No. 20 Dollar General Toyota News & Notes:

• RIDING NATIONWIDE SERIES MOMENTUM: Joey Logano and the No. 20 Dollar General team will be riding a wave of momentum into Darlington this weekend following Joey’s win at Talladega Superspeedway last Saturday. Logano made a last-lap pass of Sprint Cup Series teammate Kyle Busch to grab the victory, harkening back to the days of the “slingshot” pass. Logano led a total of 17 laps and paced the field six different times. Logano’s win was his second of the season (he won earlier this year at California Speedway) and the 11th of his career. His 11-career wins now ties him for 25th on the all-time list with drivers like Chuck Bown, Steve Grissom, Denny Hamlin, Dale Jarrett, Terry Labonte and Michael Waltrip.
• DOLLAR GENERAL BACK AT “THE LADY IN BLACK”: Dollar General will return as sponsor of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend at Darlington Raceway. It will be the third time this season that Dollar General has rode with Logano in the Nationwide Series, the first coming at Phoenix International Raceway where Logano finished eighth after starting 10th. Dollar General also rode with Logano just a couple of races ago in Richmond, where he started 14th and finished 18th. Dollar General also serves as a full-time sponsor for Brian Scott in the Nationwide Series, so DG will be well represented with two cars in the Nationwide Series event this weekend.
• THE DARLING AT DARLINGTON?: Despite being in his fifth season of NASCAR Nationwide Series competition, Logano has raced just one time in the past at Darlington Raceway in the Nationwide Series. That race came in 2009 and resulted in a fourth-place start and a 12th-place finish. Logano has had a mixed bag of success at Darlington in the Sprint Cup Series. He’s qualified well, with his best being a fifth and his best finish has been ninth, both coming in his rookie season of 2009.
• STEVENS HAS ONE GOOD WEEK: Logano’s NASCAR Nationwide Series crew chief Adam Stevens wrapped up a pretty big week with the victory at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon. It was Steven’s fourth-career win as a NASCAR Nationwide Series crew chief and third with Logano (California 2012, Daytona 2011). Stevens has also won a race with Denny Hamlin (Richmond 2011). On Tuesday of last week, Stevens and his wife Aubrey welcomed their second son. Ryan Thomas Stevens was born Tuesday, May 1st and both mother and baby left the hospital just a few days later. The Stevens have one other son, Carter.
• HAMLIN SETS UP LOGANO: Last season, Logano didn’t compete in the Nationwide Series event at Darlington, but his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin did with Stevens and Logano’s No. 20 team. In last year’s event Hamlin qualified 16th but ran up front all night long, coming home second and just missing out on the top spot behind teammate Kyle Busch.
• HONORING OUR EVERY DAY HEROES: Throughout 2012, Dollar General, along with its vendor partners, will celebrate and recognize its customers through the Honoring Our Every Day Heroes program. During the month of May, the theme is celebrating Moms who do extraordinary things every day for their families and communities. To learn more about the Honoring Our Every Day Heroes program, visit www.dollargeneral.com/everydayheroes.
• THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 20 DOLLAR GENERAL TOYOTA: Dollar General vendor partners Gain, Gillette, Hanes, Hefty Reynolds, Betty Crocker, Pledge and Clorox will be featured on Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota Camry this weekend at Darlington Raceway.
• THE RACE: The VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway (Darlington, SC; 1.366-mile oval) is set for Friday night, May 11th. Watch and listen live on ESPN2, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Logano’s 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series Season Stats:

Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats:

Logano’s Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Stats at Darlington Raceway:

From the Cockpit:

Joey Logano Quotes: “It actually feels really weird to be going to Darlington and racing in the Nationwide Series. It’s been several years since I’ve been there in a Nationwide Series car, but I’m really looking forward to the opportunity. Not only does it give me a really good feel for the track for Saturday’s Cup race, but we are running really well on the Nationwide side right now and it would be nice to keep that momentum going coming off last week’s win and winning earlier in the year at California. Plus, Darlington is the type of track that you can never have too many laps on. It’s a tough, tough track. That’s why they call it “Too Tough To Tame.” So the more laps you can get around there, especially in race conditions, will just help you out on Saturday night.

“You really have to stay focused at Darlington. The line that you drive around there is right up near the top and you’re always just a little bit away from slapping the wall. Thankfully in these new cars, you can bounce off the wall and it won’t hurt you too bad. But you need to take your time and just run a good solid line. If you hit your marks and have a good car, you can win the race. A lot like Talladega, at Darlington it’s the guy that makes the least mistakes that probably will win the race in the end.”

From the Pit Box:

Adam Stevens Quotes: “We had a good run there last year with Denny (Hamlin) and now we just want to build on that with Joey. I know it’s been a couple of years since Joey has been there in the Nationwide Series cars, so I’m sure it will take him a few laps to get used to it again with the horsepower difference and all. After the repave at Darlington, it is now all about track position. Darlington is one of a kind for sure. It requires 100-percent focus from the driver at all times. The fastest groove is extremely narrow which makes passing cars and lapping cars difficult. The driver has to setup his passes to keep from losing too much time. The two ends of the track are very different which makes the setup a bit of a compromise. The driver has to love it to do well here.”

No. 20 Dollar General 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

About Dollar General:

Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for more than 70 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations.

Dollar General is committed to the communities it serves and is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations that help individuals learn to read, prepare for their GED or learn to speak English.

Find the Dollar General store nearest you or learn more about the company at www.dollargeneral.com or on Dollar General’s Facebook page.

DG at the Track:

Dollar General has more retail locations than any retailer in America, with 10,000 stores in 39 states. There are 16 Dollar General locations in the Darlington area. Here are the three closest to Darlington Raceway: