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No. 20 GameStop Toyota
Loudon Race Preview
Huntersville, N.C. – Joey Logano is happy to be a resident of the Charlotte, N.C area. He knew he would have to eventually live in the epicenter of NASCAR if he wanted to continue his path to superstardom. However, the 19-year-old from Middletown, Connecticut still has strong New England ties. Getting a chance to race in front of the fans that embraced him at a very young age makes the two race weekends at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) very special for Logano.
Before the rest of the racing world knew of Logano, he was winning races throughout the New England area, many times at the expense of racers many years his elder. When the family made the move South, originally to the Atlanta area, it was to help advance the career of his sister who is a professional ice dancer. While Atlanta is not Charlotte when it comes to racing, it is definitely a hot bed and allowed Logano to showcase his talent to many of the sport’s insiders.
Throughout all of his successes that eventually landed him in Charlotte, Logano has never forgotten his New England roots. Perhaps nothing speaks more to the affinity he has for New England than the charity he has chosen to support. The Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth is one of the premier pediatric facilities in the country and sits just over an hour from NHMS. While Logano would love to win at places like Daytona and Indianapolis a win at New Hampshire would be just as sweet.
Joey Logano Quotes
“New Hampshire is obviously a big weekend for us. It’s a little bit of a homecoming for me. I still have a lot of family and friends up here. Loudon is the only race in the New England area and it would be cool to get a win up here because they have great fans here that have supported me for a long time. I’m going to make a trip to the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth and David’s House in Lebanon (N.H.) on Thursday to hang out and play some video games donated by GameStop. I’ve designated these two facilities as my official charities and I want to show them that I support them 100%. They do a great job serving the children of New England and I want to help them in any way that I can.”
“It’s a cool racetrack and I enjoy running there. It’s pretty funny that I have a Cup start at Loudon, but this will be my first Nationwide race in the GameStop Toyota. We ran really well there in 2007 in the (NASCAR Camping World) East Series. We swept both races that year. The Nationwide cars and the East Series cars are very similar so we should be able to get the GameStop Toyota dialed in. It’s definitely a racetrack where I know what feel I am looking for. Hopefully we can get a second groove worked in this weekend. That’s been the biggest knock against Loudon in the past, but it seems to be getting better over the years.”
Noteworthy
◦ While Logano has made one Sprint Cup start at Loudon, this will be his first Nationwide Series start in the GameStop Toyota at the one-mile oval.
◦ The No. 20 JGR Toyota won this race last year with Tony Stewart behind the wheel.
◦ The No. 20 JGR entry has competed in seven Nationwide event held at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Its tally includes one win, four top-5 finishes and five top-10 finishes.
◦ Despite missing three races due to the fact that he is not running the full Nationwide schedule, Logano still remains fifth in the series point standings.
◦ Logano will serve as the guest speaker for the Governor’s Breakfast on Friday, June 26. The breakfast if the largest fundraiser of the year for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, which is Logano’s designated charity.
◦ Singularity, an upcoming video game from Raven Software and Activision, will adorn the sides of the No. 20 this weekend, along with GameStop.
No. 20 GameStop Toyota
Season Stats
Wins: 2
Poles: 2
Top 5: 6
Top 10: 8
Best Start: 1
Best Fin: 1
Avg. Start: 7.5
Avg. Fin: 6.5
Race Information
Series: Nationwide Series
Race: Camping World RV Sales 200 presented by RVs.com
Distance: 200 miles
Laps: 200 laps
Race No. 16 of 35
Venue: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Location: Loudon, N.H.
Chassis Info
Primary: JGR #2097
History: Logano drove this chassis to a sixth place finish at Richmond in May.
Backup: JGR #2073
Broadcast Information
Friday
Practice: 1:30 PM EDT, Speed
Saturday
Qualifying: 10:00 PM EDT, Speed
Race: 2:30 PM EDT
TV: ABC
Radio: PRN and Sirius |