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BACK ON TOP: Despite his 12th-place finish last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, his worst result of the Chase thus far, Joey Logano regained the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) points lead last weekend. Logano has now led the NSCS standings for five of the last six weeks.
A CHASE LEADER: Through the first eight races of the 2014 Chase, Logano continues to be the driver out in front of the pack. His two wins and six top-five finishes in the Chase leads all drivers, along with his average finish of 5.25 through the first eight races. Logano has also spent more laps running in the top 15 than any other driver in the Chase. Under the old Chase system, Logano would hold a 35-point lead over Kevin Harvick and a 49-point lead over teammate Brad Keselowski with just two races remaining.
A QUICK STOP IN VEGAS: This week, SEMA, the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world, takes place in Las Vegas and Logano will be there as both a spectator and a featured guest. Logano will sign autographs at the Whelen booth on Thursday, November 6 from 2-4 pm PT. While he’s there, Logano will also walk the floor and check out some of the newest products and cars from around the world.
DON’T LOOK AT PAST STATS: Logano’s career numbers at Phoenix International Raceway aren’t overly impressive with just two top-five and five top-10 finishes in 11 starts at the one-mile track, but he has performed well there recently. In his last two starts at PIR, Logano recorded finishes of ninth and fourth place. In March of 2013, his first race at Phoenix with Team Penske, Logano was running in the top 10 when a fuel pickup problem with less than 10 laps to go brought him to pit road. And in the fall race in 2012, Logano was running in the top five when he was swept up in an accident between Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer. Without those two incidents, Logano would have produced six straight top-11 finishes at Phoenix.
A SOUTHWEST HOMECOMING: One of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team members will be making a homecoming of sorts this weekend. Kellen Mills, the gasman on the No. 22 Ford, is originally from Mesa, Arizona, just 30 miles east of Phoenix International Raceway. Mills also played college football at Arizona State, where he was a defensive end from 2004 through 2007.

car

Primary Chassis: PRS-919
Last Raced: Atlanta (finished 14th)

Backup Chassis: PRS-901
Last Raced: Martinsville 2 Backup (not raced)

broadcast

Race: Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500
Track: Phoenix International Raceway

Date: Sunday, November 9
Race Start Time: 3:00 pm ET
RADIO Live on MRN and SIRIUS XM Channel 90
TV SCHEDULE Friday
1:30 pm ET, Practice (FS1)
6:30 pm ET, Qualifying (ESPN2)
Saturday
11:30 am ET, Practice (FS1)
2:30 pm ET, Final Practice (FS2)

 

qa

ONLY TWO WEEKS LEFT IN THE 2014 SEASON. CAN YOU BELIEVE THE YEAR IS COMING TO A CLOSE?

“It seems like it just started. I remember Daytona like it was yesterday. But it’s been a fun year – definitely the best year of my career, no matter what the stats say. The guys on this Shell-Pennzoil team are just great to be around. We’ve had so much fun together. This is the best team I’ve ever worked with for sure. They believe in me and I believe in them. I’m just proud of the way that we’ve pulled together in the good times and in the tough times this year. That is the kind of attitude that allows teams to go for Championships, and we are fortunate that that is where we are right now, in the hunt for this Championship. But we will continue to do what we’ve been doing and work on finishing out the year. It’s been a fun ride this far though.”

WHAT DO YOU AND THE NO. 22 SHELL PENNZOIL TEAM HAVE TO DO TO MAKE IT TO HOMESTEAD TO FIGHT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP?

“I feel like a broken record because I feel like I keep saying this week after week, but we just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing. Like my crew chief Todd Gordon said, we aren’t out here trying to reinvent the wheel, we are just trying to polish the wheel. We are just fine-tuning everything that we’ve been doing all year long. This team has had some bad luck, and when we do, we fight through it and make the best of it, just like what happened in Texas. We were in a hole after we had the issue on the pit stop, and no one gave up and we were able to finish strong and come out of there with the point lead. That’s what this team does. And that is what we will keep doing, all the way through Homestead.”