IRWIN Tools Night Race Preview

GETTING THE KINKS WORKED OUT: Joey Logano will return to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend ready for a little redemption at the high-banked, half-mile track. Logano looked to be on his way to a top-five finish at Bristol in the spring race when a power steering problem took its toll on the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford. Despite the issue, Logano and the team took full advantage of a long red flag period to formulate a plan and fixed the issue in just three laps, racing back from 39th to 20th at the conclusion of the race.

A LEGITIMATE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER: Following Logano’s third-place finish at Michigan last weekend, the 24-year-old driver moved up to fourth place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. Logano has now produced four straight finishes of sixth place or better to move from ninth to fourth in the point standings. Logano continues to hold onto fifth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase Grid as the highest ranked driver in the standings with two wins this season. This is the highest that Logano has been ranked in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings over the course of his six-year career.

STILL QUALIFYING UP FRONT: Last weekend at Michigan, Logano continued his strong qualifying results in 2014, making the final round of knockout style qualifying for the 20th time in 21 tries. The only time this season Logano hasn’t made the final round was the restrictor plate race at Talladega Superspeedway in the spring. Logano also earned his seventh front row starting spot and his sixth second-place qualifying effort. His average starting position of 8.5 is the second best in the series behind teammate Brad Keselowski.

THE HOMETOWN SHOWDOWN: Logano will head back to his home state of Connecticut next month to race for a cause at his foundation’s inaugural Hometown Showdown Driven by AutoTrader.com. The friendly go-karting competition is set for Thursday, September 18th from 3:30-9:00 p.m. ET at On Track Karting in Wallingford, Conn. The night will provide an opportunity for fans to test their racing skills against Logano and other participants in a fun competition. In addition to the on-track racing, the event will host a variety of activities, such as a silent auction, a raffle and plenty of opportunities to interact with Logano.

YOU HAVE RUN VERY STRONG IN EACH OF YOUR RACES AT BRISTOL WITH TEAM PENSKE, BUT DON’T HAVE THE TOP FINISHES TO SHOW FOR IT. CAN YOU PUT IT ALL TOGETHER THIS WEEKEND?

“I think we can for sure. We have been strong at Bristol since I started over here with Team Penske. Last spring, we got wrecked out while battling for the lead. In the fall, we had a solid race and finished fifth. Then earlier this year, we were running in the top five and we blew a power steering pump and had to go behind the wall to fix it. I’ve always loved going to Bristol and having a good car under me these last couple of years has helped. I’ve been able to win at the track in the Nationwide Series, but I really want to win now in the Cup Series. I think I have that chance with Team Penske. I want to get that third win before the Chase starts.”

YOU CONTINUE TO CLIMB UP IN THE STANDINGS. IS THE TEAM TURNING A CORNER?

“I don’t think there is a corner to turn honestly. We have been strong all year long. You look at the finishes that we have that are outside of the top 15 or so, we have had problems or been wrecked in those races. There is maybe only one weekend all year that I would say we have been off and not a top-10 car. We just ran into some bad luck in the middle part of the year and we are righting those issues now. I feel like this is the time you need to start getting to this point, the few races leading into the Chase. That way, when the Chase starts, you can carry that momentum into Chicago and on. We have led laps in most of the races this year (17 of 23 races) and we have been a constant threat. It’s just time to fine tune it, which I think we have been doing the last couple of weeks. It feels good to be running at the front like this though.”