The Home Depot Team Notes of Interest
• Joey Logano returns to Pocono Raceway in the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for the Pennsylvania 500 this weekend. Logano finished 23rd in his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut at the 2.5-mile tri oval in June. That same weekend he took the checkered flag in the ARCA RE/MAX race while gaining experience on the unique track for the Cup race.
• Media Availability: Logano will participate in a Raybestos Rookie press conference at Pocono Raceway on Friday at 9:30 a.m. in the media center. He will be joined by fellow rookies Scott Speed and Dexter Bean.
• Logano moved up to 19th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings after his 12th-place effort in his first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He sits just 92 points out of 18th. Despite qualifying 18th for the Brickyard 400, Logano had to drop to the back of the field due to an engine change and battled his way into the top 15. It was the fifth-consecutive race where Logano has finished in the top 20 and on the lead lap.
• Welcome aboard The Home Depot Associates from store #3661 in Hillsborough, N.C. The store number will ride along with Logano for this weekend’s 500-mile event in Pocono. Hillsborough is familiar with NASCAR and racing, one of the early NASCAR sanctioned tracks was located just east of the town. Occoneechee Speedway (renamed Orange Speedway) hosted NASCAR races from 1949 until Richard Petty took the final checkered flag in 1968.
• The Home Depot Team is taking chassis #250 to the track this weekend for the Pennsylvania 500. This is a new chassis for the No. 20 team.
• Logano earned top rookie honors for the 16th time this season and continues to build his lead over Speed. He has increased his lead to 23 points over Speed (205-182) heading back to Pocono. Last year’s top rookie finished 24th in the August event.
• Giving back: The Home Depot is partnering with the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) to present The NMPA Home Depot Humanitarian Award. The 2009 NASCAR season is the third year the award will be presented and the winner of the 2009 award will be announced at NASCAR NMPA Myers Brother Awards luncheon in Las Vegas in December. The award recognizes an individual in the NASCAR community that has shown a dedication to helping others and improving communities through their service and giving. The award winner will receive a $100,000 donation made by The Home Depot to the recipient’s charity of choice while the two finalists will each receive a $25,000 donation to their designated non-profit organization. To nominate an individual for the NMPA Home Depot Humanitarian Award log onto www.homedepotracing.com/humanitarian.
• HomeDepotRacing.com has been revamped for the 2009 season. Fans can track Joey’s races and appearances throughout the season, read about his experiences during his rookie campaign in Joey’s Journal and ask Joey questions that he will answer for fans.
• To access the online media guide visit: www.elevationgrp.com/homedepot.
Logano Quotes:
On Pocono…
“I’m looking forward to this weekend. Aside from Daytona which is a different kind of race, this is the first track that I am going back to with The Home Depot Team. It’s going to be so different now that I won’t be spending practice and half the race figuring out the track. We will be able to unload off the truck and really get to tuning on the race car. That’s a huge confidence booster going into the race weekend because Pocono is such a unique track. The corners are all different, one minute you are running on new asphalt the next it’s older and worn. But I have my own notes I am going to go over, re-watch the race and come into the weekend knowing what I want and need in the car.
“Coming off last weekend and the last stretch of races has been great for the entire team. Everyone is confident, everyone has great attitudes and we are all having fun. We overcame a lot last weekend and finished 12th, that’s huge at a track where it was harder to pass than any place I’ve been so far. I am really looking forward to the final half of the season and seeing what we can do as a race team.”
Logano Pocono Raceway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results
Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Earnings Ave. Start Ave. Finish
1 0 0 0 $117,451 23 23
Logano 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats
Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Earnings Ave. Start Ave. Finish Points Pos.
20 1 1 4 $3,236,858 21.2 20.6 19th
Logano Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats
Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Earnings Ave. Start Ave. Finish
24 1 1 4 $3,499,283 23.3 22.7
No. 20 Home Depot Team
Primary Team Members:
Crew Chief – Greg Zipadelli Car Chief – Jason Shapiro Engine Builder – Mark Cronquist
Lead Engineer – Adam Stevens Engine Specialist – Michael Johnson Spotter – Mark Robertson
Over-The-Wall Crew Members:
Jackman – Jason Tate Front Tire Changer – Ira Jo Hussey Front Tire Carrier – Thomas Dean
Gas Man – Jeff Clark Rear Tire Changer – Aaron Smith Rear Tire Carrier – Eric Groen
Catch Can – Brian Larson
Other Crew Members:
Truck Drivers – Tom McCrimmon & Scott Crowell Tire Specialist – Jerold Shires Shock Specialist – Dave Hansen
Mechanics – Mike Shelton & Scott Geerts Pit Support – Bill Byrne & Todd Foster IT Support – Nathan Boone