Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR)

“I am very excited to be joining Eddie Sharp Racing as a development driver in 2012,” commented Jones. “I wouldn’t be getting this opportunity if it wasn’t for the success I had in 2011 from the coaching and car management of Bubba Gale, Cale Gale and everyone else at Gale Force.”

Brandon Jones

“Brandon is a talented young driver, and I’m very honored and excited to be able to play a part in developing his career,” commented Miller. “We have a full schedule planned this season with him racing between 32 and 34 races across the three series. It should be a lot of fun.”

Over the years, ESR has proven to be a top-team for developing young talent with drivers like Justin Lofton, Michael McDowell, Scott Speed and Craig Goess all finding success in ESR equipment in the form of championships, rookie of the year honors, and race wins.

“Having the opportunity to work with Brandon at such a young age, and at the beginning of his career, is not only exciting, but it’s also what we do,” commented Eddie Sharp, team owner. “It keeps us well-grounded and close to the principles that built Eddie Sharp Racing into a successful team, while at the same time we move in to the upper ranks of NASCAR. Watching everything come together as an owner this season is both exciting and rewarding—I’m looking forward to realizing our potential and experiencing success with each of our racing programs.”

Jones will make his debut with Eddie Sharp Racing at SpeedFest 2012, January 27-29, at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, Ga., where he will race the No. 33s Rheem Chevrolet in the Rheem 150.

About Eddie Sharp Racing

Eddie Sharp Racing (TeamESR.com) is a championship winning race team housed in a 40,000 square-foot facility in Denver, N.C. After just four short years of competition within the ARCA Racing Series, the team impressively accumulated upwards of 20 race wins. 2009 was a pivotal year for ESR, as they dominated the series with six race wins, 15 top-fives and 19 top-10s en route to the series championship with driver Justin Lofton. In 2010, ESR made the transition to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In 2011, Sharp and Lofton were reunited within truck competition. In 2012, ESR will expand to three teams, with Lofton set to return to the No. 6 Chevrolet Silverado, Cale Gale set to join the team behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado, and a third driver to be named later.

- Eddie Sharp Racing Press Release

Sports Clips Haircuts

“We are excited to continue our growth and partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing for the upcoming 2012 season,” said Gordon Logan, founder and CEO of Sport Clips. “The sport has allowed us to build brand presence with broad exposure among the large and very loyal NASCAR fan base. We are proud to have both Denny and Joey continue to represent us in such a positive manner while they are running up front. Darlington will be a special weekend for Sport Clips, as we will partner with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in the title sponsorship of the Nationwide Series race Friday night and will be on board with Denny in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races.”

This is the fourth year Sport Clips has been a sponsor with JGR and the eight total races (seven Nationwide and one Cup) is the most the organization has ever sponsored in a single season.

“It is always a thrill to have a sponsor come on board and fully realize how the program can benefit their business and marketing efforts,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR. “Sport Clips has been a great partner and we want to continue to deliver the type of success they have grown accustomed to over the past three years.”

In addition to the Darlington Sprint Cup Series race, Sport Clips will appear on JGR’s No. 18 and No. 20 Nationwide Series Toyota a total of seven times in 2012 with drivers Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. The schedule of Nationwide races is as follows:

DATE RACE CAR # DRIVER

April 13 Texas No. 18 Denny Hamlin

May 11 Darlington* No. 18 Denny Hamlin

May 26 Charlotte No. 18 Denny Hamlin

July 6 Daytona No. 20 Joey Logano

July 28 Indianapolis No. 18 Denny Hamlin

Sept. 7 Richmond No. 20 Denny Hamlin

Sept. 29 Dover No. 20 Joey Logano

*Also the Nationwide Series Race Sponsor (Events are subject to change.)

About Sport Clips:

Sport Clips is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas and was established in 1995 by founder and CEO Gordon Logan. The franchise ranks in Entrepreneur Magazine’s top 20 “fastest growing franchises” and in the top 100 in the “Franchise 500”, in the top 10 in Forbes’ “Top 20 Franchises To Start”, and in the top 50 in Dun & Bradstreet’s AllBusiness.com “2012 AllBusiness AllStars”. Sport Clips is the “Official Haircutter” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises. Our “Help a Hero” program has donated more than three-quarters of a million dollars to help soldiers overseas and in hospitals call home through the VFW’s Operation Uplink. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR drivers, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, and holds partnerships with several NCAA programs, and teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), and National Hockey League (NHL). To learn about franchise opportunities click here, and for locations throughout the United States, visit SportClips.com. For media resources and additional information on Sport Clips, visit SportClipsMedia.com.

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR)

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, Drew Herring, and Ryan Truex.. 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

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

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR)

“We’ve always hoped to have the opportunity for Mark to drive for us and to have him behind the wheel of our Interstate Batteries Toyota for the Nationwide race in Vegas is exciting,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. “He is a great example to all drivers of the dedication it takes to be successful and certainly we’re honored to have him part of our efforts in 2012.”

While Martin is only currently scheduled to race in Las Vegas for JGR, the team is still working on opportunities for the veteran driver to secure additional races.

Martin currently has 49 career victories in 235 Nationwide Series starts, Martin has amassed 111 top-five and 151 top-ten finishes, while leading 8,093 laps. His most recent victory came just last season when he piloted the No. 32 car to victory lane in Las Vegas. He had four total starts in 2011, with the one victory and three top-ten finishes.

“This is exciting,” said Martin. “No organization has been better in the Nationwide Series over the past three or four seasons and to have the chance to get behind the wheel of a Joe Gibbs Racing Nationwide car will be a thrill. Maybe I can pick up a few more races and try to catch Kyle to get my record back again.”

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, Drew Herring, and Ryan Truex.. 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. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

Certainly that is easier said than done, but JGR does hold an ever-so-slight advantage in the standings as the No. 18 Z-Line Designs / BJ’s Wholesale Club Toyota Camry holds a one-point margin over the No. 60 Ford team of Roush Fenway Racing entering this Saturday’s season finale.

Capturing the title this year would truly be a “team” effort as six different drivers piloted the No. 18 car at one race or another this season – Hamlin (two), Kyle Busch (20), Joe Logano (four), Kelly Bires (two), Michael McDowell (five) and Drew Herring (one).

