Team members look on as Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, speaks with the media during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway on Jan. 23 in Concord, N.C. - Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR

DARIAN GRUBB, crew chief, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How do you feel starting 2012 with a new team? “It feels really good to be a part of Joe Gibbs Racing. The professionalism that they have is pretty impressive. It’s good to be a part of that. Yeah, we had a lot of turmoil at the end of the year last year — still came out all positive. Won the championship and won five races. Came out of there with my head held high and then went on to my next endeavors. I’m really looking forward to getting a new chapter started at Joe Gibbs Racing.”

Do you look at this as a new challenge? “I definitely do. I feel like I’ve checked a lot of things off the bucket list and now it’s time to go out there and just race for fun and try to win races and win championships. It’s a whole new endeavor and a lot of new people and a lot of new faces to learn and learn how to deal with and how to talk to them. I’m really looking forward to that.”

How different are Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Hass Racing in their operations? “It’s very similar. The work that everybody does in the Cup Series is very even across the field. The competition level is so high. It’s hard for anybody to really be that far behind and these guys are definitely on top of their game when it comes to the technology side of things, the engineering, support they have from Toyota. I’m really looking forward to learning all those different people and the different aspects of the sport and try to make the 11 FedEx team stronger.”

How much confidence do you bring to the team coming off your 2011 championship? “It’s really exciting for me just because coming in talking to the guys in the shop you can tell there’s just the attitude there that they just felt like they were beat down because they had such a bad year in 2011 and now there’s just a breath of fresh air. They know that I was lucky enough to go out there and win that championship. They all want a piece of that. They know how close they were and everybody just realizes now it’s all about just having fun, working in one direction so we’re all going out there trying to win races and put ourselves in the Chase with a chance to go for that championship.”

What have you learned about Denny Hamlin? “He’s (Denny Hamlin) a really good character. He’s a fun guy. He likes to joke with the guys and carry on and that’s a big part of it. We want to have Denny included in the team and make sure he’s one of the guys that’s leading the team. He has to be a leader and make sure all those guys are following him. He’s the guy that everybody shows up to work for every morning and as long as he’s connected to us we’ll be working our hardest for him.”

Is your experience an advantage for you and your new team? “I definitely think so. Working with Chad Knaus (crew chief, No. 48) and the Hendrick Motorsports group was a great learning experience for me. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the greats all the way through even back to my first days in Cup with Dale Inman at Petty Enterprises — just went into the Hall of Fame — so there’s guys like that that I have learned a lot of lessons from. I hope to take all those things and put them to my best use.”

What are your thoughts on moving from Chevrolet to a Toyota team? “It’s definitely different. It’s a different mentality about the way they approach the race cars and the race track, the data and what they do with it. But then again, everything this year is different because of the EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) introduction for NASCAR. There’s a lot of new things. There’s a lot of new technology and we’re all kind of growing with that as well. I haven’t seen anything that’s a weak link. We’re looking forward to going out there and hitting the race track.”

How is the communication among your team and with Toyota? “They work together really well there at Joe Gibbs Racing with the Toyota development program and TRD (Toyota Racing Development) engines and all those things. The communication level probably needs to be picked up a little bit because there was a lot of things new. I think most of that just comes from the fact that fuel injection (EFI) and all those things are being introduced this year and we’ve got a lot of new people, new faces that we’re trying to get introduced and make sure everybody is doing the right thing at the race track, so we’re looking forward to that and getting those relationships built.”

Is it an advantage to have one full-time Toyota team to work with in Michael Waltrip Racing? “I think it’s a little easier because now we have the one team that we can go out there and lean on as far as technology. We know as long as we’re both going in one direction with TRD (Toyota Racing Development) that support is going to follow.”

DAVE ROGERS, crew chief, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How was Joe Gibbs able to bring these three crew chiefs together? “I think if you look back at Joe Gibbs’ (team owner) career, he’s been really good at that. He says he hires good people and let’s them do their job. I think he’s made a home run right now with putting Darian (Grubb, crew chief, No. 11), Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief, No. 20) and I together — I hope it does come across as magic. The people part is so big and our personalities just mesh. When you wake up in the morning and you enjoy going to work and work with the people you work with — that makes such a big difference. I think that bleeds throughout the entire company. I think right now all 400 employees at Joe Gibbs Racing see how excited Jason, Darian and I are to work with each other. Whether that’s magic or Joe and J.D. (Gibbs, president, JGR) doing their job — I don’t know — just excited to be part of it.”

Will the three JGR NSCS teams be more unified this year? “I think the best way to answer that is to look back at 2007, 2008 and 2009 on the Nationwide side. When I moved over to the Nationwide shop in 2006, there wasn’t a whole lot of win banners hanging on the wall. I’m not telling you that I went over there and hung a lot — I think the teamwork and the team chemistry between Jason (Ratcliff) and I being able to lead the group and get the entire Nationwide shop to go in one direction as one unified team — I think that’s what hung all those banners. Jason and I know that. We know that we were only a small part of it. It was really the direction that we provided and the guys back in the shop just slugging it out and making it happen. Jason and I know that if we provide that type of leadership that we have 400 of the best employees in the business sitting at Joe Gibbs Racing. We know they will respond and provide really good race cars and our drivers are all top notch — all three of them. I think Darian (Grubb) really respects the relationship that Jason and I had and I think he wants to be part of that. From all signs, he’s trying to be part of that. I think you’re going to see one unified team with three race cars every Sunday.”

Does having TRD (Toyota Racing Development) build engines this year allocate more resources for you? “The engine program has always been a separate entity from the crew chief’s perspective. Mark Cronquist (JGR engine builder) has always provided engines for us and now the engines are coming from Costa Mesa (Calif.). I think what it does do is gives us better resource allocation. Last year we were putting a lot of our resources into the engine basket — TRD (Toyota Racing Development) was putting a lot of their resources into the engine basket and we were getting redundancy. Now we’re able to eliminate some of that redundancy. We still have Mark Cronquist as an integral part of TRD so he’s providing that tribal knowledge that’s crucial. We’re going to better use our resources and hope we have a stronger product. We had our documented issues last year, but I’m a team player and I support our engine room. I wouldn’t have traded anything last year for nothing. We wish we didn’t have the failures, but that’s part of racing and I’ll take it. There are a lot of things in this sport that you wish didn’t happen.”

What can help to make the Toyota engines stronger? “I think the combination of Mark Cronquist working with TRD (Toyota Racing Development) — Mark is going out to Costa Mesa (Calif.) every week. He’s always out there working with their lead designer and there’s a lot of work going on between Joe Gibbs Racing and TRD. I think that combined effort will make the engines better. You have to look at the Toyota package — back before the gear rules when people could turn 10,000 or 10,500 RPM — Toyotas were the team to beat. Their package that they have designed is designed around a high rev limit and no gear rule. When NASCAR implemented the gear rule, in some regards to that, has out-dated the Toyota motor. It’s nothing that Toyota has done wrong, it’s nothing that Joe Gibbs has done wrong — it’s just what it is. I know that the Toyota folks are working on some stuff to produce a better motor that works in the 9200 RPM range that we operate in today. Over the course of the next couple years, we would like to see NASCAR make some rule changes to open that box a little bit. We’re not going to use that as an excuse. We’re going to demand that TRD and Mark Cronquist and all of our guys put their heads together to produce as much horsepower with the given rules as possible. We’ll take that to the race track and try to win races.”

How do you feel about Kyle entering the 2012 season running less NNS and NCWTS races? “Each year Kyle (Busch) gets older and older and he gets more mature and more dedicated. I think he re-dedicates himself every off-season and he’s made some personal decisions this year to free up more time for him to focus on the Cup program and help us get to where we want to be. I think he’s doing a good job of it. I think cutting out some of the Nationwide races and taking a step back — he’s done some other things at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) to hire some really good people. I know Mike Beam (crew chief, No. 54 NNS) is over there now. Rick Ren (general manager, KBM) is still working hard. He’s hired some really good people that can give that company direction with a little less involvement from him. The less time he has to spend at KBM working on that deal, the more time he has for Joe Gibbs Racing and the 18 and I think that is going to add up at the end of the year.”

Will you get less feedback from Kyle not running as many NNS races? “I think there’s pluses and minuses — there’s days where we’ve gotten really good feedback and there’s days — Bristol comes to mind. Right before the Bristol race we made some radical setup changes to our car based on how the Nationwide Series race went and the track didn’t go through the same transition in the Cup Series as it did in Nationwide. We felt like we dialed ourselves out. There’s other times where it’s played to our favor and we’ve seen other track transitions — made adjustments accordingly and it worked for us. I think if you look at it — Carl Edwards is backing off, Kyle’s (Busch) backing off, Jimmie Johnson hasn’t done it — those are the guys you are going to have to race against. Denny Hamlin hasn’t done it. They’re all freeing up their schedule for a reason. It’s not because it’s a competitive disadvantage. That’s the way I look at it. There’s never a win-win — there’s always a compromise. I do think Kyle will have more time to just relax and spend some time with Sam (Samantha Busch, wife) and freshen up a little bit. That is going to help us out.”

