No. 20 Home Depot Toyota News & Notes:

• MAKING THE BEST OF VEGAS: Joey Logano and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Sprint Cup Series team didn’t have the best of weekends on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But the sign of a driver and a team changing their fortunes is making the best of a bad situation, which is exactly what Logano did last weekend. Logano started strong and ran second early, but the handle on his No. 20 Toyota quickly went away and he eventually fell a lap down running as low as 25th at one point. However, the team continued to try and improve the car and Logano was able to race his way from 23rd up to 16th over the race’s final 20 laps. The finish kept Logano in the top-10 in the point standings, where he is tied for eighth with Martin Truex Jr.
• WANT AN AUTOGRAPH? COME TO BRISTOL: Logano will participate in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver autograph session on Friday night at Bristol as part of Food City Race Night. Logano will sign autographs with Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch beginning at 5:00 pm and lasting until 5:45. The autograph session will be held in the hospitality area at Bristol Motor Speedway. Wristbands will be distributed at the tent. There is a limit of one autograph per person due to time restraints
• LOGANO ALSO A RACE FAN AND OBSERVER: Joey Logano isn’t just a racecar driver. He’s also a race fan. For the second time this year, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series will run a companion event around the Sprint Cup Series weekend. And just like in Phoenix a few weeks ago, Logano will turn from racer to race fan and watch the event with vested interest. First, the Joe Gibbs Racing K&N East Series team will make their season debut with new driver Darrell Wallace Jr. behind the wheel. Logano won the K&N Pro Series East Championship and Rookie of the Year with the JGR team in 2007 and the team won the championship again last year with driver Max Gresham. Also, Logano’s best friend and roommate Coleman Pressley, who is a former driver himself, serves as a crew chief for driver East Series driver Daniel Suárez.
• BRISTOL A SPECIAL PLACE IN LOGANO’S CAREER: While Logano’s career stats at Bristol show zero wins and zero top-fives, it’s a track that the 21-year-old enjoys and normally runs well at. It also holds a special place in Logano’s career-highlights resume. Logano won the pole at Bristol Motor Speedway in the spring 2010 race and, in the process, became the youngest driver to ever win a Sprint Cup Series pole at 19 years, nine months and 23 days, eclipsing the previous record that was held by JGR teammate Kyle Busch. In fact, of all the tracks on the Sprint Cup Series schedule, Bristol is his best at average starting position. Logano has qualified first, third, eighth and ninth over the course of his career at Bristol. His career-best finish is a 13th, which came in the fall race last season.
•  TOP-10 IN POINTS YET AGAIN: For the first time in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, Logano has now spent three-straight weeks in the top-10 in the point standings following his 16th-place finish at Vegas. Logano is currently tied for eighth in the Sprint Cup Series point standings, just 27 points out of the top spot and just four points out of fifth. Logano spent two-straight races in the top-10 in the point standings at the beginning of the 2010 season before falling out following the Vegas event.
• SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATE: Vegas provided a bunch of great “photo” opportunities for Logano on the social media front this past weekend. Joey posted photos of he and girlfriend Sabrina Simpson zip-lining and hiking. He also asked fans to give him ideas on his intro song for the Bristol event. You can find Joey on Twitter @jlogano, on Facebook at facebook.com/joeylogano20 and on YouTube at youtube.com/joeyloganoracing. Home Depot Racing can be found on Twitter @HomeDepotRacing
• RACE INFO: The Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, TN; .533-mile short track) is set for Sunday, March 18, 2012 at 12:30 pm ET. That race will be broadcast on FOX (TV) and PRN (radio).

Logano’s 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season Stats:

Logano’s Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats:

Logano’s Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway:

From the Cockpit:

Joey Logano Quotes: “I’m really looking forward to getting back to the short tracks and get back to what so many of us grew up doing which is short track racing. Bristol is a great place to race and it’s actually gotten even better since they reworked the track a couple of years ago. To be able to go there and race side-by-side with someone is a lot of fun and it’s something that a few years ago, you never would have thought about being able to do. Before, it was a one-groove track and if you got pushed up high, it was like a superspeedway and you would get freight-trained until you found a hole. Now, there are points in the race where you would rather be up in the high groove and get the run off the corner. It’s almost like you are racing at a Michigan and California and seeing a couple of different lines working for different cars throughout the course of the event. It’s crazy.

“The biggest thing you have to be aware of at Bristol is just that; being aware. It’s such a unique visual from the driver’s seat that you really don’t see very far ahead of you, especially in the corners. You just have to know what is going on and have to rely on your spotter to keep an eye open and make sure you stay out of trouble. I’ve always had really good cars at Bristol, I just don’t have the finishes to show for it. I feel like we will be better this year and I think we can come out of there with a top-10. That’s big right now is to just keep getting top-fives and top-10s and keep ourselves in the points race, especially early.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing Machines:

• PRIMARY CAR INFO: Chassis #339 will ride with Logano and the Home Depot team in Bristol this weekend. The car is brand new for the season.
• BACK-UP CAR: Chassis #331 will serve at the team’s backup. The backup is also a new car for this year.

