Catchfence

Joey Logano

Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Home Depot Team Notes of Interest

• Joey Logano will make his first start at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) this weekend for the Brickyard 400. Following the 2008 race, Logano and the No. 20 team participated in one of Goodyear’s first tire tests last year.  It is the only time Logano has been to Indianapolis.
• Logano will make his debut on QVC’s For Race Fans Only on Friday which airs from 8-10 p.m. EST. Joining long-time Host Dan Hughes, Logano will be live from the museum at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where he’ll be talking die-casts and motorsports.
• Logano currently sits 20^th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings following his 18^th-place finish at Chicagoland two weeks ago.  He has maintained the top-20 position for the last two races and sits four points out of 19^th.  He has finished in the top 25 for the last 12 Cup races, posted one win and four top 10s.
• Welcome aboard The Home Depot Associates from two Georgia stores!  Store #6848 from Lovejoy and store #139 from Rome will ride along with Logano for the Brickyard 400 at IMS.   The two stores are 90 miles apart from each other, Rome sits northwest of Atlanta while Lovejoy is south of the capital city.  Two major Hollywood hits (Sweet Home Alabama and Remember the Titans) filmed scenes at Berry College in Rome.
• Crew chief Greg Zipadelli and The Home Depot Team guided the No. 20 car to victory lane twice at IMS in 10 starts.  The first was an emotional victory for Indiana-native Tony Stewart in 2005 and again in 2007.  In total, The Home Depot Team has two wins, four top-five and six top-10 finishes.  Last year the team finished 23^rd in the Brickyard 400.
• The Home Depot Team is taking chassis #247 to the track this weekend for the 20th race of the season.  This is a new chassis for the team.
• Logano earned top rookie honors for the 15^th time in 19 races two weeks ago at Chicagoland with his 18^th-place finish.  He continues to build his lead over Scott Speed and now has a 23-point advantage (203-180) heading to Indianapolis.  Last year’s top rookie finished 15^th at IMS.
• 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.

Logano Quotes:

On Indianapolis…

“I participated in the tire test with Zippy (crew chief Zipadelli) and the No. 20 team after the race last year.  It was awesome.  To come down the front stretch and have grandstands on either side and feel the bump as you cross the bricks is just cool.  That was my first and only time there.  The track has such a unique shape, it’s pretty clear your car needs to be good coming off the corners because the straight-aways are so long.  You could lose a ton of time there if your car isn’t turning off the corner.  We are taking a new Home Depot Toyota this weekend for the Brickyard; I’m pretty excited about it.”

On the off week…

“It was nice to relax and have some fun, but to be honest it was killing me watching the Nationwide race on television.  I was ready to get back in a car.  We did get a test in this week, so I wasn’t out of one too long.”

- Elevation Group of Companies for Home Depot Racing/Joe Gibbs Racing, Press Release