Have you seen any changes in Kyle from the end of last season? “He’s (Kyle Busch) the same old Kyle. Our fans are going to see the same aggressive driver. I think it would be terrible for our sport if Kyle changed all together. There’s some things we all love about him. Some boo, some cheer, but everyone loves the fact that he gets out of the car and does his bow. That’s Kyle Busch and that makes NASCAR, NASCAR. He’s matured — he’s definitely matured. We talked about it and each year he’s done a little bit of growing up. Last year, we were talking about his wedding. This year, we can talk about the end of the season. All of us were young kids at some point. All of us made mistakes. Hopefully, most of us learned. Kyle’s a very intelligent person. He’s had a lot of consequences to deal with for his mistakes. He’s gone through a lot of remorse and I think in the end it’s going to make him a better person and he’s going to make better decisions based on it. We’re still going to have Rowdy Busch driving our race car and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

JASON RATCLIFF, crew chief, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Did you think you would have the opportunity to be a Cup Series crew chief? “You know, you set goals — and I was telling the guys when they brought me over — and you kind of have this motion picture that runs in your head. We play it out like we think it’s going to be and then you get to a point like this and you think, ‘Wow, that’s way better than what I had.’ This script is way better — I couldn’t have planned it this well. I think as humans, hopefully we all set goals and hopefully they’re somewhat intimidating. If they’re not, then we’re selling ourselves short. To think I would be in this series one day and have these kind of opportunities — sure I thought I was capable of doing that if the right opportunity came along. Did I think I would be with an organization like Joe Gibbs Racing and working with a great talent like Joey Logano, with Toyota and Home Depot and Dollar General and all these — working alongside guys like Kyle Busch? The opportunity that I’ve had with him over the last three or four years — to win championships and win races and set new records — it’s crazy. You set your goals high and you hope you can go out there and accomplish them. To really look back, it’s way bigger than what I could ever imagine. It’s a tremendous blessing across the board.”

How will it be working with Joey Logano this year? “A lot of times when you work with a new driver, it takes a couple of events just to get aware with what they like and get that communication going. I feel like stepping in here, I’ve worked with Joey (Logano) enough on the Nationwide side and I’ve known Joey for a long time. I know him well enough to know where I can build confidence with, obviously fast race cars. I kind of got a feel for what he wants and each driver’s different. Even though the setups are going to be very similar, I think I know enough about Joey to put that detail and he’s going to be able to go out there and be competitive from the beginning. I’m glad that we’ve had that opportunity over the years to work close enough together and communicate in a race-type situation that we can come out of the box running.”

How will the new crew chiefs at JGR help shape the team’s future? “I think just the relationship that I’ve had with Dave (Rogers, No. 18 crew chief) from our Nationwide days is hopefully going to be a plus. We were able to build a pretty strong Nationwide program. Dave and I started working together in 2006. So we’re like-minded in a lot of ways, but in a lot of ways we’re not. The thing that we learned was to really take advantage of a multi-car team. At that time we were two cars in the Nationwide Series and now we’re three teams. You have to find that compromise at the end of the day and you have to be willing to push each other and challenge each other. At the end of the day, sitting across the table and shake hands and say, ‘Yeah man, that’s a great idea, I’m going to give you a little on this one and take a little on that one.’ At the end of the day we’re going to go out there and try to beat each other and most importantly, we’re going to try to beat the other 40 cars out there. I think that relationship with Dave and I hopefully encourages Dave and encourages me to be back in the same building with him. Then for Darian (Grubb, No. 11 crew chief), I just think a new look — not that we don’t think outside the box on a daily basis, but a lot of times you can’t see the forest through the trees so to speak. Great ideas — brilliant crew chief in Dave Rogers and really this whole shop, Darian alluded to it earlier, our engineering program, the group we have is phenomenal. I’d put them up against anyone. They impress me quite often, usually daily which I don’t have an engineering background, so it doesn’t take a lot to impress me, but they do a phenomenal job. I’m so excited about working with that group. I’ve been working with a lot of those guys even on the Nationwide side. Darian brings in a different thought process, opens our minds to some different things. Maybe some things we overlooked or kind of set on the back burner and he opens that back up and we’re like, ‘Yeah.’ So, he’s spurring that thought process. Just sitting down with us over the last week and a half and really brainstorming about what you talked about. How do you make this program better? How do we get it back to where it was two or three years ago? These guys, when Denny (Hamlin) was out there winning seven, eight races and battling for championships. That’s what we’re pulling for. The whole Joe Gibbs (Racing) organization, 400-plus employees in the Cup shop and 60-something employees in the Nationwide division — it’s a great group of people and one thing I can say about them is they all really work close together. They challenge each other and they make it a point and you’re extremely aware of the compromise it takes to work with that many teams. At the end of the day, we encourage each other and challenge each other.”

What do you think you have to offer to Joey Logano this season? “I think it’s really simple. I don’t think it’s much different than it would be for any of us, especially at that age. There’s no substitute for experience, obviously. The thing that I would be thinking if I was in his (Joey Logano) shoes would be, ‘Can I do this? What am I missing? What do I need to do as a driver?’ I think that a lot of those pressures have been put on him that weren’t really his problems. I think building some confidence is going to be a big deal and I think I can see that already going into some pre-season meetings. He’s excited about opportunities. Really, it’s not so much good team, bad team, doing things right, doing things wrong — sometimes it’s just taking a different approach. Sometimes it’s just painting a different picture. Hopefully that’s what I can do is just paint a different picture and look at things from a different perspective and really build a team for Joey. There was a successful team that Joey stepped into years ago, that had won championships and won races and done all the things that you could want to do in this sport. Even though it was a great race team, sometimes when those things are not built around you that chemistry may or may not be there. It’s too early to tell that. My focus is making sure all that we do — even though the guys are the same on this No. 20 team — is really making it about Joey and trying to craft it and mold it to fit him and to build the chemistry we need.”

Source: Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

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JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot/Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

What did you learn in this morning’s test session? “We’ve made single-car runs all morning, so I don’t have anything exciting to tell you. Just making changes and go out there and try it again.”

What are you anticipating testing in a pack this afternoon? “We’ll see. I think with the new valve there and the little, smaller opening, it’s going to make it quite a bit harder, I think. We will see. It seemed like we started to figure it out by the end of the day what we needed to do for when we get in the pack. Now, it’s kind of an unknown right now. It’s going to be tough, I think. I don’t think it gives you a whole bunch of pushing. You’ll see a lot of people trying to do some and trying to race people while pushing and see what happens and breaking people up and stuff like that. I think it’s going to be a little chaotic out there actually, so we’ll see what happens.”

JASON RATCLIFF, crew chief, No. 20 Home Depot/Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How did the car perform this morning with the new restrictor plate? “It’s picked up on average about seven-tenths, which is usually what we calculate for that plate change. I think we had a little better day again at our qualifying single car runs. The wind — there was none this morning so it was perfect conditions for trying things like that. If we made six runs, I feel like we made gains on four of them. It was a good morning for us. Other than that, we’re going to get geared up now. NASCAR has requested or asked to see if we can get 10-plus cars out there with this package and really get a good feel. Yesterday there was a lot of tandem cars. We would see maybe three cars in a group at the same time. We really need a good 15-plus cars out there to really get a good feel for how this deal is going to work. We’re going to get geared up, have some lunch here and at one o’clock we’ll go out there and try that.”

Do you think NASCAR will be able to bring back the ‘drafting pack’? “I think everybody is still going to make a strong effort to do the tandem because there is so much speed. Now that they’re (NASCAR) putting a lot more horsepower back in the cars, the disparity between two cars and one or two cars and four — they’re going to close that up I think quite a bit. They’re going to make another jump on closing the grill down a little bit. That’s what we struggled with the most yesterday, which obviously is intentional by NASCAR is getting that nose peeked out there so we can get some air in the radiator. Now they’re going to make that a little more difficult so you can get out so far to get air in there to the point that eventually you start killing the speed again and then the tandem even gets closer to the four or five car drafts. They’re working it in the right direction. I think it’s going to be interesting to see. It’s so close right now that if you start pushing the water temp too close and you get in a large pack and you can’t get clean air on the nose you’re going to get beyond your limits and the risk is not going to be worth the reward. You have to kind of play that out. It doesn’t do you any good if you can’t be there at the end. We have to work through that and let Joey (Logano) go play with it and see where that limit is going to be and let him figure out, ‘Hey, if I get close here, how much do I need to back up to get some air on the grill?’ It should be interesting.”

CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

How were you able to post the fast laps this morning with your teammate? “It’s just different ways of pushing and stuff like that. You can obviously go faster straight in line, but you can’t do it very long. I was just trying to see how long I could do it and we’re down here to learn — that helps NASCAR figure out what they need to do to make the appropriate actions. We have another meeting at lunch and we’ll see what that entails.”

What do you expect to see when you get into the bigger draft pack this afternoon? “I don’t know — one thing I did notice is that we didn’t go by the single car as fast as it used to so maybe when we get out there in the pack collectively, the pack will be as fast as two cars — maybe.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

How did the car perform this morning with the new rules? “We didn’t draft yesterday, so it’s hard to say, but we did the tire test back here a few months ago and it’s pretty similar to what we did there. We had a bigger plate. Today it’s even a little bit bigger, but it’s a little a bit harder to keep the cars cool than it was and what we’ve had here in the past, so that’s going to be a challenge. And, of course, today the temperature should cool outside, so we get out there with a bunch of cars and warmer temps it’s going to be harder to keep the cars cool doing the two-car draft.”

How was the morning test session? “Yeah, everything is going well. We had a test plan and we’re sticking to that, but it’s been good to get out there and draft with both Clint (Bowyer) and Mark (Martin) and get a feel for things and so far everything is going good.”

What are you anticipating testing in a pack this afternoon? “I think it’s going to be a little bit ‘hairy.’ 205 (mph) is pretty fast and the car is just now starting to get where it’s almost on edge. We’re almost pushing the limits of the grip, so it’s going to get interesting with a lot of cars out there. You can’t really make fast maneuvers like you could before switching lanes. You really have to be smooth pushing, so it’s definitely going to be exciting for sure.”