No. 20 Home Depot Toyota / Joe Gibbs Racing Team:
Driver – Joey Logano
Crew Chief – Jason Ratcliff
Car Chief – Jason Shapiro
Race Engineer – Jacob Canter
Engineer – Mike Lorusso
Spotter – Rocky Ryan
Shock Specialist – Dusty Boyd
Mechanic – Scott Geerts
Mechanic – Todd Foster
Mechanic – Leo Thorsen
Tire Specialist – Jerold Shires
Engine Tuner – Mike Johnson
Tires – Bill Byrne
Truck Driver – Thomas “Thumper” McCrimmon
Truck Driver – Scott “Scooter” Crowell
Jackman – Jason Tate
Gasman – John Eicher
Front Tire Changer – John Royer
Front Tire Carrier – Chris Taylor
Rear Tire Changer – Joe Crossen
Rear Tire Carrier – Eric Groen

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No. 18 GameStop Toyota News & Notes:

• OH SO CLOSE LAST TIME: The last time Joey Logano visited Bristol Motor Speedway, he and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch put on one of the best shows of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. Busch was in the lead, but Logano and the No. 20 GameStop Toyota was coming. As the race wound down, Busch held the lead while Logano sliced through traffic, cutting down the gap each and every lap. With just three laps to go, Logano found himself on the rear bumper of Busch. With two to go, Logano pulled alongside and, as the white flag flew, Logano and Busch raced side-by-side around the high-banked half-mile track to the delight of the crowd. However, at the checkers, it was Busch edging Logano by a mere 0.019 seconds at the finish, the closest ever finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.
• HEAR THE ENGINE EVEN BETTER: Turtle Beach will be the featured vendor on the No. 18 GameStop Toyota this weekend at Bristol. Turtle Beach is the leader in the gaming audio space with a lineup of products to meet the needs of every gamer. When it comes to entry level headsets that over deliver and exceed expectations, the Ear Force X12 is the leader of the pack. The X12 is a wired stereo headset outfitted with 50mm drivers and adjustable bass boost, provides some of the biggest and best sound in its class, and is a true steal with an MSRP of $59.95. If you’re looking for top gear in the wireless category, the Ear Force X32 features new dual-band wifi technology, making it virtually interference-proof in any environment. Amplified stereo sound from dual 50mm speakers, bass boost and equalizer presets once again bring our signature Turtle Beach experience to the next generation of gamers. With an MSRP of $99.95, it’s a great value for outstanding performance in the wireless class.
• BACK WITH THE 18 IN BRISTOL: Joey and the GameStop team will have one thing different this weekend in Bristol – they will be carrying the No. 18 number instead of the No. 20. It will not be the first time Logano has raced the No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series. Logano ran the No. 18 several times last season with both crew chief Adam Stevens and then-NNS crew chief and his current Sprint Cup crew chief Jason Ratcliff. Despite having the No. 18 on the car, Logano will have Stevens and his regular crew behind him this weekend.
• IT’S BRISTOL BABY: Logano has raced at Bristol Motor Speedway a total of six times with rather impressive results, even though he’s still looking for his first pole and his first victory. And while Logano has no poles at the track, three of the last four races have resulted in Logano qualifying an impressive second. In addition to his runner-up spot at the track last fall, Logano has finishes of fifth, ninth and 10th at the half-mile high-banked oval.
• THE RACE: The Ford EcoBoost 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, TN; .566-mile short track) is set for Saturday afternoon, March 17, 2012. The race will be broadcast on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET, with radio coverage on PRN.

Logano’s 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series Season Stats:

Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats:

Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway:

From the Cockpit:

Joey Logano Quotes: “Bristol is Bristol. Everyone is always excited to head back to that track. It’s really short track racing at its best these days too. That battle that we had with Kyle (Busch) there last year was epic. We had a faster car than him late and chased him down, but once we got side-by-side, we just couldn’t quite get him. And I wasn’t going to spin him or move him out of the way. If I was going to win that race, I was going to do it right. And the fact that we ran side-by-side like that for the last few laps was awesome. That was something you couldn’t do at the old Bristol, but it made for a great race.

“Bristol always presents some challenges because of the nature of it. You can get caught up in someone else’s mess so easy there. It is like a superspeedway in that sense. Something can happen in front of you and you can just get collected and have nowhere to go. So you have to stay on top of things and always be looking and thinking ahead. Having a good handling car is a big plus too, because if you aren’t worrying about driving it, you can stay even more alert. We’ve had a good track record there the last two years and we are taking the same car back. Hopefully this is the weekend I can finally win at Bristol.”