A title this season would be similar to 2008, when the No. 20 car for JGR clinched the company’s first-ever Nationwide Series owner championship with Logano sharing the driving duties with Busch, Hamlin and former JGR driver Tony Stewart. One year later, Busch won the driver and owner titles for JGR in the No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota and followed that up in 2010 to give JGR another owner title as he and Brad Coleman split the driving duties in the No. 18 machine.

A fourth consecutive Nationwide Series owner title would make JGR the only team ever to accomplish the feat as it currently shares the record with Bill Baumgardner, who won consecutive series championships from 1995 through 1997 with drivers Johnny Benson (1995) and Randy LaJoie (1996-97).

Hamlin has had success at Homestead in the past as he won the Sprint Cup Series race at the 1.5-mile oval in 2009 and has three top-three finishes in six Sprint Cup starts. He’s been solid in Nationwide Series competition, as well, having finished seventh or better three times in five starts at Homestead.

And Hamlin would love nothing more than to score a victory at Homestead to build on a short yet impressive statistical year in Nationwide Series competition. He won in May at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway and scored runner-up results in May at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and two weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. He also finished seventh in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Denny Hamlin, Driver of the No. 18 Z-Line Designs / BJ’s Wholesale Club NASCAR Nationwide Series Toyota Camry:

Overall thoughts heading into Homestead?

“If we win the race, we win the owner championship and that’s our goal. I enjoy working with Jason (Ratcliff) and the Z-Line Designs guys. They build really good racecars and, even though Jason and I haven’t worked together all that much, our communication is pretty good. We’ve had success at Homestead in the Sprint Cup Series and have run well in the past in the Nationwide Series so, hopefully, we can have a good run and get the victory and owner title for Joe Gibbs Racing.”

How much does past experience and championships play into racing for the championship?

“I think the slates are kind of wiped clean. I just don’t know, when you’re on that racetrack, you’re kind of wiped clean. I just don’t know when you’re on that racetrack running a 300- or 400-mile race, where your past accomplishments have anything to do with that particular moment. I just feel like it’s about who performs the best on that given day. It’s not about your past accomplishments.”

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

You have worked with Denny Hamlin in the past but don’t have a lot of experience with him. What is he like to work with?

“We’ve worked together a little bit in the past. Denny reminds me a lot of Tony Stewart, even though I only worked with Tony a couple of times. He reminds me a lot of Tony, especially in practice. He doesn’t get too worked up. He just kind of goes out and gets a feel for the car, makes slow, steady progress and then, in the race, it seems like he’s always got just a little bit more in his back pocket. During the race, if you can give him what he’s asking for and make some good adjustments and get that communication going, things are pretty good. It’s hard to evaluate communication because we haven’t worked together all that much, but I thought, at Texas, it went really well. Denny is as good as anybody, especially at Homestead. We’ve seen him run well there in the Sprint Cup Series. I’m excited about it.”

What are your thoughts on the owner championship?

“I’m excited just to have the opportunity. When we started the season, when we left the shop for Daytona, we weren’t even sure the 18 car was going to be running a full schedule. We were blessed with guys like Kelly Bires, Michael McDowell and Drew Herring, who brought some sponsorship dollars with them to where we were able to run all the races. So, just to have a shot at the owner title and being ahead going into the last race is a plus. We know going in that we need to win the race. That’s going to be our focus, no different than any other weekend.”

What are the challenges in setting up for Homestead?

“Really, what makes Homestead the most challenging is the progressive banking and the way you enter the corner. It doesn’t have the dogleg in the front like a lot of the 1.5-mile ovals so, visually, it looks a lot different. But, from a set-up standpoint, it’s difficult to get the car to be tight enough to get in the corner to make the driver comfortable and then keep it turning on exit at the same time. So, that’s usually the big compromise at Homestead – making sure the car is tight enough to get in the corner without making it too tight on exit. It can be tough and that track is unique. There is no other track on the circuit I can think of that is like Homestead. We’ve been good there in the past. The challenge this week will be to make sure our entry stays good.”

Denny Hamlin’s No. 18 Z-Line Designs / BJ’s Wholesale Club Toyota Camry

Chassis No. 18-135: This car’s debut came in September at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Kyle Busch started third and led 31 of 195 laps en route to a second-place finish. Busch finished .697 of a second behind winner Carl Edwards. The only other start for Chassis No. 18-135 was in October at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, where Busch started sixth and led 26 of 200 laps en route to a second-place finish.

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 BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc.

Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. is a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. The Company currently employs more than 24,000 Team Members and operates more than 185 Clubs in 15 states from Maine to Florida. BJ’s common stock is listed on the New York Exchange under the symbol “BJ.”

- True Speed Communication Press Release

Toyota Motorsports Logo

Camry driver Martin Truex Jr. (eighth) also claimed a top-10 finish in the 334-lap race at the 1.5-mile race track.

Other Toyota drivers in the field included Denny Hamlin (20th), Brian Vickers (21st), David Reutimann (22nd), Casey Mears (25th), Bobby Labonte (28th), Michael McDowell (33rd), Joey Logano (37th), Josh Wise (40th) and Joe Nemechek (42nd).

After eight of 10 Chase for the Sprint Cup races, Hamlin sits 10th (-99 points) and Kyle Busch is 11th (-100 points) in the unofficial NSCS point standings.

KASEY KAHNE, No. 4 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position: 3rd

How was your race? “We had a really good Red Bull Toyota. Moved up right away at the start at that long run. Then we just kind of stayed there from about fifth to seventh, trying to get a little bit more speed. The car was just a little bit too loose to get much further than that. We pitted. The caution came out. Ended up in the front. Then we were strong. We were battling there with Tony (Stewart), who I felt was definitely the best car throughout the whole race. We battled with him for a while. Took four, got back to eighth, came back to third. It was a good run. Track position was a big deal. Even on those long runs it would get spread out. The guy out front could make up some ground. You needed to be as close to the front as possible. The whole team did a good job. We were pretty close. I watched Tony and Carl (Edwards). They’re going for it. Tony raced me as hard as he ever raced me. I had to race as hard as I could. They’re trying to get as many points as they can. It’s intense trying to win these races right now. It’s super close.”