How will the communication changes affect the race? “Well, you’re just following the guy and you just hope you go where he does. You’re just kind of going off of him. Wherever he moves, you move. You don’t really have a heads up on what’s coming.”

RODNEY CHILDERS, crew chief, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

How was the morning test session? “It was really good. We ran some single-car runs for a little while and learned a little bit there and it seemed like we got the car better and better and then went to some drafting stuff with our teammates and ran all three cars in line. All three cars were pretty good. Then ended up getting nose-to-tail with the 56 (Martin Truex Jr.) and everything seemed to be really good there. Truex thought our car was really stable when he was pushing it. Everything seems to be good. We’re going get out there with everybody else at one o’clock. I’m sure it’s going to get a little crazy, but hopefully it will be good.”

How did the car perform this morning with the new rules? “Not a huge impact. The cars are just a good bit faster, but it doesn’t seem like NASCAR is worried about that top speed. Seems like in the past in the every time they saw 200 (mph) we’d be changing plates, so I think they seem to be okay with it and we’ll get everybody out there and see what the speeds actually look like with everybody out there and not really doing a lot of pushing. Hopefully, everybody can learn something and I’m sure there will be more rule changes to come, but we’ll just have to see how it goes.”

Source: Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

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KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How did the two-car tandem draft feel with the new NASCAR rules? “Today with the new rule package and everything for the cars it certainly changed it a little bit, not a whole lot. There’s some different elements — the drivers really have to work hard trying to make sure that you stay connected and that you can get air into the intake for the radiator. Other than that, it’s kind of good just to get back in a race car and get back to the feeling of everything.”

What will it be like not to have communication with your teammates in the draft? “It’s going to be a lot more difficult. So far here at the test they’ve allowed us at least to talk to each other. Coming down to race time, we’re not supposed to. It’s definitely going to make it challenging. You’re going to have to go through talking to your spotter, your spotter talking to his spotter, his spotter talking to him so there’s too many different channels that you have to go through to get the communication going.”

DAVE ROGERS, crew chief, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How did the new NASCAR rules affect the draft? “Today was a good example that you can’t unlearn things that you learned in the past. Everyone in the garage area learned that the fastest way around here is to have two cars hooked up bumper-to-bumper and go. We’re never going to forget that. I know NASCAR is working really hard at making some new rules to bunch us back up, but as racers we’re going to take whatever route is the fastest — that’s the name of the game. Right now it still looks like two cars tied up is faster than a pack is going to be. The rules are going to have impact. Cars can’t hook up as long, they can’t stay nose-to-tail as long as they used to and when they do stay nose-to-tail for a longer time then the guy in the back has to pull further to the outside of the guy leading. You will see a different style race in February based on the rule changes, but you’re still going to see a bunch of racers try to hook up nose-to-tail.”

How long could the cars stay hooked up in the draft? “With the rule changes that NASCAR made, they really tied our hands. You can only stay hooked up bumper-to-bumper, center line to center line a half to three-quarters of a lap. So NASCAR accomplished their goal there. You can go longer when you pull out to the side. If you pull far enough out you can ride there all day. The more you pull out, the longer you can ride there, but the slower you are. If you need more speed you’re going to pull in center line to center line, if you need to stay cooler longer then you’re going to get that grill opening exposed to clean air. Drivers are going to have their hands full trying to figure out what they need to do and when they need to do it — and when do you lay all the cards on the table.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot/Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How did the two-car tandem work with you and Kyle Busch? “Oh man, we we’re pushing like crazy. It was alright. It was okay. We’re just working with what we need to do to try to be able to do it again with the rules changes and stuff like that. It’s made it super hard. It works good in practice right now, but when we get a bunch of cars around us in a racing situation, it’s probably not going to work as good. We’ll kind of see what happens. I wish we could get a lot of cars out there and I think that will be happening in the next couple of days, maybe tomorrow. I’m sure there will be a lot more cars out their drafting. Hopefully, something like that happens and it comes along good and we’ll have a better read than where we are at. We’re trying some things — trying to keep our car as cool as we can, some handling things, getting pushed and stuff like that.”

What do you anticipate in a big group? “I wish we got more cars out there today to know for sure, but I really think that we’re not going to be pushing as much. I think there will be a little bit of pushing and I think there will be a lot of old school draft, or whatever you want to call it. I think a lot of people are going to save it until the end and a lot of people won’t be able to do it for a very long time. I think it’s going to kind of look like the races when we first started to figure out how to do this two-car draft and only some people were doing it and some other people were just doing the regular draft. All that is probably going to look similar to that than what we had before.”

What are your thoughts on eliminating the in-race communication between drivers? “I’m hoping they change that back, because it ain’t going to pretty if we can’t talk to each other.”

JASON RATCLIFF, crew chief, No. 20 Home Depot/Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How was your first day of testing at Daytona? “It went good. We started off just making some single car runs and felt like we found a few things. We found some speed. Our drafting stuff — the biggest thing with the rule changes that NASCAR has come out with this year and just trying to figure that out and see how it’s going to affect our cars cooling wise, the spoiler is a lot smaller and just working through some stability things and trying to get the drivers comfortable to where they can draft. The thing we don’t know yet is when you get 15 or 30 cars out there together, that’s what we’re trying to prepare for. Until you do it, you really don’t know what you’ve got. We learned some things there, we made a lot of chassis adjustments and obviously going through the new EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) stuff and trying to get familiar with that. It was a good day. We’ve got a couple more days here and I think we’ll learn a lot.”

Is there a bigger risk with the two-car tandem with the new rules? “There is because you’re cutting it way too close. You can stay together, but you have to sacrifice speed to do it. You have to tuck out and get some air on the nose and as you do that you continue to slow the car down. Again, when you get seven or eight groups out there doing that it’s going to be a different ball game. It will be interesting. Hopefully, tomorrow we will get more guys out there drafting and get some more tandems out there and see how it works out. One time there we got three cars — all three Joe Gibbs (Racing) cars out there just to see how that would work out and it was okay. The speed wasn’t there. You have to weigh it all out and by the time you do the swap every two or two-and-a-half laps then you figure all that in — we’re just trying to weigh all our options and go back and lay it all out on the table and see what’s best.”

What do you think we will see in the race in February? “I think you’re going to see bigger packs just because guys can’t stay tucked up like they could before. The cars are going to get too hot. Today we were able to communicate fairly well, but I think they’re talking about taking some of the communication away between the drivers — for safety reasons. A lot of times you get a lot of chatter and you don’t really know who to listen to and who not to listen to. NASCAR is looking at that and so that’s something we have to think through as well, but I think it will be more packed up. You’ll see two-car tandems, but they’re not going to be driving away from the rest of them like we’ve seen in the past.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How was the afternoon test session? “It was good. It was good to get back on track and get the emotions and all going again. It takes a while after you sit out for a while to kind of get back in the rhythm and things.”

How long can maintain the two-car tandems? “Just about two laps really was the max for us. We couldn’t do much more than that, but we’re on the verge of being able to use it and not use it and we’re kind of in between, so I think if it stays this way it could be make for a lot of accidents during the (Daytona) 500. It’s kind of uneasy running that speed with two cars draft”

CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing How was the car after you got back on the track? “We got her straightened back out and she’ll be fine. We’ll get back out there drafting and looking forward to that. Just had to make sure that the car didn’t knock any speed off it, but it’s just fine.”

Is the two-car tandem riskier with the new rules changes? “The reward is worth the risk, unfortunately, and when you have that situation you’ve got to go out and do it. We got bit, but we’ll learn from it and we’ve got to learn some more tomorrow.”

Source: Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

Toyota Motorsports Logo

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How was the morning test session? “So far, so good. It’s good to be back in a race car and get the feeling for everything and work the bugs out a little bit — not only me, but the team. Just everybody just kind of putting all the things together and getting everything in place for when we come back down here in a month or so.”

What are your plans for this afternoon’s test? “Just get some drafting in. Also, seeing exactly what — ‘A,’ NASCAR is going to tolerate or, ‘B,’ what the cars will tolerate being able to push or whether we can’t. Excited about being back in the M&M’s car again and, of course, having the TRD (Toyota Racing Development) support that’s here this week, so that’s been really good.”

How will the rule changes impact the two-car tandems? “We don’t know right now. We think it’s going to impact it quite a bit. We used to be able to figure it out how we could push and keep pushing for a run. Now, I think it’s going to be all the way back to where you’re only going to have maybe a lap or two.”

DAVE ROGERS, crew chief, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How was the morning test session? “We’re pretty happy with the performance of our Toyota Camry this morning. The transition to the TRD motor package you know working with Joe Gibbs Racing has been really smooth. The introduction of EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) has been really smooth, so we’re really excited about that. We’re mid-pack on the board. Obviously we want to be better, but fairly pleased with what we’ve got. The fab (fabrication) shop built us a new race car over the off-season — new chassis, new body and unloaded really smooth, so pretty pleased with this morning’s efforts. We’re going to make a few more qualifying runs in the afternoon and then probably around two o’clock we’ll go out there and play around with the 20 (Joey Logano) car and the 11 (Denny Hamlin) car and see what this two-car tandem draft is going to look like now that NASCAR has some made rule changes.”

How long do you think you can push with the new rules? “Everyone has their guesses. I think everyone would tell you probably a lap, but that’s something we’re going to work on. NASCAR’s trying to answer the call of the fans and try to put us back in the pack, but as racers we know that two cars linked up together is faster, so we’re always going to try to migrate in that direction. You can’t unlearn what you’ve learned in the past. I think every team out here will be working on that — that tandem pack – to see if we can overcome the rules, but, I tell you, NASCAR has done a really good job at clipping our wings on that one, so I don’t know if we can overcome it or not.”