From the Pit Box:

Adam Stevens Quotes: “This is a great track for us and a great track for Joey. He’s always been really strong on the concrete tracks. Bristol is all about the driver and getting him what he needs. If the driver is not comfortable there, he’s not going to be very fast. It’s all mechanical balance and feel and driver comfort. Things happen fast there, so you want your driver to be comfortable with the car so he can keep a sharp mind on making sure he stays out of trouble. You also have to be ready to change your strategy in the race. Pit sequences get off and things can get switched around. Or sometimes you can get a little fender damage from all the beating and banging. So making sure you stay on your toes and keep an open mind is key. One thing we won’t know for sure is the tire combination. It has changed once again, so that will be another variable that we will have to keep in mind when we unload on Friday.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing Machines:

• PRIMARY CAR INFO: The No. 18 GameStop team will take chassis #121 to Bristol. This is the same car that Logano nearly won with at the track last fall.
• BACK-UP CAR: Chassis #108 will serve at the team’s backup. The car serves as a regular backup to the team on concrete tracks.

No. 18 GameStop Toyota / Joe Gibbs Racing Team:

Driver – Joey Logano
Crew Chief – Adam Stevens
Car Chief – Heath Landis
Race Engineer – Curtis Ratzlaff
Shock Specialist – Joel Weidman
Front-end – Dave Rudy
Rear-end – Chris “Yoshi” Jones
Tire Specialist – Glen Wheeler
Engine Tuner – Roger Purcell
Truck Driver – Tim Clancy
Spotter: Rocky Ryan
Jackman – Jason Tate
Gasman – John Eicher
Front Tire Changer – John Royer
Front Tire Carrier – Chris Taylor
Rear Tire Changer – Joe Crossen
Rear Tire Carrier – Eric Groen

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Joey Logano will make an appearance in “Stop Bullying: Speak Up”, the documentary will air on Cartoon Network Sunday, March 18 at 5:30 p.m. EDT. President Barack Obama will deliver an opening message before the debut of “Speak Up,” a Cartoon Network documentary about bullied youth across America and those who have helped them.

The half-hour film, part of the network’s “Stop Bullying: Speak Up” initiative, will be aired on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. EDT/PDT, with an encore at 8 p.m.

The documentary features appearances by star athletes Venus Williams, Chris Webber, Lisa Leslie, soccer player Hope Solo, BMX bike rider Matt Wilhelm and NASCAR drivers Trevor Bayne, Jeff Burton and Joey Logano.

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Joey Logano is currently scheduled to sign autographs on Friday, March 16, 2012 at Food City Race Night. Jeff Gordon, and Kurt Busch will also be signing autographs.

The three Sprint Cup drivers will sign autographs from 5 p.m.-5:45 p.m. in the hospitality area at Bristol Motor Speedway.

For more details click the image below.

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Logano Salvages 16th-Place Finish, Remains Top-10 in Points

Post Race Highlights:

• Logano debuted new sponsor Dollar General at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. It was Dollar General’s first ever primary sponsorship of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car.
• Logano qualified eighth for the event, but actually started fourth after several cars in front of him had to drop to the rear of the field for going to backup cars prior to the start of the race.
• At the initial start of the event, Logano jumped into second position and looked to have a strong Dollar General Toyota, running in the top-10 for the first 50 laps of the event.
• Eventually, the handle started going away on the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota. Logano reported he was fighting a tight condition that continued to get worse and worse as the race went on.
• Logano eventually fell back into the mid-20s and a lap down. However, Logano, crew chief Jason Ratcliff and the entire Dollar General team never gave up and continued to work on the car and try and make it better.
• On lap 246, Logano found himself back on the lead lap and working to improve his 22nd-place running position. Over the final 20 laps, Logano used pit strategy and an improving car to salvage a 16th-place finish, tops among the Joe Gibbs Racing machines.
• With his 16th-place finish, Logano unofficially remains in the top-10 in the points standings in ninth.

Logano’s Post-Race Thoughts:

“Well that was a disappointing day for the Dollar General Toyota. We really thought we were going to have a better car than what we had, but we just struggled to find the right handle and chased the track all day as well. Thankfully, we were able to get back on the lead lap and salvage a 16th-place finish out of it. We raced hard all the way to the end and we picked up a lot of spots over those last 20 laps or so. We were even side-by-side with the No. 78 car coming to the checkers.

“The key to our season is going to be days like this. We know we can run up front and contend for wins and get top-fives and top-10s. Its days like this, where we are struggling and just don’t have the car and try to make something out of those days. Trying to get the best that we can out of it and that is what we did today. That shows the mentality of this team and what we are trying to do. We are still top-10 in points. So we will leave here, go to Bristol and hopefully learn a bunch and be even better the next time we are on one of these mile-and-a-half tracks.”

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