Was your Camry strong today? “Yeah, we had a great Red Bull Toyota. Everything went awesome. We just weren’t quite as good as the 14 (Tony Stewart) and then the 99 (Carl Edwards) there at the end. They were a little better than us, but we were close. We were there all day and it was a good race. It was exciting.”

How do you feel about your results in recent races? “Last week those guys wrecked in front of us. Went four laps down. The Red Bull team just keeps doing a good job. They’re working hard. It’s pretty impressive for a lot of them not knowing their future, not knowing what’s going on there, if there will be a two-car team or one-car team to keep putting the cars on the track like they are. I’m happy to come to the track and drive and work with Kenny Francis (crew chief) and the whole team.”

Did you have any tire trouble in the race? “We didn’t have any. Kenny (Francis, crew chief) thought the left sides were tearing up pretty good, so we took four. I think seven cars in front of us, Carl (Edwards) and Tony (Stewart), four or five others, took two. We came out eighth just because of that. Seemed like two tires were pretty good. Wasn’t a huge advantage to have four like I thought it might be.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 8th How was your race? “I am really proud of my entire NAPA team today. The NAPA Know How pit crew was on it. I also want to thank Scott Miller (MWR vice president of competition) for all his help this weekend. We brought a brand new chassis here and we’re getting close. We have a little more work to do, but that’s okay. It’s a big improvement from where we raced earlier this year, so that’s all that matters. We are moving in the right direction and I appreciate all the work MWR is doing to get us in contention. It’s great to have this positive momentum going and I look forward to next weekend at Phoenix. It should be one heck of a good race.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 20th

How was today’s race? “We just fought an ill handling car all day. It’s probably one of the worst that we’ve had in a long time and we just couldn’t fix any of the things that we had wrong in practice. Thought when the race started we would be a little bit better, but it wasn’t better. We just — 20th is where we ran all day. We just couldn’t catch a break and then the 2 (Brad Keselowski) jammed in his spot (pit stall), so he backed up when we were pulling out. Just one of those things.”

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position: 21st

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 22nd

CASEY MEARS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Finishing Position: 25th

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Wounded Warrior Project Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Finishing Position: 28th

How was today’s race at your ‘home’ track? “We got behind early and we were just off sequence all day. Battled back and we were almost one caution away from being back on the lead lap towards the end. Everyone did a good job, but man, too tight in the center and then when the track changed, too loose all the way around.”

MICHAEL McDOWELL, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 33rd How was today’s race? “We just started in the back with the driver change. I think we had pretty long green flag runs right out of the gate, so we didn’t really get a chance to work on it. The car was just pretty loose all day long and, yeah, it’s unfortunate. We obviously were hoping for more and were hoping for a big day, but just wasn’t meant to be. Gave it all I had and we just struggled pretty much all day long. We ran around our teammates there quite a bit. Joey (Logano) and I were kind of fighting the same thing — just loose in and loose out all day. We needed a couple of cautions so we could work on it. Not what we were looking for, but grateful for the opportunity and thankful to get a shot at it.”

What did you think when you first got the call to drive the 18 car? “Yeah, it’s exciting. It’s a great opportunity to be in great equipment and had some fun today. Obviously, not at all the result we were looking for. Just long green flags runs. Didn’t get a long time to work on it. We had a few opportunities there to take the wave around and get a lap back. Just none of it really played out all that well for us today, but still thankful for the opportunity. It’s great to be in great equipment and hopefully we get an opportunity to do it again.”

How difficult was it to try to meet the expectations for the 18 car? “We know the expectations. There’s not a lot of people in our sport that have won a 100 races, so obviously you’re filing big shoes. For me, it’s just a matter of I gave it all I had. My ability is not going to change over night. You get into a car. You haven’t worked with the crew chief (Dave Rogers). It’s still pretty tough. You’re still racing Brian Vickers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Burton for 25th and those guys are pretty good guys. Yeah, just a tough day for us. We were hoping for more, but for me it was just great. I was planning on doing 20 laps this weekend, so I think I did 310 more than I was planning on and great opportunity to work with a great team and just see how they do things a little bit different.”

Is it any consolation that you didn’t tear the car up? “They’re happy about that. I’m a race car driver. I want to win races and I had a car that typically wins races, so that’s the expectation for me and I enjoyed the race. It was hard. It was a handful. I wish we had got a couple of more cautions to work on it, but, all in all, it just is what it is.”

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

What were your goals for today’s race? “You never change your objective, but you change your goals. Our objective is to provide the best race car possible at all times, but you have to be realistic with your goals. These guys that race on Sunday are the best in the business. They race hard lap after lap. They take a lot of chances and when you put another guy in and ask him to just bring the car home with all four fenders — he’s not going to take those chances. He’s not going to push it that hard. And, then I missed the setup on it. We wanted to finish higher than we did, but we’re happy to come home with a race car in one piece that we can work with. I think Michael (McDowell) did a great job. I just think the lack of time together and knowing what he needed, that hurt us a little bit and you saw it in our finishing position.”

How is your race team handling everything this weekend? “Disappointed, but business. I’m really proud of my guys. The guys that are here at the race track work on this car and never skipped a beat. I didn’t see one of them drop their heads, I didn’t see any of them get upset. They did not show me any signs of wavering — they were all tough and professional. We talk about that a lot. That’s what we want to be seen as, so I’m really proud of the guys. There’s obviously disappointment. Kyle Busch is our driver, that’s who we signed up to work for and it’s hard when one of your team members isn’t participating, but there’s no anger, there’s no mad. You know, Kyle is a teammate and we think the world of him and we support him. We’re in this together. We had a team meeting before the race — we’re in this together through thick and thin. We have each other’s back and that’s just what it’s going to be.”

Why do you think all the Joe Gibbs Racing cars struggled in the race? “That’s a good question. We have to look at that for sure. I look at the setups and we didn’t all have the same setup — we all raced something different. There’s obviously things common in our race cars, but we were all searching in practice and we all went three different paths and we all kind of were slower than we expect to be. We’ll have to go back to the shop and look at it. This tire at this track is pretty tricky. You have to dare to lean on it, it’s not comfortable getting in the corner. If I go back to the first practice on Friday when we had Kyle (Busch) in the car, I thought we were right up there with the best of them. But, it’s his race car, he’s not afraid to tear it up, he’s going to drive it to the limit. I don’t know, it’s hard for us to evaluate right now. We’ll look at everything at the shop — Mike (Ford, No. 11 crew chief), Zip (Greg Zipadelli, No. 20) and I will sit and talk in the morning and see what we can do to be better.”