DARIAN GRUBB, crew chief, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How has the transition been to Joe Gibbs Racing? “It’s been very interesting — a lot of things to learn with the people and the faces and putting all those things together. Other than that, it’s just definitely a top-notch organization. They have a lot of good equipment, a lot of good things, a lot of good people, so now it’s just putting all those things in one direction and try to go win a championship.”

How important is this test being with a new team? “It’s really good for us just to be able to come down here — it’s kind of a no pressure week with three days of testing here at the speedway. No matter really what you do, you’re not going to pick up a whole lot of speed. You are just trying to learn things as you go along. Denny (Hamlin) and I are able to communicate on the radio with a new spotter, new crew chief and new driver — it’s entertaining at least to try to get all those thing rolling in one direction. So far it’s been really good and I think we’re going to be hitting it off pretty well.”

What do you anticipate seeing with the new rule changes? “No one has done any drafting yet and that’s when it’s going to come into play. After lunch when people start doing some of that, you will start seeing some of the changes. It’s definitely going to limit how long you’re going to be able to push each other, but we all still know how much more speed there is if you’re able to push even if it is only for one lap or two. It’s going to be interesting to see what people come up with or games they try to play.”

JASON RATCLIFF, crew chief, No. 20 Home Depot/Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How do you feel about becoming the crew chief for the No. 20 Sprint Cup Camry? “It’s very exciting. When I look at it from a family perspective — my wife and I — we’ve often thought being in this sport, ‘Will this day come?’ And if it does, ‘What’s the best timing for us?’ Really I can’t think of a better time as far as my family goes. I’m excited about it and I’m excited about working with Joey (Logano). We have a championship race team over here and he’s pumped up. He’s looking forward to it. They have a good group. We need to get faster race cars and I know our engineers and then also bringing Darian (Grubb, crew chief No. 11) — it’s kind of opened up this whole process a little bit in some different areas and with myself as well. Hopefully I can bring some new ideas over here too. It’s going to be fun and we’re looking forward to it. So far everything is going well. Nothing crazy — it is Daytona. Right now the biggest frustrations we have are the wind and the seagulls. Other than that, it’s all good.”

What is it like to walk into Daytona as a Sprint Cup crew chief? “It’s different just because I see different faces. I made so many friends over on the other side and I’m sure I will here as well. A lot of new faces so just getting familiar with these guys — that’s the biggest change. Different color on the truck — I almost climbed on the 18 truck earlier. I have to get used to that. On my desktop computer I put a big 20 on it so it would help me get acclimated with that part. Just new faces and new officials — getting comfortable with that. I walked in earlier and talked to Mr. (John) Darby (NSCS Director) and I knew him from the Busch (Nationwide) Series. I am just looking forward to meeting some new friends.”

What are your goals for the Daytona test? “In the past we’ve struggled a little bit on our qualifying stuff and our aero department and engine department — all of it — they have really worked hard at qualifying. Here at Daytona qualifying is what it is, but you want to come down here at Speedweeks and represent your sponsor and your team by putting up a good lap. So far, it appears as though we have made some gains over the winter compared to the competition. Probably made those gains in a lot of different areas so we’re pumped about that. We have a little ways to go to catch some of these guys, but I think we’re halfway there as long as everybody else isn’t sandbagging on us. Our goal realistically is to hopefully improve our single car stuff and we’ll get out there and start pushing each other after a while and see how that goes.”

How has the transition to TRD engines and EFI been for you? “I’m not really a good judge to how much different it is than it was before. Really, it’s the same group of people — we’ve always worked really close with TRD in the past so no real new faces there. It’s exciting to kind of get a little closer and kind of close that communication a little bit and work a little closer together. In the EFI stuff, it’s new for everybody so I hope that if there’s any area that maybe I’m coming in on the same playing field — that’s the only one because it’s new for everybody. So far it’s going good.”

RODNEY CHILDERS, crew chief, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

How was the morning test session? “It’s going pretty good. Of course, we wish we were a little bit faster than what we are. It’s not too bad. We’ve been in New Smyrna (Speedway) testing the past two days and that went extremely well, so we we’re really happy with that. We feel like today is going okay. The drafting part is going to be the most-important part anyways. We’re going to switch to race trim to here and get a little drafting in and hopefully work with our teammates and some of the (Joe) Gibbs (Racing) cars and try to figure out the best tandem we can and just work on handling. I think with the short spoiler it’s going to be pretty difficult and cars are going to be pretty loose getting into the corner. We’ll work on that the rest of the afternoon and hopefully get it driving good.”

How will the rules changes impacting pushing? “It really depends on how you can get the thing to handle. If they can get it handling good enough, I think you can keep on pushing if you get the car hung out far enough. We’ll see how it goes and it’s kind of nobody knows right now, so we’ll just have to see how it goes and go from there.”

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Kingsford/Kleenex/Bush’s Baked Beans Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Are you concerned about missing the Daytona test? “As important as the Daytona test is, we have a lot of time there in February and we’ll get more practice there than anywhere else we go. I feel like we will be able to miss the test and still be in pretty good shape when we get down there for the race. Time spent in the shop this week will be more valid for us to prepare cars — not just Daytona, but several weeks after that.”

Can you rely on past experience since you’re missing the test? “We were in the Bud Shootout last year and were kind of like a lost puppy out there and then we found our way. In the Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying race, we lost the draft near the end. In the Daytona 500, it was a different story. We were able to stay out of trouble and survive the day through a lot of carnage that went on. We kept in contention and when it came down to the end of the race, we were tucked in behind the leader. We came close to winning and ended up with a top-five (fourth-place) finish. If we can be that fortunate this year and put ourselves in position again, anything can happen.”

Source: Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR)

Lucas, who has spent the past two seasons as the race engineer for the No. 18 team, replaces Jason Ratcliff, who was named crew chief for JGR’s No. 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team last month. Lucas’ background in racing is deep with extensive experience as an engineer and mechanic in NASCAR as well as CART and IndyCar racing.

“Matt has done a great job for us the past two years and he will provide the team continuity going into next season,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. “He has a close relationship with Jason (Ratcliff) that will also be beneficial as he fills that role. We are fortunate to have people here at JGR like Matt that allow us the opportunity to promote from within. That team has been one of the best in the Nationwide Series over the past several years and we look forward to Matt continuing to build upon that success.”

Prior to joining Joe Gibbs Racing at the start of the 2010 season as race engineer for the No. 18 Nationwide Series team, Lucas spent four seasons with Roush Fenway Racing as a Nationwide Series engineer. As a member of the No. 60 team from 2006-2008, he would help lead Carl Edwards to the 2007 Nationwide Series Championship. In 2009 he worked with the No. 98 car driven by Paul Menard.

“I am excited about the opportunity to lead our No. 18 team going into next season,” said Lucas. “We have a tremendous group of guys on this team and throughout our Nationwide shop and we plan to continue to deliver the type of success our sponsors expect and deserve.”

Lucas spent five seasons as a race engineer with Penske Racing prior to joining Roush Fenway. In addition, he has extensive experience in racing as a mechanic having worked with A.J. Foyt Racing in IndyCar and Dan Gurney’s All-American Racers in CART.

He is a graduate of Cedarville College in Cedarville, Ohio and currently lives in Mooresville, N.C.

About Joe Gibbs Racing:

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR, currently fielding three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams, three NASCAR Nationwide Series teams and a driver development program. Its driver lineup consists of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano in the Sprint Cup Series, while Brian Scott joins those three in the Nationwide Series along with Michael McDowell and Mark Martin. JGR also boasts Darrell Wallace, Jr. in its driver development program and he will compete in the 2012 K&N Pro Series East and the Nationwide Series. Based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by Joe Gibbs – a three-time Super Bowl winner as head coach of the Washington Redskins and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning three Cup Series championships, and three Nationwide Series owner’s championship along with more than 150 NASCAR races, including three Brickyard 400s and the 1993 Daytona 500.

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release

No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry (Joey Logano) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

The Race Recap: Logano and the GameStop team got limited practice Friday due to rain but we’re still able to qualify ninth Saturday afternoon in the Gamestop/PDP/Afterglow Toyota. When the green flag flew on the final NASCAR Nationwide Series event of the season, Logano began a slow and steady charge to the front, picking off cars one at a time despite multiple early cautions, settling into a nice rhythm riding around sixth place. Following the first round of pit stops it quickly became apparent that Logano’s No. 20 Toyota was too loose and the team would have to work on the handling, especially the few laps coming after restarts.

As the car continued to free up, Logano and Crew Chief Adam Stevens started making a plan on how to tighten the car up without affecting Logano’s middle. Logano hit pit road under green just prior to halfway for his second stop when Stevens noticed a car spinning on the front stretch. A great pit call by Stevens had Logano continue on through the pits without stopping, finding him one of just 10 cars still on the lead lap. When he came back in to pit under caution Stevens called for “wholesale” changes including adding a spring rubber and making a shock adjustment among other changes.

For the remainder of the event, Logano continued to struggle on restarts, often losing several spots before the No. 20 Toyota came around. Logano found himself seventh late in the going and catching fifth and sixth, but several late-race cautions played against the GameStop team. Logano spent the remainder of the event just trying to hold on, eventually coming home 10th as the checkers flew to end the 200-lap event and the 2011 Nationwide Series season.

Joey Logano - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

The guys up front have clean air and you are stuck in dirty air and by the time the car comes around, you are already a few seconds behind and that’s tough to make up even when you are faster. I felt like we were on par with those front guys 10 or 15 laps into the run, but with all of the restarts that we had tonight, it just bit us. We fell back and fell back and just couldn’t make up the ground. I’m happy we were able to finish 10th, but that isn’t where we wanted to be or where we should be.

