 171.685 | 31.453 |
Sunday, November 20, 2011 Session