How do you think Kyle Busch handled being on the pit box during the race? “I think Kyle (Busch) handled today great. Today started last night. He called me last night and said, ‘Hey Dave, I’d really like to meet with the team. Can you have a team meeting this morning?’ So we got everyone together and Kyle asked everybody, he looked them in the eye straight-up, man to man, ‘This is where I stand, this is what I did, this is how I feel.’ He didn’t sugar-coat anything, didn’t make excuses for anything, but he leveled with the team. That honesty is a strength of this race team. We are honest with each other whether things are going good or bad. He did that today and that made the guys feel good because it’s like, ‘Okay, that’s our teammate.’ He’s not sugar-coating things. Then, at the end he asked the guys if they would mind if he sat on the pit box with us. That’s something that he wanted to do, but he was humble enough to actually ask his pit crew members if that would be okay. Unanimously everyone started screaming ‘Yes, we want you there.’ So, I think Kyle handled today like a professional. It would have been much easier for him to get on an airplane and fly home and feel sorry for himself and he didn’t. He was obviously disappointed, but he stood there and he backed his race team from flag to flag and I appreciate it. I know all the guys appreciate it. I don’t know what he could have done better today.”

Did Kyle Busch apologize to his team? “Certainly, Kyle (Busch) knows that he’s supposed to drive that race car, that’s his job — he knows that. He apologized to the guys for not being in the race car. You know, and he apologized at length and let everyone know where he stood. I think everyone was comfortable with that.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 37th

Did you have any warning that something was wrong with your engine? “I lost a cylinder about 10 laps ago or so. The valve train, probably the same thing that we’ve been fighting most of the year. We just ran terrible all day and really thought we were going to be able to make up some ground on the thing. We just weren’t fast the whole time we were out there. Story of our year — we just have to find some speed in these cars. I don’t know. We used to be fast — we have to figure something out.”

JOSH WISE, No. 66 HP Racing, LLC Toyota Camry, Gunselman Motorsports Finishing Position: 40th

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 AM/FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position: 42nd

- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

Kyle Busch - Photo Credit: Geoff Burke / Getty Images for NASCAR

Busch met with NASCAR officials Saturday morning prior to Sprint Cup practice, and NASCAR announced that Busch had been suspended for all activity – Nationwide and Cup events for the weekend. Michael McDowell practiced the Cup car Saturday morning and is expected to race it in the AAA Texas 500 on Sunday. Denny Hamlin will compete in the Nationwide Series race Saturday afternoon.

NASCAR President Mike Helton said there could be additional penalties.

“The responsibility that over the past two or three seasons we’ve given back to the drivers came with a very clear understanding that there could be a line that got crossed,” Helton said Saturday at TMS. “And as annoying as the comments that I’ve made personally in the past about, ‘We’ll know it when we see it’ might have been, we saw it last night.”

Busch, who is seventh in the Cup standings, is the first Sprint Cup driver to be suspended for on-track actions since Robby Gordon in 2007.

- Scene Daily

Toyota Motorsports Logo

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 6th

How was your car in qualifying? “It’s good. We were a little bit tight in turn four and it cost us some speed. We fought that a little bit in practice. Overall, it’s a decent lap, just not quite enough for what we wanted to do.”

KASEY KAHNE, No. 4 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position: 9th

How was your car in qualifying? “It was good. The guys did a good job. We’re just a little bit tight and I missed it a little bit, but we were really close and the car has felt great ever since we got here.”

What were you looking at on your car after your qualifying run? “I was looking all the skirts and kind of the travels and things to see where we were. Everything was really nice, we just needed a little bit more.”

How will you approach practice for Sunday’s race? “We’ll try to be as smart about it as we can when we practice compared to when we race and how we go into the night and how things change. We’re trying to be prepared and have some good adjustments in the car built in so we can keep up with the track on Sunday afternoon.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 17th

How was your qualifying lap? “The balance wasn’t bad on our M&M’s Camry. We just lacked a little bit of speed there on our lap. We were pretty happy with the car in race trim in practice earlier today, so we’ll work on it tomorrow morning in practice and hopefully have a good race car for Sunday.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 19th

How was your qualifying lap? “We were about like practice, just too loose.”

What do you need to do to get ready for Sunday’s race? “Well, tomorrow will be a whole different story. You know, we take the tape off and have to be good for a tire run and fuel run instead of just one lap. Hopefully that will go better tomorrow in our NAPA Toyota.”

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position: 20th

How was your qualifying effort? “It was good. I was tight coming back to the line in turn four. I think that’s where I lost most of my time. I felt really good about one and two, just got too tight on three and four. I was hoping for a little bit better lap.”

Do you like qualifying on Friday and having more practice on Saturday? “I like the schedule we have here. If we’re going to run three-day shows, I think we should do a practice and qualifying and then two more practices on Saturday and then race on Sunday. The two practices, and then qualify on Saturday and race Sunday, we should just do two-day shows. If you really want to save the sport, do two-day shows instead of three-day shows and I think in that scenario I think two practices, qualify and race is good, but this year they started doing some of the racks did two on Friday, qualify on Saturday and race Sunday and Saturday just seems like a waste just to come in for two laps. I’m pretty happy with the Red Bull Toyota. It was good in practice. I liked to have been a little bit better in qualifying trim, but that’s alright.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 25th

How was your car in qualifying? “We’re struggling for speed right now. Even race trim, the car just doesn’t have a whole bunch of speed in it right now, so trying to find something. Working on stuff here and there. Going to be practice tomorrow. Hopefully we find something there.”

What do you need to do to get ready for Sunday’s race? “Well, tomorrow will be a whole different story. You know, we take the tape off and have to be good for a tire run and fuel run instead of just one lap. Hopefully that will go better tomorrow in our NAPA Toyota.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 28th

How was your car in qualifying? “We’re just struggling for speed. We are half-a-second off pretty much all day and just still can’t find where the speed is at. I’m driving the car pretty aggressively — it just doesn’t have any speed at the moment. It’s pretty typical for us in qualifying here.”

