News

THE RACE

The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval, Concord, NC)
Sunday, May 26, 6:00 pm ET

THE CARS

The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
The No. 22 Pennzoil Ford Fusion

THE NEWS AND NOTES

The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion

· NASCAR AMERICAN SALUTE: This weekend the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford will feature a patriotic paint scheme as part of the NASCAR American Salute program to honor service men and women around the Memorial Day holiday.

· CARLISLE TO HONOR THE MARINES: Carlisle Companies Incorporated will once again be hosting a group of active duty U.S. Marines and their guests at this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS). The Carlisle logo, which is prominently displayed on the C-Post of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion, will be replaced this weekend with the U.S. Marines logo to honor Marines worldwide.

· TOP QUALIFIER: In his first Coca-Cola 600 behind the wheel of the Miller Lite entry, Keselowski won the Coors Light Pole Award with a lap of 28.112 seconds, or 192.089 miles per hour.

· NATIONWIDE SERIES STRING ENDS: Keselowski will not compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at CMS this weekend as he shares the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang with Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney this season. This is the first NNS race at CMS that Keselowski has missed since May of 2006. He has two wins over that span at the venue.

· CHAMPIONSHP CONCERT: On Thursday evening, following qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600, Keselowski will host a party to celebrate his 2012 NASCAR Cup Series championship at The Fillmore in downtown Charlotte. Blackberry Smoke and Corey Smith will headline the event. The Fillmore is located within the N.C. Music Factory complex. Doors open at 8 pm.

· LOCAL TIES: Two pit crew members on the Miller Lite Ford hail from the Charlotte area. Jackman Braxton Brannon is from Mooresville, N.C., while rear-tire carrier Jody Forston is from China Grove, N.C.

   
THE NEWS AND NOTES

The No. 22 Pennzoil Ford Fusion

· STATS SAY CHARLOTTE THE BEST:  Logano’s stats tell the tale of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  Statistically, Charlotte Motor Speedway is Logano’s best track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. In eight races there, he’s earned five top-10 finishes. His average finish of 10.1 is his personal best of all the tracks on the circuit and it’s also the best of all current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers.

· SECOND-PLACE ALL-STAR:  Logano finished second in last weekend’s All-Star event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the best he has ever finished in the special event.  Logano had the fifth-best average over the course of the first four segments and then drove from fourth to second over the final 10 laps.

· HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Logano will celebrate his 23rd birthday this Friday, May 24th.

· DOUBLE-DUTY AGAIN:  Logano will be back behind the wheel of the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event this weekend.

· SPECIAL PAINT SCHEME: The No. 22 Ford will again transform from the regular yellow and red to a primarily yellow car highlighting the team’s Pennzoil partnership.

· BUSY WEEK: As is normally the case, Logano will have a busy week heading into Charlotte. He will participate in the annual King’s Cup event Wednesday and will have several sponsor appearances throughout