“All in all, it was a pretty good season. There were a few races that I feel like we really should have won and left something on the table. We were able to win at Daytona which was huge for me and for the team. It still stands as probably the biggest win of my career. And we were in contention for a lot of races. Two races that I’ll think about for sure was the first Dover race where we got together with Carl (Edwards) coming to the white flag while racing for the lead and ended up wrecked on the front stretch; and the Bristol night race, where we ran Kyle (Busch) down late in the race from a couple of seconds back and had that photo finish for the win. It was a blast to get to work with Adam (Stevens) all season long and watch him and this No. 20 team mature.

All but one of those guys was new to the team this year, so it was a growing year for all of us. It was also a lot of fun to work with Jason (Ratcliff) and the No. 18 guys for a couple of races. The more you work with people, the more you can take away from it all. And of course, it was great to work with GameStop again. They are just an awesome sponsor and they’ve been there from the start of my Nationwide Series career. You don’t see that very often these days, so to have a sponsor there that keeps coming back and that has such a great relationship with a driver and team is pretty cool. I look forward to working with them well into the future and seeing more and more of their cool paint schemes. Congrats to Ricky Stenhouse for winning the Nationwide Series Championship. It’s been cool to get to know him a little more this year and he’s well deserving of the title, especially after the year he had last year. All-in-all, it was a good year and hopefully next year will be even better.”

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release

No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry (Joey Logano) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

· LOGANO LOOKING FOR DUEL JGR BURNOUTS IN HOMESTEAD: Joey Logano has had the chance before. In his rookie season of 2008, the youngster took part in a duel burnout celebration with then NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Clint Bowyer when Logano piloted the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to a 10th-place finish and a clinch of the 2008 Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship. This weekend, Logano hopes to partake in a duel burnout situation at Homestead once again. This time however, he hopes his burnout is the result of a checkered flag win for the No. 20 GameStop Toyota in the season-finale Nationwide Series event, while the other burnout is that of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin in the No. 18 JGR Toyota, clinching what would be the team’s fourth-straight Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship. Logano’s fourth-place finish last week in Phoenix behind the wheel of the No. 18 GameStop Toyota means the No. 18 team holds a one-point lead over the No. 60 heading into the season-finale this weekend at Homestead.

· PDP AND AFTERGLOW HOPE TO “LIGHT UP” HOMESTEAD EVENING: Performance Designed Products (PDP) and its Afterglow brand of video game controllers will ride along with the No. 20 GameStop Toyota this weekend in Homestead. PDP is an industry leader in designing and manufacturing products for all major video game platforms including the Sony PS2, PS3, PSP, Nintendo DS and Wii, and Microsoft Xbox 360, as well as a line of accessories for the Apple iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, and Android-based phones. The company has been supplying video game accessories to the U.S. market for more than a decade. PDP’s AFTERGLOW™ line of controllers features an array of LED lights that shine through the clear casing and can be turned on and off, or set to light up when the controller vibrates. PDP’s AFTERGLOW™ line includes controllers for the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PS3.

· LOGANO A FRONT-RUNNER AT HOMESTEAD: With the NASCAR Nationwide Series visiting Homestead-Miami Speedway only once per season, Logano’s stats at the track aren’t mind-blowing. But he’s made all three of his visits to the 1.5-mile South Florida track count. Logano has twice started from the pole at Homestead (2008 and 2010) and has led laps in each of his three starts at the track (21 laps led in 2008, 13 in 2009 and 17 in 2010). Logano’s best career finish at Homestead came in 2009, when he finished fourth. In fact, according to NASCAR Statistics, Logano’s average running position under green-flag conditions at Homestead-Miami Speedway is an impressive 5.9. He also leads all drivers with an average starting position of 2.0.

· BATTLE OF NASCAR FAMILIES… AND LOGANO SET FOR HOMESTEAD: On Saturday, Joey will participate in an event featuring the new NASCAR video game, NASCAR Unleashed, at Homestead. The event is all part of the “Battle of the NASCAR Kids” competition. NASCAR drivers’ children will compete against one another for pride and glory. As their dads coach and their moms manage them, these kids will race for first place and the honor of being crowned the first ever “Battle of the NASCAR Kids” champion. The event aims to bring together NASCAR families and ultimately raise money for charities, with each participating family donating $5,000 to a charity of their choice. Post race all the racers will band together to hand a check to The NASCAR Foundation for $25,000 from Activision. As part of the event, Logano will pick two lucky raffle ticket wild card racers from the audience, and he’ll coach them while playing in the tournament and trying to win a cool $5,000.

· CHASSIS: The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team will bring car #127 to the track this weekend. The car has raced in two events this season, at Michigan and again at Charlotte, where Logano was set for a top-three finish before an accident with just a handful of laps to go.

· STAT OF THE WEEK: 2.0. Logano’s average starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Despite only running in three races at Homestead during the course of his career, Logano has qualified 1st, 4th and 1st in his three visits.

· THE RACE: The Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Homestead, FL; 1.5-mile oval) is set for Saturday afternoon, November 19, 2011. The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 4:30 p.m. ET, with radio coverage on MRN starting at 4 p.m. ET.

Joey Logano - Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett / Getty Images for NASCAR

“It’s hard to believe that it’s the end of the season already and we are getting ready to run Homestead. It seems like just yesterday that we were unloading the GameStop Toyota at Daytona for the opener and thinking that we had a shot for a really good season. And now, here we are almost ready for another off season. We’ve had a lot of fun this year in the Nationwide Series. It’s been a struggle at times in figuring out these new Nationwide Series cars, but we’ve had some really good runs. We won at Daytona, which was huge for me and for the entire team. We almost won and finished second at Talladega and Bristol. We were right there at Watkins Glen. There have been plenty of ups and downs along the way. It’s also been great working with Adam (Stevens) all year. It’s been a lot of fun to see him go from being an Engineer on the Cup side to a Crew Chief over on the Nationwide side. And getting to work with guys like ‘Sib,’ ‘Rudy,’ and Joel, some of the guys I kind of came up through the racing ranks with again has been a lot of fun as well. It’s also been great to spend a few races with Jason (Ratcliff) this season. As a driver, you try to take as much knowledge from as many people as you can and that is what getting to work with Jason has allowed me to do this year. Between Adam, Jason and Zippy (Cup Crew Chief Greg Zipadelli), I’ve picked up a lot of valuable information this year.

“Homestead is a fun track. It’s one of those places where you can run just about anywhere and can move around to make your can handle better. You can go up top and run right near the wall or you can run near the bottom and take the short way around. It’s a lot of fun either way and gives you a lot of options as far as setting up the car. It’s really just about as fun as it is on the video game too. When I play the new NASCAR 2011 game in my motor home during the weekend, I often race my friends at Homestead. It’s just a lot of run in real life or on the game.

“It’s been a great year with GameStop and I’m looking forward to this weekend. We’ve got a big event with the new NASCAR Unleashed game and maybe one of my wild card picks will win $5,000. And the car this weekend looks great with PDP and Afterglow controllers on it. We’ve had some really cool games and really cool cars this year. The Batman, Wipeout, Captain America and Call of Duty cars were all really awesome this year. I’ll never get tired of driving for GameStop and the way they market themselves. They have to be one of the coolest sponsors out there, and I’m proud to represent them.”

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release

The Race Recap: Logano made his fourth start of the season behind the wheel of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on Saturday afternoon with GameStop and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on the side of the car. Logano and the rest of the field didn’t know what to expect from the newly repaved Phoenix International Raceway, with one-groove proving the only way to go in Thursday and Friday’s extended practice sessions. However, once the green flag flew, it was obvious that racing was going to be just fine. After qualifying ninth, Logano and the No. 18 spent the first part of the race feeling out the track. A couple of early cautions allowed Logano and crew chief Jason Ratcliff to talk over the handling of the car, which Logano reported as loose.

After an early round of stops, Logano started his march to the front, breaking into the top-five by lap 90. It was obvious to Logano, Ratcliff and the No. 18 team that Logano’s GameStop Toyota was much better on long runs than short runs. At one point just past halfway, Logano was the fastest car on the track by nearly a half second. Fantastic pit stops by the No. 18 team got Logano into second with 50 laps to go, racing Sam Hornish for the lead. Logano was once again the fastest car on the track. However, several late-race cautions over the race’s final 30 laps didn’t play into Logano’s hand. Once again, he found the No. 18 difficult to handle on the short runs and better on long runs. As the checkers flew, Logano crossed the line in the fourth position while trying to run down third place Carl Edwards. The fourth-place finish was Logano’s sixth top-10 finish in six career Phoenix NNS events.

Joey’s Quotes:

“We had a really good GameStop Toyota today. The car was really fast. The problem is the car was fast after about 10-15 laps. The first part of a run or right after a restart, the car wasn’t good at all. I spent those first 10 laps just trying to hold on and not lose too many spots. We might only lose one or two spots, but we would lose three, four or five seconds to the leader. And then we would come on and we would be the fastest car on the track. There were times Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) was reporting that we were running two or three tenths faster than the leaders. But when you fall five seconds behind the leaders, it takes a lot of fast laps to catch up. But the car was great. That was one of the best cars I’ve ever had here at Phoenix.

“We were fast despite all of the worries about the racetrack. A lot of us were worried about how the racetrack was going to be and if it was going to be just one lane. It took a while but eventually, there was a bit of a second groove, especially down in turns three and four. There were times I was up in the second groove and I thought I was going to lose some spots and I was actually able to hold my ground and even take spots back away. And now you add that apron down in the dogleg and that adds a whole new aspect to racing. You go down there and I swear it about knocks your helmet off. It’s such a hard hit when you go down there. But it’s such a shorter distance. You can drive right underneath a car doing it that way. That’s one way we were passing cars, for sure.

“I’m glad we were able to get fourth and keep the No. 18 team in the points hunt. They are really going to have to work for it next week to beat Carl and that 60 team, but if anyone can, this 18 team can. It’s going to be exciting. Hopefully, we can win the race down at Homestead in the No. 20 and the No. 18 team will finish second right behind us and we can celebrate a win and a championship together.”

What’s Next: The GameStop Toyota and Logano will round out the NASCAR Nationwide Series season at Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend. Logano will be back behind the wheel of the No. 20.

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release

Ryan Truex - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

TV: ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.

RADIO: MRN, 3 p.m.

No. 20 Notes of Interest

- Truex heads in to his final NASCAR Nationwide Series race this season at Phoenix International Raceway after a late surge of strong finishes with Joe Gibbs Racing.

- Saturday will mark his 6th start with JGR. Truex has had all top-15 finishes, including back-to-back top-10 finishes at Kansas and Dover, and a top-5 at Richmond.

- Truex has received the Sunoco Rookie of the Race Award for all five races with JGR. Despite fewer starts than his competitors, Truex sits only 3 points behind Blake Koch and Timmy Hill (who are tied for first) in the battle for the 2011 Sunoco Rookie of the Year (ROY) Award.

- ROY points are awarded based on a driver’s best 16 races in the Nationwide Series. In addition to points earned for attempting to qualify and finishing positioning, the Sunoco ROY panel will meet during the Homestead-Miami race weekend and can reward each eligible driver with up to 10 extra points for favorable on and off-track conduct throughout the year.

- Saturday marks Truex’s 3rd start at Phoenix International Raceway in a NASCAR Nationwide Series car, and his 16th start in the Nationwide Series in 2011. He finished in the top-15 at his only other start at Phoenix last year in a Toyota Camry for Pastrana-Waltrip Racing.

- He is teamed up with veteran crew chief Adam Stevens this weekend; with whom he’s posted a 4th, 10th and 11th place finish in their three other starts together.

Ryan Truex - Photo Credit: Tom Pennington, Getty Images for NASCAR

“I’m excited to get back in the car and get back to a smaller, flat track. I’ve always been able to run well at those tracks, and with Phoenix being reconfigured all the drivers will be on the same page coming in. We’ll just have to get the car driving well in practice and hopefully I can pick up on the track quickly.”

Truex On Goals For His Final Nationwide Series race in 2011

“My goal is to get a top-5 finish. I feel like we have run good enough to have top-5s every weekend and this weekend will be no different. As a driver it’s starting to feel like I belong up front racing with the Cup guys, so there’s no reason why we can’t finish up there. We will have to be smart and I’ll have to take care of my car to be there at the end and have a shot at it.”

Truex On His Biggest Accomplishment This Season

“I’m just proud that I’ve been able to get in the JGR cars and be competitive every weekend. It’s hard to be out of a race car for a few months and jump right back into it, but Jason [Ratcliff] and Adam [Stevens] both made it very easy for me by giving me great cars every weekend.”

Follow Ryan Truex on Twitter! Twitter.com/RTruex00

Follow Ryan Truex on Facebook! Facebook.com/RyanTruex

- Joe Gibbs Racing / MTJ Motorsports Press Release

Joey Logano - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

· LOGANO BACK IN No. 18, LOOKING FOR POINTS: Joey Logano will be back in the GameStop Toyota this weekend at Phoenix International Speedway. However, he won’t be in his familiar No. 20. Instead, for the fourth time this year, Logano will be back behind the wheel of the No. 18 in an effort to help the Joe Gibbs Racing organization win their fourth-straight NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship and third-straight for the No. 18 group. The hunt for the Owner’s Championship is down to two teams, the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team and the No. 60 Roush Fenway team. The No. 18 team holds a slim two-point lead over the No. 60 with just two races remaining on the schedule. While Logano takes the reins of the No. 18 this weekend, Ryan Truex will be making his final start of the year in the No. 20 Toyota.

· CALL OF DUTY®: MODERN WARFARE 3 MAKES A RARE “SECOND APPEARANCE”: Proving that Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare 3 is one of the most highly-anticipated video games of the year, the franchise’s most recent entry will make a rare “second” appearance on the GameStop Toyota this weekend. The best-selling first person action series of all-time returns with the epic sequel to multiple Game of the Year award winner, Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare 2. Prepare yourself for a cinematic thrill-ride as only Call of Duty can deliver. Engage enemy forces in New York, Paris, Berlin and other attack sites across the globe. Special Ops returns with a bevy of additions, including 16 new objective-based missions and the all-new Survival Mode. Team up online, locally, or play solo and face endless waves of attacking enemies throughout every multiplayer map. Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare 3 hit store shelves Nov. 8 and is available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Only two other games have ever been featured on the GameStop Toyota for more than one race: Red Dead Redemption and NASCAR 2011.

· PHOENIX A FAVORITE FOR LOGANO: While victory has eluded Logano at Phoenix International Raceway over the years in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, it’s been a good track for the 21-year-old. In five career starts at the track, Logano has never finished outside of the top-10, including a near-race win in the spring race of 2010 when Logano found himself leading late, but contact with another car damaged the right front of his Toyota and forced him to slide through the field on a final race to the checkers. Logano won the pole for the fall Phoenix event last year and led 23 laps before coming home in third. Not counting his rookie season of 2008, Logano has not qualified outside of the top-six at Phoenix. Logano also has two top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Phoenix and was en route to a third in the spring race before his engine let go midway through the event.

· RETURN TO RATCLIFF: Jason Ratcliff and the regular team will welcome Logano back to the No. 18 Toyota this weekend in Phoenix. The weekend will mark the third time Ratcliff and Logano have worked together as crew chief/driver pairing. The first came at Michigan International Speedway during Logano’s rookie season of 2008. The two then worked together earlier this season at Kansas, where Logano finished seventh. Ratcliff has a strong history at Phoenix, earning three wins and six top 10s at the track as a crew chief.

· CHASSIS: The JGR team will bring proven race-winning chassis #109 to Phoenix this weekend. That chassis has raced three times this season and won all three events, all with Busch behind the wheel. The chassis ran at the first Phoenix event and both Bristol events.

· STAT OF THE WEEK: 3 Million. With Logano’s eighth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway and his $18,195 payday, Logano earned his way into the $3 million career-earnings club in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

· THE RACE: The Wypall 200 at Phoenix International Raceway (Avondale, AZ; 1-mile tri-oval) is set for Saturday afternoon, November 12, 2011. The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m. ET, with radio coverage on MRN starting at 3 p.m. ET.

Joey Logano Quotes:

“I’m pretty excited about Phoenix. I’ve always been fortunate enough to run strong there, and I’ve always felt like whenever I’ve been there, I’ve been in contention to fight for the win. There are a lot of tracks that for one reason or another drivers say owe them a win. I don’t always think that, but I can think of a couple of times at Phoenix where I think we had the best car and were able to lead laps and things went down and we weren’t able to win the race. But, I’ve never finished outside of the top 10 there, so I’m pretty fortunate for that. I’m also excited to get another chance to work with Jason (Ratcliff) this weekend. I know he’s got a ton of experience, and he’s got a good track record at Phoenix. I have a pretty good feeling going into this weekend.

“Phoenix is going to be a lot different this time. No one really knows what the track will be like since they redid it earlier this year. Thankfully, I was one of the drivers who got the opportunity to go out there and test during the open test and got to make some laps. While the layout is similar with the dogleg on the backstretch though, the way it’s been moved back does change your entry and exit a little bit. I think the biggest thing for us to deal with though will be whether a second groove will come in. When we get on the track the first time, the track will be one groove like it was during the test. Hopefully though, during the weekend, with all of the laps the Nationwide and Cup cars will put on the track, we can get a second groove in. If we can, I think the track will be a lot of fun and put on some pretty good racing. It’s always been a fun track to drive; probably one of the best on the schedule.

“It will be cool to run the Call of Duty car again this weekend as well. GameStop always has some great games featured on the car and some really cool paint schemes, and I love the black and green car and suits we have for the weekend. It looks sick. I’m pretty excited to get a chance to play the game as well. I know there are a lot of people excited for that game to come out this week and they’ve got a bunch of midnight openings all around the country. Hopefully everyone can take a break from playing to watch us race on Saturday at least.”

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release

No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry (Kyle Busch) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

The 26-year-old driving phenom from Las Vegas made history at Texas when he won five consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series races at the 1.5-mile oval from April 2008 through April 2010. He started on the pole twice during that incredible five-race stretch, led a whopping 810 of 1,000 possible laps, and joined Dale Earnhardt – Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway – and Jack Ingram – South Boston (Va.) Speedway – as the only drivers ever to win five straight races at the same track.

A runner-up finish to Carl Edwards last November ended Busch’s Texas win streak despite leading another race-high 107 laps, and an early exit this past April, when another competitor blew a tire and took him out of the race 12 laps before the halfway point, suddenly has the young driver looking at a two-race losing streak at the track.

No matter, as Busch, driver of the No. 18 Z-Line Designs / Conn’s Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), will look to get back to his winning ways at Texas during Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge. It will be Busch’s seventh consecutive race representing Jim and Monica Sexton’s California-based company – Z-Line Designs – and his first Nationwide event since his runner-up finish at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway three weeks ago. He’s had victories at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Richmond (Va.) International Raceway during that stretch to go with another runner-up finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway and a fourth-place run on the road course at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

At stake this weekend, as the Nationwide Series is down to its final three events of 2011, is a third consecutive owner championship for crew chief Jason Ratcliff and the No. 18 Toyota team and the fourth straight Nationwide owner title for JGR overall. The No. 18 holds a slim seven-point lead over the No. 60 of Roush Fenway Racing and driver Edwards heading to Texas.