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Wounded Warrior Project Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Starting Position: 32nd

How was your qualifying lap? “We just kind of scratch our heads a little bit. It felt like it was going to be faster than that. We only made two qualifying runs during practice and the second one we made felt like it was going to be faster and never was and this one felt like it would be faster, too and wasn’t. I don’t know if we have something just not helping ourselves speed-wise or what. The car felt pretty good. I used a ton of throttle and no brake and free-rolled pretty good. I don’t know. I’m a little confused as to why we didn’t go any faster — at least a .10th or so.”

What do you need to do to prepare for Sunday’s race? “We just have a lot of things that we did this morning. We really concentrated on our race trim package a little bit and then we did our qualifying package. Tried three or four different big things and I think we have some ideas there that will be beneficial for us on Sunday.”

CASEY MEARS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Starting Position: 33rd

How was your qualifying effort? “It was okay. It’s a new car for us, so it’s been a better weekend in general for us. Ended up a little bit tight right there in qualifying. Ended up just off the bottom, so we lost a good 10th just being off the bottom of the race track. It’s not bad. I’m looking forward to seeing what it has in race trim tomorrow.”

Did you damage the splitter? “No. I just wanted to see how hard the splitter hit and it didn’t hit that hard. Just too tight in general and we’ll just see where it goes from here.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 66 HP Racing, LLC Toyota Camry, Gunselman Motorsports Starting Position: 35th

How was your qualifying effort? “It’s so fast around here at Texas Motor Speedway. Turn one and two is actually kind of shaded right now, which we weren’t expecting, so a lot of grip in the race track. The HP Racing Toyota Camry is pretty good. Just hit the splitter a little bit in three and four, but I had a pretty good lap going. I was feeling pretty good getting into three and just drove it in a bit too far, but thankful to get in the race and we’ll be out there on Sunday.”

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Starting Position: 40th

How do you feel to be locked into the field? “Well, you know the crew chief is on the radio with me and talking and he’s like, ‘I’ll tell you if you’re locked in after your first lap,’ but he never said anything. That’s the time you’re going into turn one, so I just tried to get everything I could. He never said anything and just thank goodness I picked it up just a tick on my second lap and we’re in the show.”

- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Logo

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 3, 2011)

Day was found to have violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 19 (violation of the NASCAR substance abuse policy) of the 2011 NASCAR rule book.

- NASCAR, Press Release

Michael McDowell in Garage - Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

In that one and only TUMS Fast Relief 500 practice session, it was Michael McDowell with a lap speed of 95.893 mph, on top of the speed charts, and was followed by Clint Bowyer (95.782) who was second fastest, Jimmie Johnson (95.752) third,  Jamie McMurray (95.709) fourth and Scott Speed (95.670) was fifth fastest.

Rounding out the top-ten fastest during “Happy Hour” were Paul Menard (95.598) who was sixth fastest, David Stremme (95.593) seventh, Juan Pablo Montoya (95.588) eighth, Jeff Gordon (95.574) ninth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (95.554) posting the tenth fastest lap speed.

The TUMS Fast Relief 500 is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, Oct. 30th, approximately around 1:45 PM (ET) with ESPN beginning their (pre-race) television coverage at 1:00 PM (ET).

2011 NSCS TUMS Fast Relief 500 Final Practice Session Speeds

(i) Ineligible for Points in this Series
# Denotes Rookie

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

Joey Logano / No. 18 GameStop Toyota Preview

Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway

No. 18 GameStop Toyota News, Notes & Paint Scheme:

· KANSAS IS THE NEW KENTUCKY???:Joey Logano is well known for his record at Kentucky Speedway. Prior to this season, Logano scored three-straight poles and three-straight victories at the 1.5-mile track. This year, a fuel mileage race ensued and Logano was left with 10th-place finish after having to go into gas conservation mode late. However, Kentucky isn’t the only track that Logano shows a fond liking to. In fact, now that his Kentucky streak is over, Logano might be able to start a new three-peat at Kansas Speedway. Logano has won the last two NASCAR Nationwide Series events at Kansas Speedway and will be looking to make it three-in-a-row this weekend in the Kansas Lottery 300. Logano won at Kansas in 2009 after starting from the seventh position and holding off a spirited charge from teammate Kyle Busch. Logano then backed it up last year, grabbing the pole and winning again, leading the final six laps after grabbing the lead once again from Busch.

· DARK KNIGHT RIDES ALONG IN KANSAS: GameStop returns as the primary sponsor of Joey Logano and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota this weekend. And Batman: Arkham City will be the featured game on the side of the car this week. Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring into Arkham City, the new maximum security home for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, this highly anticipated sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight. The game is set to release from Warner Brothers on October 18th and will be available for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PC.

· No. 18 TEAM STILL LEADING POINTS, GETTING TIGHT: Joey Logano will help the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota continue its quest for the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship this weekend at Kansas Speedway. The last two weekends, the No. 60 Roush Fenway team has cut into the lead of the No. 18 Toyota, which now stands at 13 points with just five races remaining in the 2011 Nationwide Series season. Logano and the No. 18 team have an 81-point lead over the No. 6 team of Roush Fenway Racing, who sits in third. This season, the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team has recorded seven wins, 16 top-five finishes and 22 top-10s. Drivers who have shared the ride this season include Kyle Busch (18 starts, two poles, seven wins, 16 top-10s), Michael McDowell (five starts, one pole, four top-10s), Kelly Bires (two starts, one top-10) and Drew Herring (one start, one top-10), along with two starts for Logano.

· A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK: Logano and the No. 18 Toyota ended the race last weekend strong… running the fastest lap times of anyone on the track for the last 30 circuits of the event. Unfortunately, the team was trapped a lap down and never got a caution to get the “lucky dog” and get back on the lead lap. The No. 18 team pitted for a scheduled stop while running in the top-10 under green-flag conditions late in the race and went two laps down in the process. However, before pit stops cycled through and all of the leaders came in for their stops, a caution came out, trapping Logano and the team two laps down. They were able to take the wave around and get one of their laps back, but the final 30-plus laps of the event went green with Logano running faster lap times than anyone else on the track.

