HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina – The NASCAR Nationwide Series has always offered more of a variety of racetracks than its big brother, The Sprint Cup Series. One week after tackling the Talladega Superspeedway, the largest oval on the schedule, the series shifts to one of the smallest venues, Richmond International Raceway. Short track racing is the building block to the fast-paced action that we see on superspeedways. Joey Logano is like most NASCAR racers in that he cut his racing teeth on the short tracks of America. With his background in this racing discipline, along with his recent success, Logano and the No. 20 GameStop Toyota team should be a favorite in Friday night’s 250 lap Nationwide Series race.
"To me, racing at Richmond is ‘grassroots racing."— Joey Logano
Logano has built a short track resume that is as impressive as it is long. Some of his achievements include: youngest Legends car champion in series history, first late model stock win at age 13, first USAR Pro Cup win at age 15 and a win in the Toyota All-Star Challenge, which is considered the “Daytona 500 of Short Track Racing.” It is safe to say that Logano enjoys the short tracks. He picked up a pole in the second race at Richmond in 2008 and he is confident that he can pick up his first win at the .75-mile oval this weekend.
Joey Logano Quotes
“To me, racing at Richmond is ‘grassroots racing.’ It just has that feel of going to your local short track on a Saturday night when you were trying to make a name for yourself in this sport. I grew up racing on short tracks and I love any chance to go back and rub fenders on a bull ring. There are no aerodynamics involved at all. It’s full-contact racing. We had a good race there last year in the GameStop Toyota. Our cars have been solid all year and I’m confident we’ll be fast on Friday night.”
“Richmond is a pretty unique short track. It has a lot of the characteristics of a speedway. The corners are fast and sweeping. There is a lot of room to really charge the corner if the car is working right. You can easily race side-by-side. The races are at night, which is always cool. Racing under the lights makes everything better. You never hear drivers say that they dread going to Richmond because the racing is so competitive. I don’t know if it’s the perfect short track, but it’s close.”
Noteworthy
◦ The last time that the Nationwide Series visited the Richmond International Raceway, Logano started the race from the pole as rain washed out qualifying and the No. 20 GameStop Toyota was leading the series owner’s point standings.
◦ The No. 20 JGR Toyota has competed in 14 Nationwide Series events at Richmond International Raceway, garnering one win, seven top-10 finishes and two poles.
◦ Despite missing the Las Vegas race, due to the fact that he is not running the full season, Logano currently sits fifth in the series standings.
◦ Friday’s race will be a homecoming for Logano’s spotter, Mark Robertson, as he hails from the Richmond area.
◦ Logano will be competing in Denny Hamlin’s “Short Track Showdown” at Southside Speedway on Thursday night.
No. 20 GameStop Toyota
Season Stats
Wins: 1
Poles: 0
Top 5: 4
Top 10: 5
Best Start: 2
Best Fin: 1
Avg. Start: 9.7
Avg. Fin: 7.4
Race Information
Series: Nationwide Series
Race: Lipton 250
Distance: 187.5 miles
Laps: 250 laps
Race No. 9 of 35
Venue: Richmond Int’l
Raceway
Location: Richmond, Va.
Chassis Info
Primary: JGR #2097
History: This will be the first race for this new JGR chassis.
Backup: JGR #2085
Broadcast Information
Friday
Qualifying: 4:00 PM, Speed
Race: 7:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN2
Radio: MRN and Sirius