Given Busch and Ratcliff’s history together at Texas, it’s safe to say JGR’s own “Five-Time” is a good bet to get back to victory lane.

Kyle Busch - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

Why are you and the No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota team so good at Texas?

“It’s been a team effort – Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) and the guys – all those guys at Joe Gibbs Racing – the chassis guys, the body guys, the guys in the engine shop and everybody who makes this possible. It’s just good racecars and good people. They work so hard and bring such good cars to the racetrack. It seemed like we couldn’t do anything wrong at Texas in the Nationwide Series for a long time. Being able to win five in a row there was really quite an accomplishment. Hopefully, we can start another winning streak there this weekend.”

What did it mean to be one of three drivers to win five races in a row at one track in the Nationwide Series?

“It’s neat to be in the history books in those respects. To come to a racetrack like Texas and win that many times and be that dominant, especially after struggling there so badly in my early years with the (Sprint) Cup car, it made it that much more special. It’s been a lot of fun to run there the last couple years in the Nationwide Series and be as good and dominant as we’ve been. We hopefully at least a shot at it again this weekend. I’ve been out of the Nationwide car a lot the last couple of weeks, so I’m looking forward to racing a lot this weekend and hope we can get our Z-Line Designs Camry to victory lane again at Texas.”

Jason Ratcliff, Crew Chief of the No. 18 Z-Line Designs / Conn’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Toyota Camry:

After winning five consecutive races at Texas, you’re on a two-race losing streak. What will it take to get back to victory lane?

“Our mile-and-a-half program has gotten better. I felt we were better at Charlotte. We had a good car at Texas the first race this year. We were battling for the lead but another car blew a tire and took us out. It’s a track we’ve had a lot of success at and it’s not like we’ve been bad the last couple of events, we just fell a little short. We’ll take what we learned at Charlotte, and hopefully end up on the winning side of things.”

There are three races left in the 2011 season. What will it take for the No. 18 team to win another owner championship?

“I’m excited about what’s going on and I feel like we have an opportunity to do it. I’m excited that we’re even in position to do it with Kyle running such a limited schedule and we’ve had some young guys in the car this year. We’ve had five different drivers in the car, so just to be in contention and be where we are, I’m really excited about that. We’ve won the last two races at Homestead and we typically run well at Phoenix. Even though it’s a different configuration, we’ll have Joey (Logano) in the car, there, and I think that’s a track he’ll do well. He tested the Cup car out there about a month ago and it seemed to be good. Kyle at Texas is always a winning combination and then Joey at Phoenix, I think we’ have a really good shot at it. After two weeks off, I think the guys are geared up and ready to close the deal.”

What do you remember about your nine years in Texas right after high school?

“I moved to Texas right out of high school and went to DeVry University (in Irving). It was my first time out on my own and I met my wife there and we were married there. It’s a neat place. I really liked it and the people in the area. Dallas/Fort Worth is just such a neat area and, if you can think of it, you can probably do it in that area. Everything is there. It’s a cool place and I’m not a big-city guy, but it’s an area where you can get the benefits of the big city without feeling like you’re in the big city. I have a lot of friends there, and my mom and dad lived there until just recently. When you live in an area that long, it feels like home. That’s one of the few tracks we go to that, when we show up there, I don’t need a map. I can tell you where to go and where to go eat. So, it’s always nice to go back there and spend some time.”

Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Z-Line Designs / Conn’s Toyota Camry

Chassis No. 18-130: This car’s debut came in June at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn where Busch started 12th and finished third. It’s next on-track appearance came in July at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta where Busch completed one qualifying lap before crashing chassis 18-130 and forcing the No. 18 team to use a back-up car during the race.

About Z-Line Designs

Based in San Ramon, Calif., Z-Line Designs is an award winning design manufacturer and leading import manufacturer of home office, home entertainment, seating, garage storage systems and home décor ready to assemble (RTA) furniture. In addition, the company also specializes in consumer electronic accessories, flat panel television wall furniture and mounts. Each product is manufactured to the highest industry standards and uses a range of materials from solid American oak, birch and maple to mixed media combinations of wood, metal and glass. Their products can be found at Staples, OfficeMax, Target, Sears, Walmart, Fry’s Electronics, Conn’s and other national retailers. Z-Line has had the honor to receive over 40 design awards and numerous distinguished industry awards. Z-Line Designs is a two-time 2008 and one-time 2007 CES Innovation Award Winner, a two-time winner of the Staples “Best Category Development” Award (2003 & 2005), a two-time winner of the Staples “Vendor of the Year” (2004 & 2009), a seven-time ADEX Award winner (1999, 2003-2007, 2009), a two-time Pinnacle Award winner (2002 & 2005) and a Houseware Design Award winner (2010).

About Conn’s

Conn’s, Inc., operates as a specialty retailer of home appliances, consumer electronics, home office equipment, lawn and garden products, mattresses, and furniture in the United States. It also sells repair service agreements and customer credit programs, including installment and revolving credit account programs, and various credit insurance products. In addition, the company sells its products online. As of March 25, 2010, it operated 76 retail and clearance stores in southern Louisiana, southeast Texas, Houston, South Texas, San Antonio/Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Oklahoma. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in Beaumont, Texas. Though Conn’s has changed dramatically over the years, the customer continues to be the focus of attention and the reason for the company’s continued success, and the basic values and culture of the company continue to support the contention that “The Customer is Number One.”

- True Speed Communication Press Release

Toyota Motorsports Logo

Charlotte Motor Speedway – October 14, 2011

- Kyle Busch (second) was the highest finishing Toyota driver in Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

- Busch’s finish marked his 12th top-five result at Charlotte in 17 career NNS starts at the speedway.

- Camry driver Brian Scott also earned a top-five result with a fifth-place finish in the 200-lap race — his second top-five finish this season in the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) No. 11 Camry.

- Camry drivers Steve Wallace (13th), Kenny Wallace (16th), Michael Annett (17th), Joey Logano (19th), Ryan Truex (34th), Kevin Conway (36th) and Joe Nemechek (37th) were also in the field at the mile-and-a-half oval.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

How was your race car tonight?

“It was really good on long runs. Slow on short runs — didn’t have enough under the hood to keep up. Got out-motored on that last restart and finished second.”

JASON RATCLIFF, crew chief, No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

What did it mean to run strong at a mile-and-a-half track after struggling earlier this season?

“We were really excited to have the opportunity to be up there. Mile-and-a-half tracks have not been our greatest tracks this year, but we’ve come a long way. I’m really proud of this team — this Z-Line Designs team and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing. You know, we had a shot at it there and if we did everything right tonight the one thing that we struggled with a little bit is still the restarts. I think it’s just a product of horsepower, or you know whatever. And, those guys have been really good all year in that category. Kyle (Busch) did a great job all night. I don’t think he got beat there from a talent standpoint, obviously. He drove a phenomenal race. Just for us to be up there and be close and be in the fray is great. It was
a good night for us. Unfortunately, we came up one short. But, I’m really proud of Kyle and what he did and proud of this race team.”

What seems to be so tough at these mile-and-a-half tracks?

“It seems like we just always finish third at these mile-and-a-half tracks. These Dodges and Fords just seem really strong and they’ve got some of their set-ups figured out. We’ve been working hard on our set-up to get it better. I think we showed tonight that we did. I think at one point we had all three of our Joe Gibbs (Racing) cars in the top-seven and they were all three running strong. We just didn’t need to see the caution. Once we got the thing wound up and got it going, we could run with anybody, but we needed that clean air at the end and the 60 (Carl Edwards) got in front of us – it takes so much to get by him, especially on cold tires like that. If we had 10 more laps, who knows, maybe Kyle (Busch) drove up there and gave him
a little more run for his money. Just not enough laps left to get it done.”

BRIAN SCOTT, No. 11 Doosan Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 5th

How was your race tonight?

“We started off really not where we wanted to, but we were able to hang out right near the top-10. The pit crew did a great job always moving us forward on spots. Kevin (Kidd, crew chief) did good adjustments and that just kept us in the hunt until we could get our car right. Towards the end of the race we had our car pretty good and we were able to gain some more positions and have some more good pit stops. We just kept working towards the front from about the middle of the race on and we made it count at the end when it mattered. That was great and we were able to bring home a top-five for Doosan and it was great to have them on the car. They are such a terrific partner at Joe Gibbs Racing and our Camry was just fast when it counted. That’s all that matters.”

How much momentum does your team have following this run?

“We’ve had some really good runs lately. We’ve ran up there the last — seems like five races. We haven’t really finished up there a couple times — Kansas comes to mind and Dover comes to mind. We’re capable of running up there and now we’re getting more finishes up there. We’ve got a lot of strength with this team and we’re going to end this year really strong and we’re going to go into next year representing Dollar General and try to win them a championship.”

STEVE WALLACE, No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing

Finishing Position: 13th

KENNY WALLACE, No. 09 Thank You Fans! Toyota Camry, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard

Finishing Position: 16th

MICHAEL ANNETT, No. 62 Pilot Flying J Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing

Finishing Position: 17th

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 19th

How was your race car tonight and what happened when you hit the wall?

“We had a solid, strong top-five car. We could run third at times, fourth at times and we got up to second there for a little bit. Carl (Edwards) was really fast there at the end. I was doing everything I could to hold him off — I was doing anything. Since he got to the outside of me and the 6 (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) was following him and he just went in right on my door — right on my door. I just lost control of it and spun it out — well, I didn’t spin it out — I just put it in the wall. Unfortunately — we were better than that. We were making progress because we haven’t been this good lately. We’ll take it.”