· CHASSIS: The JGR team will bring chassis #117 to the track this weekend at Kansas. That particular chassis has been a long-time backup and will see its first race of the year as a primary. Chassis #132 will serve as the team’s backup car.

· STAT OF THE WEEK: 3.7, Two stats for Logano equal 3.7 at Kansas Speedway. First, Logano leads all active NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers in average finish at Kansas Speedway with a 3.7 (two wins, one ninth-place). Also, even though Logano has two wins at the track, he has led just 22 total laps or 3.7% of the laps he’s run at Kansas Speedway.

· THE RACE: The Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway (Kansas City, KS; 1.5-mile tri-oval) is set for Saturday, October 8, 2011. The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m. ET, with radio coverage on MRN starting at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Joey Logano Quotes:

“Everyone always talks to me about Kentucky and I love that track for obvious reasons, but I’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of success at Kansas Speedway as well and I really enjoy going to that track and running there. Yeah, there are similarities between Kentucky and Kansas and that sure has helped over the years, but it doesn’t matter if you were to try and build two identical tracks in every sense of the word, there would still be differences between the two of them and you know those differences when you get to the track. I’ve always been really comfortable on the mile-and-a-half tracks and that has showed with my past performance. I think I have something like six wins on those style of tracks. And working with Joe Gibbs Racing doesn’t hurt. We’ve always been strong on the mile-and-a-halfs.

“We’ve had a couple of tough weeks the last two times out in the Nationwide car, so I’m ready to get back to the front and challenge for the win. We had something wrong with the car in Chicagoland that was beyond our control and last week at Dover, we were strong, especially there at the end but we got caught a couple of laps down by an ill-timed caution. There is nothing you can do about stuff like that. The best thing you can do it just bounce back and that is the plan this weekend in Kansas.

“I’m looking forward to wrapping up the season with GameStop. We’ve got five races left and all five will be with them. We haven’t been able to get them a win yet, but I feel pretty good it will happen at one of these five races before the season is out. Kansas, Charlotte, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead are all really good tracks for me and for JGR. And there is a lot of incentive to get GameStop a win before the year is out. I’m going for it these last five races, that’s for sure.”

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release

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

“Having Heinz 57® Sauce come on board with me is exciting. Dover is one of my favorite tracks, so it is a great place to start our relationship. Our car looks great and is very bright, so it will be hard to miss out on the track! It will look even better if we can get it in victory lane,” said Truex.

This is Truex’s 4th start in Nationwide Series races for JGR this season. His 13th place finish at Chicago, combined with his 11th at Atlanta and 4th at Richmond, make three consecutive top-15 finishes for him in his first three races.

Dover holds special meaning to the Truex family as it is close to their hometown of Mayetta, NJ. It is also the track at which the younger Truex 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.

“We’re excited to support Ryan and the JGR team for the NASCAR Nationwide Series in Dover this weekend,” said Noel Geoffroy, Vice President of Heinz Brands. “Heinz 57® Sauce has been a part of America’s mealtime since 1911, and we’re thrilled to celebrate our 100th anniversary with this sponsorship.”

First introduced in 1911, Heinz 57® Sauce is celebrating 100 years of infusing fun and excitement into grilling fare across America. A favorite of families for generations, its versatile recipe adds a tangy twist to steak, chicken, pork, seafood and more. For more than 57 ways to ‘take it up a notch’ when grilling with Heinz 57® Sauce, visit Heinz57.com.

About Heinz

H.J. Heinz Company, offering “Good Food Every Day,”™ is one of the world’s leading marketers and producers of healthy, convenient and affordable foods specializing in ketchup, sauces, meals, soups, snacks and infant nutrition. Heinz provides superior quality, taste and nutrition for all eating occasions whether in the home, restaurants, the office or “on-the-go.” Heinz is a global family of leading branded products and famous for its iconic brands on six continents, showcased by Heinz® Ketchup, The World’s Favorite Ketchup®.

About Ryan Truex:

Truex has excelled at every level of racing having won two K&N Pro Series East Championships for Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) in 2009 and 2010. In 2009 he joined now JGR teammate Joey Logano as the only driver to win both K&N Pro Series Rookie of the Year honors and the Championship in the same year. He would make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in 2010 earning an outside pole at Michigan and three top-15 finishes in just his first seven races for MWR. Truex is the younger brother of Martin Truex, Jr. who currently drives the No. 56 Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for MWR.

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, Kelly Bires, Drew Herring, and Ryan Truex. JGR also boasts Darrell Wallace Jr. in its driver development program. 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

Sport Clips Racing

· LOGANO WANTS TO GO “THE EXTRA MILE” AT DOVER: Joey Logano was just one-mile away from victory in the spring race at Dover International Speedway. One more lap around the track and Logano could have earned his first victory of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. Instead, that last lap will be remembered for one of the scariest and more hair-raising crashes for the 2011 season thus far. Coming to the white flag, second-place driver Carl Edward’s car got loose while underneath Logano’s, slid up the track and got Logano aero loose. Logano’s car slid up the track, hit the outside wall and came back across the track, collecting several other cars in the process. As a result, the race ended under caution and Logano was credited with a 13th-place finish.

· SPORT CLIPS WRAPS UP 2011 SPONSORSHIP THIS WEEKEND WITH SPECIAL DECALS: Sport Clips, a national sport-themed hair-care franchise for men and boys founded in 1995 with over 800 stores nationwide, will wrap up its 2011 sponsorship program this weekend at Dover International Speedway, riding on the side of the No. 18 Toyota. It’s been a successful season for Sport Clips as a sponsor, collecting two wins (Denny Hamlin in Richmond and Logano at Daytona) and a number of other successful runs. The No. 18 Toyota will have a couple of special decals on the car this weekend as well. The car will include the VFW’s Operation Uplink logo on the rear quarter panel as well as the Help A Hero logo on the hood in support of Sport Clips’ fundraising efforts that allow soldiers overseas and those hospitalized to call home and talk to their loved ones at no cost. To date, Operation Uplink has provided more than 4 million free calls home for soldiers and hospitalized veterans.

