No. 18 GameStop Toyota News & Notes:

• OH SO CLOSE LAST TIME: The last time Joey Logano visited Bristol Motor Speedway, he and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch put on one of the best shows of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. Busch was in the lead, but Logano and the No. 20 GameStop Toyota was coming. As the race wound down, Busch held the lead while Logano sliced through traffic, cutting down the gap each and every lap. With just three laps to go, Logano found himself on the rear bumper of Busch. With two to go, Logano pulled alongside and, as the white flag flew, Logano and Busch raced side-by-side around the high-banked half-mile track to the delight of the crowd. However, at the checkers, it was Busch edging Logano by a mere 0.019 seconds at the finish, the closest ever finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.
• HEAR THE ENGINE EVEN BETTER: Turtle Beach will be the featured vendor on the No. 18 GameStop Toyota this weekend at Bristol. Turtle Beach is the leader in the gaming audio space with a lineup of products to meet the needs of every gamer. When it comes to entry level headsets that over deliver and exceed expectations, the Ear Force X12 is the leader of the pack. The X12 is a wired stereo headset outfitted with 50mm drivers and adjustable bass boost, provides some of the biggest and best sound in its class, and is a true steal with an MSRP of $59.95. If you’re looking for top gear in the wireless category, the Ear Force X32 features new dual-band wifi technology, making it virtually interference-proof in any environment. Amplified stereo sound from dual 50mm speakers, bass boost and equalizer presets once again bring our signature Turtle Beach experience to the next generation of gamers. With an MSRP of $99.95, it’s a great value for outstanding performance in the wireless class.
• BACK WITH THE 18 IN BRISTOL: Joey and the GameStop team will have one thing different this weekend in Bristol – they will be carrying the No. 18 number instead of the No. 20. It will not be the first time Logano has raced the No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series. Logano ran the No. 18 several times last season with both crew chief Adam Stevens and then-NNS crew chief and his current Sprint Cup crew chief Jason Ratcliff. Despite having the No. 18 on the car, Logano will have Stevens and his regular crew behind him this weekend.
• IT’S BRISTOL BABY: Logano has raced at Bristol Motor Speedway a total of six times with rather impressive results, even though he’s still looking for his first pole and his first victory. And while Logano has no poles at the track, three of the last four races have resulted in Logano qualifying an impressive second. In addition to his runner-up spot at the track last fall, Logano has finishes of fifth, ninth and 10th at the half-mile high-banked oval.
• THE RACE: The Ford EcoBoost 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, TN; .566-mile short track) is set for Saturday afternoon, March 17, 2012. The race will be broadcast on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET, with radio coverage on PRN.

Logano’s 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series Season Stats:

Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats:

Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway:

From the Cockpit:

Joey Logano Quotes: “Bristol is Bristol. Everyone is always excited to head back to that track. It’s really short track racing at its best these days too. That battle that we had with Kyle (Busch) there last year was epic. We had a faster car than him late and chased him down, but once we got side-by-side, we just couldn’t quite get him. And I wasn’t going to spin him or move him out of the way. If I was going to win that race, I was going to do it right. And the fact that we ran side-by-side like that for the last few laps was awesome. That was something you couldn’t do at the old Bristol, but it made for a great race.

“Bristol always presents some challenges because of the nature of it. You can get caught up in someone else’s mess so easy there. It is like a superspeedway in that sense. Something can happen in front of you and you can just get collected and have nowhere to go. So you have to stay on top of things and always be looking and thinking ahead. Having a good handling car is a big plus too, because if you aren’t worrying about driving it, you can stay even more alert. We’ve had a good track record there the last two years and we are taking the same car back. Hopefully this is the weekend I can finally win at Bristol.”

From the Pit Box:

Adam Stevens Quotes: “This is a great track for us and a great track for Joey. He’s always been really strong on the concrete tracks. Bristol is all about the driver and getting him what he needs. If the driver is not comfortable there, he’s not going to be very fast. It’s all mechanical balance and feel and driver comfort. Things happen fast there, so you want your driver to be comfortable with the car so he can keep a sharp mind on making sure he stays out of trouble. You also have to be ready to change your strategy in the race. Pit sequences get off and things can get switched around. Or sometimes you can get a little fender damage from all the beating and banging. So making sure you stay on your toes and keep an open mind is key. One thing we won’t know for sure is the tire combination. It has changed once again, so that will be another variable that we will have to keep in mind when we unload on Friday.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing Machines:

• PRIMARY CAR INFO: The No. 18 GameStop team will take chassis #121 to Bristol. This is the same car that Logano nearly won with at the track last fall.
• BACK-UP CAR: Chassis #108 will serve at the team’s backup. The car serves as a regular backup to the team on concrete tracks.

No. 18 GameStop Toyota / Joe Gibbs Racing Team:

Driver – Joey Logano
Crew Chief – Adam Stevens
Car Chief – Heath Landis
Race Engineer – Curtis Ratzlaff
Shock Specialist – Joel Weidman
Front-end – Dave Rudy
Rear-end – Chris “Yoshi” Jones
Tire Specialist – Glen Wheeler
Engine Tuner – Roger Purcell
Truck Driver – Tim Clancy
Spotter: Rocky Ryan
Jackman – Jason Tate
Gasman – John Eicher
Front Tire Changer – John Royer
Front Tire Carrier – Chris Taylor
Rear Tire Changer – Joe Crossen
Rear Tire Carrier – Eric Groen