Dollar General 300 Race Preview

Dollar General 300 presented by Coca-Cola at Chicagoland Speedway (1.5-mile speedway, Joliet, Ill.)

The No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang driven by Joey Logano

Saturday, September 14, 3:30pm ET

• DOUBLE WINNER IN THE WINDY CITY: oey Logano is coming into the Dollar General 300 at Chicagoland Speedway as the driver to beat. That’s because Logano comes into the event at the most recent NASCAR Nationwide Series winner at Chicagoland Speedway. Logano bested teammate Sam Hornish Jr. back in July during the off-weekend for the Sprint Cup Series. In five-career starts at the 1.5-mile oval, Logano has two wins, three top-five and four top-10 finishes.
• INTERMEDIATE TRACKS RANK HIGH WITH JL: Of Logano’s 20-career NASCAR Nationwide Series wins, nine of them have come on 1.5-mile ovals, or the so-called “intermediate” tracks of the schedule. In addition to his two wins at Chicagoland, Logano has also won races at Kentucky (three), Kansas (two), Charlotte (one) and Nashville (one).
• 15TH ALL TIME: Logano’s win at Chicagoland Speedway in July was his 20th-career Nationwide Series triumph. Those 20 wins put him in a tie for 15th on the all-time list with former series champion Greg Biffle. With 121 starts, Logano has averaged a NNS win every six starts over the course of his career.
• STATS, STATS & STATS: Stats have always been impressive when looking at the course of Logano’s Nationwide Series career. In 121 starts, Logano has 59-career top-five finishes (49-percent) and 94-career top-10 finishes (78-percent). He also has 22-career poles, averaging one pole every six starts. He has won at least one NNS race every year he’s competed in the series, dating back six seasons.
• FIVE RACES EVER: While the wins, poles, top-five and top-10 stats are all impressive for Logano, maybe the most impressive stat is his ability to finish. In 121-career NNS starts, Logano has been running at the finish of the event in all but five races in his entire career. The last time Logano failed to finish a Nationwide Series event was when he was involved in an accident in June of 2011 at New Hampshire.

WHY HAVE YOU EXCELLED AT THE 1.5-MILE TRACKS OVER THE YEARS IN YOUR NNS CAREER?

“I don’t think there is any particular reason. That type of track just really suits my driving style. I like fast, wide tracks where you and run at the top or at the bottom. That’s why I’ve done well at places like Michigan and California as well. But I don’t think there is anything that stands out. I’ve just always been fortunate enough to have fast cars on those tracks. I don’t think I’m better there than I am on other tracks. I’ve just had good runs and a lot of success there.”

AS WE GET TOWARDS THE END OF THE SEASON, HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR SEASON SO FAR?

“I think it’s been good. This is the fewest Nationwide Series I’ve raced up to this point in a year in my career and that’s ok, because we’ve been having a lot of success on the Cup side, but it’s been fun. I didn’t get into the car until April and it only took a couple of races to win our first event together as a team. It’s been awesome getting to learn the team and working with Jeremy (Bullins). This is a great team and I think I’ve been able to bring a lot to the team.”