· DOVER HOLDS PLENTY OF (GOOD & BAD) MEMORIES FOR LOGANO: In addition to his “monster” wreck in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event earlier this year, Dover holds a bunch of memories for Logano, both positive and negative. Logano wrapped up his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Championship at Dover International Speedway in 2007, capping off a remarkable and record-breaking K&N Pro Series East that saw him win seven races over the course of the season. Logano then made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut on May 31, 2008 at Dover International Speedway, where he came home with a ninth-place start and a sixth-place finish. Logano also suffered one of the biggest accidents of his career at Dover in 2009, when he barrel-rolled his No. 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series machine a total of seven times down the banking of turns three and four.

· No. 18 TEAM STILL LOOKING FOR POINTS CHAMPIONSHIP: Despite a frustrating 19th-place finish in the last NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Chicagoland Speedway, Logano and the No. 18 Sport Clips Toyota team for Joe Gibbs Racing still lead in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship point standings. Heading into this weekend’s event at Dover, the No. 18 team holds a 30-point lead in the standings over the No. 60 Roush-Fenway Racing team and an 89-point lead over the No. 6 Roush-Fenway Racing team with just six races remaining. With Kyle Busch, the regular driver of the No. 18 JGR Toyota, taking a few Nationwide Series events off at the end of the season to focus more on the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Logano is jumping into the seat for four of the final seven races of the season. In addition to the Chicagoland and Dover races, Logano is also scheduled to race the No. 18 at Kansas and Phoenix. When taking the green at Chicagoland, Logano became the fifth different driver to spend time behind the wheel of the No. 18 this season. In addition to Logano and Busch, Kelly Bires, Michael McDowell and Drew Herring have all driven the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota this season.

· CHASSIS: The JGR team will take chassis #121 to Dover International Speedway. The last time that chassis saw that track, it nearly found Victory Lane, where Logano finished second to Kyle Busch in a photo finish at Bristol. Chassis #117 will be the backup.

· STAT OF THE WEEK: 78 of 82 Logano struggled to a 19th-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago. However, Logano’s career record of avoiding bad finishes is impressive. Of his 82-career NNS races, Logano has finished in the top-20 an impressive 78 times. Three of those four finishes outside the top-20 were the result of accidents.

· THE RACE: The OneMain Financial 200 at Dover International Speedway (Dover, DE; 1-mile high-banked concrete oval) is set for Saturday afternoon, October 1st, 2011. The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m. EST, with radio coverage on MRN starting at 3:00 p.m. EST.

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

“Dover is probably one of the coolest tracks that we go to all year long and you see it on the track, because it normally puts on some pretty wild and crazy races, as I’ve been a part of so many times there in the past. Dover is cool just because it is part high-banked short track, but also has some tendencies of a speedway being that it is so fast. It really can be one of the most intimidating tracks we go to too with the unforgiving nature of it. If there is a wreck happening, odds are you are probably going to get involved. I guess they call it the ‘Monster Mile’ for a reason. A lot of people think places like Daytona and Talladega are probably what you would call the more intimidating tracks. But its actually tracks like Dover, Darlington and others that get more of these drivers’ attentions. Tracks like that can be pretty unforgiving.

“I love Dover and, outside of New Hampshire, it’s the closest thing on the schedule I have to a home track. I’ve always had a lot of fans up here. Ever since I came here in the East Series and won the championship, I’ve seen a lot of fans here at the track with my shirts and hats on when we go around the area and do autograph sessions. So now, I really want to win a race here. We had a great car in the Nationwide race here in the spring and were a lap away from finally winning one here when we got into that accident with Carl (Edwards) and Clint (Bowyer). Me and Carl had a great battle that day and it was going to come down to the end between the two of us. Carl just got a little bit loose and slid up the track and got us loose and it was on from there. I remember getting into the wall and thinking ‘whoa this is going to be big.’ Clint got into us when we came back across the track and several other cars piled in. I could see the underneath of Clint’s car and was thinking ‘yep, this is big.’ That is a typical Dover wreck. It’s just too bad because we had a great shot at winning that day.

“Hopefully we can have the same success again this weekend. There is nothing we want and need more than a win for Sport Clips and the No. 18. We want to do all we can to continue and build the lead for the No. 18 car with just a few races to go. It’s going to come down me and Kyle (Busch) to get this Owner’s Championship wrapped up. That is what this organization is fighting for. We want to win races every weekend, but we also want this Owner’s Championship. We struggled at Chicagoland, so there is nothing better we can do than to come back and get a win here at Dover.”

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release

Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR)

With the acquisition of the No. 8 and No. 33 KHI trucks, ESR will field three full-time NCWTS teams in 2012. The NCWTS driver line up for ESR will be announced in October. The teams will operate out of Eddie Sharp Racing’s current 40,000 square-foot five-star facility in Denver, N.C.

Eddie Sharp

“I’m excited about the future of ESR, really excited,” Sharp continued. “We’ll have driver and sponsor lineup announcements coming within the next few weeks. To see everything progress with Kevin and DeLana’s help, and the support from Chevrolet, it’s a dream come true.”

Eddie Sharp Racing’s No. 6 truck is currently 19th in NCWTS owner point standings, only 57 points out of the top 12. The team was created in 2006 as Eddie Sharp envisioned his long-term goals as a team owner. The goal was to contend, not simply compete. That desire drove Sharp to obtain a five-star facility, which is what allowed the team to quickly transition from contender to champion.

About Eddie Sharp Racing

Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) enters its sixth full-time season in motorsports, which has earned more than 15 victories and a 2009 ARCA Championship. With this approach, ESR became the place for up and coming talent. Since ESR’s inception, Sharp focused on helping to usher in the careers of Scott Lagasse, Chase Miller, T.J. Bell, Michael McDowell, Scott Speed and most recently, 2009 ARCA Champion Justin Lofton. ESR is housed in a 40,000 sq. ft. facility located in Denver, N.C. For more information about ESR please visit www.teamesr.com

About Kevin Harvick Inc.

Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) enters 2011 celebrating 10 years of NASCAR racing. From the start, co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick set a goal to become leaders within the industry. With two Truck Series championships to their credit, the organization has built a reputation of integrity and competitiveness within the NASCAR community. KHI is housed in an over 80,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. This season, the organization will field three full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams and two full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series teams, competing for the drivers and owners championships in each series. With a roster comprised of both up-and-coming and veteran championship-caliber drivers, KHI continues to establish itself as one of the top teams in NASCAR competition. For more information about KHI and its teams, please visit www.KevinHarvickInc.com

Editor’s Note: CATCHFENCE.com has learned that the three proposed and / or potential 2012 drivers for Eddie Sharp Racing may include Justin Lofton, Brendan Gaughan and former NASCAR champion Johnny Benson Jr.

- Eddie Sharp Racing Press Release

Sport Clips Racing

· LOGANO HELPING JGR No. 18 IN SEARCH FOR OWNER’S TITLE: While most people are used to seeing Joey Logano behind the wheel of the No. 20 Toyota in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, this weekend things will look a little different. Logano will pilot the No. 18 Sport Clips Toyota, normally run by Kyle Busch, this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway in an effort to help the No. 18 team win its third-straight NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship and fourth-straight for Joe Gibbs Racing as an organization. Logano was a part of the championship winning team from 2008, when he and several other drivers shared duties in the No. 20 JGR Toyota.

The last two seasons (2009, 2010), Kyle Busch and others have helped the No. 18 JGR team win the NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship. Heading into this weekend’s event at Chicagoland, the No. 18 team holds a 48-point lead over the No. 60 Roush-Fenway Racing team and a 100-point lead over the No. 6 Roush-Fenway Racing team with just seven races remaining. Busch, Kelly Bires, Michael McDowell and Drew Herring have all spent time behind the wheel of the No. 18 JGR Toyota during the 2011 season. It won’t be Logano’s first time ever driving the No. 18 in Nationwide Series competition. He drove the No. 18 Toyota during his rookie season of 2008 at Michigan, finishing seventh.

· SPORT CLIPS CONTINUES PARTNERSHIP WITH JGR AND LOGANO: Sport Clips, a national sport-themed hair-care franchise for men and boys that can be found in 38 states, will continue its partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway by sponsoring the No. 18 Toyota driven by Joey Logano. This will mark the second race of the season Sport Clips has rode on the side of the No. 18 and the eighth race overall they have sponsored a JGR racecar in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

The season has been a successful one for Sport Clips, as they’ve racked up two wins, coming with Denny Hamlin in Richmond and Logano at Daytona, a race Logano called the biggest win of his career. Founded in 1995, Sport Clips has over 810 stores nationwide, including 54 Chicago area locations. Sport Clips will also be the primary sponsor on the No. 18 Toyota at Dover International Speedway in October with Logano behind the wheel.

· LOGANO-BUSCH ONE-TWO BECOMING A NORM: Despite the fact that JGR teammate Kyle Busch is taking this weekend off in Chicago, the two recorded their 10th-career one-two finish a few weeks ago at Bristol in an amazing photo finish. In fact, both of Logano’s races at Chicagoland Speedway have resulted in one-two finishes between he and Busch. In 2009, Logano beat Busch to the checkers, while last season, it was Busch getting the upper hand. Logano and Busch have finished first and second in 10 races since the start of the 2009 season. Of those 10 head-to-head battles, Logano has won four (Nashville 2009, Kentucky 2009, Chicago 2009, Kansas 2009) and Busch six (Loudon 2009, Texas 2010, Chicago 2010, Dover 2010, Talladega 2011, Bristol 2011).

· CHASSIS: The JGR team will take chassis #132 to Chicagoland Speedway. That chassis last raced at Loudon, where Logano ran in the top-five much of the race before two late spins ended his day early. The team will take chassis #117 as a backup.

· STAT OF THE WEEK: 7, 16, 22 The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team has recorded seven wins, 16 top-five finishes and 22 top-10s this season. Drivers who have shared the ride this season include Kyle Busch (18 starts, two poles, seven wins, 16 top-10s), Michael McDowell (five starts, one pole, four top-10s), Kelly Bires (two starts, one top-10) and Drew Herring (one start, one top-10) behind the wheel.

· THE RACE: The Dollar General 300 at Chicagoland Speedway (Joliet, IL; 1.5-mile D-shaped oval) is set for Saturday afternoon, September 17th, 2011. The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m. EST, with radio coverage on MRN starting at 3:00 p.m. EST.

Joey Logano Quotes:

“I’m ready to get back in the Nationwide car this weekend at Chicagoland. Chicago has been a really good track for me on the Nationwide side. I’ve got a first and a second in my two races there. That is a pretty good track record I guess. And it’s a track that I like a lot. There are some similarities to Kentucky, where we’ve always been pretty good as well. Kentucky, Kansas and Chicago have been three really good tracks for me in my Nationwide Series career and I’ve won at all three, so that goes to show you we’ve always been strong on the 1.5-mile tracks.

This year, we haven’t been as strong on the mile-and-half tracks with the new Nationwide Series car, but we are getting there. We are learning things at each track we go to and using that to make the cars better for the next time we go back to one. We’ve got our work cut out for us because some of the other cars have been really strong on the intermediate tracks, but I have total confidence in my guys. Every time we unload at the track, I feel like we have a shot to win and it will be no different this weekend.

“The crazy thing about this weekend will be driving the No. 18. It will be weird to climb in the window of the car and see the No. 18 on the side instead of the No. 20. But that is what we need to do as an organization to help the No. 18 team win the Owner’s Championship. This team has had a lot of great runs this year and won a lot of races with Kyle. Hopefully we can go out there and get another win and help extend that points lead. And, at the end of the year, it would be pretty cool to know you were a part of helping the team win a third-straight Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship and four-straight for Joe Gibbs Racing.

“I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Championship team from 2008 when we won it with the No. 20 team. That was an amazing feeling and started a pretty strong stretch for JGR as an organization. I know Joe (Gibbs), JD (Gibbs), Steve (DeSouza) and everyone associated with the Joe Gibbs Racing Nationwide program takes great pride in it and that winning the Owner’s Championship is something we want to do going into the year. To be able to win four-straight Owner’s titles, especially with the number of different drivers who have been in the No. 18 this year and the really tough competition that the Nationwide Series has this year, would be amazing feat.”

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release