Joey Logano Pure Michigan 400 Preview

DEFENDING WINNER: This weekend, Joey Logano enters Michigan International Speedway as the defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner at the track. In last season’s August MIS race, Logano earned his third career Sprint Cup Series win and first for Team Penske when he took the lead late in the event. Logano started on the pole and led 51 of the 200 laps for the landmark victory.

DOUBLE DUTY OF A DIFFERENT SORT: Logano will once again compete as a double duty driver during MIS weekend, but this time it won’t mean flying back and forth between Michigan and Mid-Ohio, as it has in the past. Logano will compete in his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event of the season, driving the No. 19 Draw-Tite Ford F-150 for his teammate’s team – Brad Keselowski Racing. Logano has competed in five career NCWTS events, including one this year, with a best finish of second. Logano is looking to join an exclusive club and become the 24th driver in NASCAR history to win a race in the NSCS, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NCWTS.

MICHIGAN MEANS BUSY: Michigan International Speedway race weekends are always busy events for Logano and the team. Logano will have sponsor commitments on both Wednesday and Thursday nights, including the annual Team Penske Sponsor Summit while in Detroit, before heading to the track to begin practice on Friday.

BETTER THAN AVERAGE AVERAGE: Logano heads into the Michigan weekend boasting an 8.7 average starting position on the season, the second-best in the series behind his teammate Keselowski. The impressive mark represents Logano’s best average starting position to this point in his career – his previous best average was 11.9 in 2012. In 22 races so far this season, Logano has started outside the top 10 on just five occasions, one of which was a rainout.

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 ARE THE DEFENDING CHAMPION AT MICHIGAN. LOOKING BACK ON IT, HOW DID THE WIN SHAPE YOUR 2013 SEASON?

“It was big for me and my team. We had run really well up until that point. We had a few races up to that point that I thought we could have competed for the win for sure. We just didn’t have the finishes that we could have had. But we were getting better as a team, and we were running better the second time around at places. But that weekend, everything just clicked. We were fast in practice. We won the pole and set a new track record. We were fast in the race, and there were different pit strategies. We knew we had the best car – we just had to hope it played out right, and it did. It was awesome to finally get that win for myself, for my team and most importantly for Roger (Penske).”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN REPEAT AT MIS THIS WEEKEND?

“I always feel like we can go to the track and win the race. Michigan has always been one of my best tracks, and we’ve always been fast there. We led about 30 laps or so (there in June), but we just got bit by pit strategy there at the end of the race. Other guys were able to beat us out because they short pitted. We finished ninth, but we were better than that. But that is how these races play out. A lot of it is about strategy and how it all plays out. And if you get out front, it’s hard to pass that guy, no matter how fast you are. We just need to put ourselves in the right position. If we do, we can definitely repeat.”