What happened between you and Kyle Busch on a mid-race restart?

“I was wanting a one-two finish there and was trying to get him. At times I was better than Kyle (Busch) and then Kyle got pretty good throughout the race and got his car a little bit better than mine. We were pretty close to each other all day. I think our 20 team has made progress over the last few weeks here and making our car better. Obviously, I don’t have the finish to show it today, but I think we ran definitely a lot better than what we have been so we’ll take that.”

Do you think Kyle Busch was mad at you from that restart?

“I don’t think Kyle (Busch) is mad at me. The only thing that bummed him out was that he was leading the race and the caution came out that cost him the win. I didn’t want to wreck my car so it hurt me worse even. It’s a bummer that we lost a win for Joe Gibbs Racing, but we’re doing all we can do. Just trying hard.”

RYAN TRUEX, No. 99 Toyota Camry, Pastrana-Waltrip Racing

Finishing Position: 34th

What happened that took you out of the race?

“I just blew a tire — out of nowhere with no warning or anything. We just blew a right front. I hate it for these guys. They worked so hard to get this car built and now it’s wrecked. Frustrating night. We had a motor problem right from the start of the race. We were down on power. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if we broke a valve spring or what. We were way down on power so I would have to run the outside just to keep up with those guys. We were in for a long night either way and unfortunately we came up short.”

KEVIN CONWAY, No. 87 Extenze Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports

Finishing Position: 36th

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 97 AM / FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stove Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports

Finishing Position: 37th

- Toyota Motorsports Press Release

Toyota Motorsports Logo

Kansas Speedway – October 8, 2011

- Joey Logano (seventh) was the highest finishing Toyota driver in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Kansas Speedway.

- Logano has four top-10 finishes in as many starts at Kansas Speedway — including wins in 2009 and 2010.

- Camry driver Ryan Truex also earned a top-10 result with a 10th-place finish in the 200-lap race — his third top-10 finish in five starts in the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) No. 20 Camry this season.

- Camry drivers Michael Annett (16th), Brian Scott (17th), Kenny Wallace (19th), Steve Wallace (20th) and Joe Nemechek (21st) were also in the field at the mile-and-a-half oval.

- Five Camry drivers are currently in the top-15 in the unofficial NNS point standings following 30 of 34 races in the 2011 season — K. Wallace (seventh), S. Wallace (eighth), Scott (ninth), Annett (10th), and Nemechek (14th).

JOEY LOGANO, No. 18 GameStop Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 7th

How was your race today?

“It wasn’t quite good enough. At times we were decent. If we had the car decent — we could run up to third-place. But, as good as we could get it — balanced just right — we were just as good as the top-three cars. We were never as good as the 22 (Brad Keselowski) really, now that I think about it. We could hang with the 60 (Carl Edwards) and the 33 (Paul Menard) and the 2 (Elliott Sadler), when our car was good. With us, we were trying to fix a little bit tight in the center and we got too loose. And, then at the end we ran out of tires. We had to put ‘scuffs’ on and it cost us quite a bit of grip at the end. We couldn’t keep up with a lot of those guys. Trying to hold on for what I had — just hanging on there. I had a good time working with Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) and the 18 guys — they do a really good job. Learned a lot about the way they work and the way they do things, and things we can bring over to my team. Proud of what we learned. Just not the finish we wanted.”

RYAN TRUEX, No. 20 Schick Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 10th

How did you manage a top-10 finish after some issues early in the race?

“It seems like every race I’ve got to work my way from the back at some point. I don’t know. We came in and took fuel only and we went back out and we were just wicked loose. I thought we had a flat — a right rear flat — because the car was just evil. It was out of control and we dropped like a rock. We had to pit under green and get tires. And, then we just fell back from there. We got the wave-arounds. We got the ‘Lucky Dog.’ At the end there we were able to put tires on and run back up through the field. A top-10 is good after running — after being as far back as 25th or whatever. We had a top-five car again. I need to stop making mistakes pretty much so we can have a shot at these things.”

MICHAEL ANNETT, No. 62 Pilot Flying J Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing

Finishing Position: 16th

BRIAN SCOTT, No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 17th

What happened between you and Aric Almirola after today’s race?

“Really, it’s an issue that’s been building all year. He’s (Aric Almirola) run into the back of me on restarts, he wrecked me at Richmond, he walls me at Chicago. He races like it’s the last lap every time he’s around me, and I’ve had enough of it. He’s cost me a car and he continues to race like that, so I went and told him, and I just told him how I felt. I told him that Iowed him one and I told him if he’s going to continue to race like that I’m probably going to slip up and wreck him.”

What happened on the race track that led you to confront Aric Almirola?

“He (Aric Almirola) just races like, I don’t know any other better word for it than a jack you know what. He runs you tight — tighter than anybody. He tried to pass us on pit road and tried to block me from getting into my pits. It’s just an every week thing and I’m sick of it. I’m not going to put up with it anymore and that’s what I told him. Right there, he was blocking me from getting into the pits and his pit stall is way down there. He obviously has an issue with me and now I have a pretty big issue with him.”

KENNY WALLACE, No. 09 Family Farmers Toyota Camry, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard

Finishing Position: 19th

STEVE WALLACE, No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing

Finishing Position: 20th

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 NEMCO Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports

Finishing Position: 21st

- Toyota Motorsports Press Release

Ryan Truex - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

Ryan Truex, No. 20 Heinz 57® Sauce Toyota Camry Dover Preview

Dover International Speedway

OneMain Financial 200

TV:ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.

RADIO: MRN, 3 p.m.

No. 20 Notes of Interest

- Saturday marks Truex’s 2nd start at Dover International Speedway in a NASCAR Nationwide Series car, and his 14th start in the Nationwide Series in 2011. He finished in the top-20 at Dover earlier this year in the Pastrana-Waltrip Racing Toyota Camry.

- This is Truex’s 2nd weekend working with veteran crew chief Jason Ratcliff, and the two are teamed up for the remainder of the season.

- Dover holds special meaning to the Truex family as it is close to their hometown of Mayetta, NJ and is the track at which Ryan clinched back-to-back K&N Pro Series East Championships in 2010. He is also scheduled to drive at Kansas and Phoenix later this year.

- Heinz 57® Sauce has come on board for the Dover race. First introduced in 1911, Heinz 57® Sauce is celebrating 100 years of infusing fun and excitement into grilling fare across America.

Ryan Truex on Riding the Momentum with JGR

“Things have gone really good with JGR so far, everyone makes it really easy for a young guy like me to come in and be able to communicate what I need and in turn, they give me great cars. We have been fast in every race so far and I feel like we have good momentum going into Dover.”

Truex on His Hometown Track

“Dover is special for my family because it’s so close to home. We have lots of family and friends come out and hang out for the weekend. I definitely feel more pressure having them all there, but it feels good to have so much support in the stands.”

Truex on His Goals for Dover

“My goal for Dover is to do the same thing we have done the past three weeks. I’m going to be patient and try not to make any mistakes. I know if I can do that, my guys will do the rest, and we will be there at the end to have a shot at the win.”

Follow Ryan Truex on Twitter! Twitter.com/RTruex00

Follow Ryan Truex on Facebook! Facebook.com/RyanTruex

- MTJ Motorsports / Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release

Ryan Truex - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

No. 20 Notes of Interest

-Ryan Truex’s 13th place finish at Chicago, combined with his 11th at Atlanta and 4th at Richmond, make three consecutive top-15 finishes for him in the Nationwide Series. Truex was the fastest car in the first Nationwide Series practice on Friday, and qualified 4th for Saturday’s race.

-This was Truex’s first race working with crew chief Jason Ratcliff. The two worked well together, which proved crucial as the No. 20 spun on Lap 7 after close racing with the No. 88 of Aric Almirola. He restarted 27th after the caution flag and patiently made his way back up into the top-20 by Lap 19.

-Truex was battling a loose race car which prevented him from passing on the bottom. After some solid adjustments in the pits, he was able to push the No. 20 Martin Truex Jr. Foundation/Schick Xtreme3 Toyota into the top-10 on Lap 58. He settled into 13th position during the mid-section of the race, and the lack of cautions prevented him from moving up through the field.

-Truex will be behind the wheel of the No. 20 next at Dover International Speedway on Oct. 1. Dover holds special meaning to the Truex family as it is close to their hometown of Mayetta, NJ and is the track at which Ryan clinched back-to-back K&N Pro Series East Championships in 2010. He is also scheduled to drive at Kansas and Phoenix later this year.

Ryan Truex on his Top-15 Finish

“We had a top-10 car. We just spun at the beginning there and had to make our way back up. It was the same [situation] as last week; at mile-and-a-half tracks it’s a lot harder to make spots up than on a short track. We just battled back and forth between tight and loose.”

Truex on the Early Spin

“I don’t know if the 88 [Aric Almirola] got loose under me or what. It felt like I got hit in the left rear, but I don’t know if he just got loose and took the air off my car.”

Truex on Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing

“Everything is working right. They have fast cars every weekend. I just need to not start off these races with such bad luck. Last week it was the ignition. This week we spun out. We should have finished at least top-10.”
Race Notes

- Brad Keselowski, won the Dollar General 300 by 8.568 seconds over Carl Edwards.

- JGR teammate, Brian Scott earned his first career pole and finished 3rd, his career best NNS finish.

Aric Almirola and Sam Hornish Jr. rounded out the top 5.

Time of race: 2:01:06

Cautions: 3 for 11 laps

Lead changes: 8

Attendance: 36,000

- MTJ Motorsports / Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release