Penske Racing AdvoCare 500 Race Preview
November 7, 2013
THE RACE
AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway (one-mile oval; Avondale, Arizona)
Sunday, November 10, 3:00 pm ET
THE CARS
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
driven by Brad Keselowski
The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion
driven by Joey Logano
THE BROADCAST
Date: Sunday, November 10
Race Start Time: 3:00 pm ET
Radio Broadcast: Live on MRN Radio and SIRIUS XM Channel 90
TV Schedule:
Friday
· 2:00 pm ET, Practice (FS1)
· 5:30 pm ET, Qualifying (FS2)
Saturday
· 11:30 am ET, Practice (FS2)
· 2:30 pm ET, Final Practice (FS2)
Sunday
· 3:00 pm ET, AdvoCare 500 (ESPN)
THE NEWS AND NOTES
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
· KEY TO A CHAMPIONSHIP: One year ago, Brad Keselowski entered the Phoenix race weekend trailing Jimmie Johnson by seven points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship battle. Thanks to a strong sixth-place finish, Keselowski exited Phoenix with a 20-point lead with one race remaining as the result provided a comfortable cushion heading into the season finale.
· PHOENIX SPRING REWIND: In the second race of the 2013 season, Keselowski was able to race his way to the front of the field for 16 laps before a late-race caution set up a green-white-checkered flag finish. After pushing Carl Edwards to the lead on the final restart, Keselowski engaged in a hard-fought battle with Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin over the final laps before finishing second, one of four consecutive top-five finishes to start the season.
· VIVA LAS VEGAS: On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, Keselowski will make appearances at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, NV. The SEMA show, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, is the largest convention in Las Vegas.
· SOLID STATISTICS: Despite an up-and-down season, Keselowski is on the verge of double-digit finishes inside the top five as he currently has nine with two races remaining. In addition to his victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway last month, the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has 15 top-10 finishes.
· CHAMPIONSHIP INDUCTION: On Thursday evening, Nov. 7, the 2012 Miller Lite championship car will be inducted into the Penske Racing Museum, located at 7125 E. Chauncey Lane in Phoenix, Ariz. The Penske Racing Museum showcases an amazing collection of cars, trophies and racing memorabilia chronicling one of the most successful organizations in all of sports. Thursday night’s event is for media members only.
· HONORING THE REAL HEROES: A big supporter of wounded military members through his Checkered Flag Foundation, Keselowski would love to win on Veteran’s Day weekend as a salute to those who sacrifice for our freedom.
THE Q & A
BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD
HOW ARE YOU APPROACHING THE LAST TWO RACES OF THE YEAR?
“This Miller Lite Ford team is definitely finishing the year on a positive note. I think we’re turning a corner with our cars. That’s really important as we head into the off season. But we have two races left and we want to win both of them. I feel like we had a car that could’ve won the first race at Phoenix this year but we lost track position late in the race and never recovered. It’s become a good track for us over the last few races. Hopefully we can make that little bit of improvement we need and get to Victory Lane this weekend.”
IS THE SURFACE AT PHOENIX STARTING TO BECOME RACIER?
“Absolutely. The surface at Phoenix improves with every race. You saw that in the race in March when we ran side-by-side over the final laps. It was good, hard racing that the fans want to see, which is great because the fans at Phoenix really support our racing. This surface is only going to get better and better as the desert elements continue to work on it.”
THE NEWS AND NOTES
The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion
· SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT: Joey Logano’s third-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway Sunday allowed him to move up two positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings to ninth place. With his current spot in the standings, Logano put himself in position to be one of the 10 drivers that will address the crowd at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet in Las Vegas.
· EXCLUSIVE COMPANY: With Logano’s third-place effort last weekend, the 23-year-old earned his 11th top-five finish of the season. Only two other drivers – points leader Jimmie Johnson and multiple-race winner Kyle Busch – have earned more top-five finishes this season than Logano.
· RUNNING BETTER THAN EVER: Another amazing stat from Logano’s breakout 2013 season: the first-year Penske Racing driver has scored his career-best finish at eight different tracks this season. Logano’s 2013 finishes at Atlanta, California, Bristol, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Richmond and Texas have all bested his previous-best results entering this year.
· CAREER-BESTS CONTINUE: Coming into the season, Logano’s previous season-best for top-10 finishes was 16, which he achieved in 2010. Following Texas, Logano established a new career-best 17 top-10 finishes in 2013.
· QUICK VEGAS TRIP: Following Texas, Logano made a quick trip to Las Vegas to speak on behalf of Pennzoil at a company dinner at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, where Pennzoil was showcasing several exciting new products.
· RACER’S DREAM GARAGE CALENDAR: The 2014 Racer’s Dream Garage presented by Shell V-Power calendar is now available. The calendar showcases drivers like Logano, Brad Keselowski, Travis Pastrana, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Helio Castroneves and several others along with their personal street vehicles. Several fans’ cars are also featured as part of the Shell Ultimate Enthusiast contest. Fan can get the calendar on the Shell-Pennzoil merchandise hauler, at the Penske Racing gift shop or by ordering it online at www.joeyloganofoundation.org or www.penskeracing.com.
THE Q & A
JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD
ARE YOU SAD TO BE ENTERING THE FINAL RACES OF 2013?
“In a way I am, in other ways, I’d like it to keep on going. I’m a racer and I like to race. When the off-season comes around, I’m good for a couple of weeks and then I’m ready to get back in a racecar and race. That’s what I like to do and that what I want to do. There isn’t much other than racing for me. So a couple of weeks off is plenty. But I know the guys on the team like to recharge and I’m looking forward to starting 2014 already with the type of year we’ve had and having a full year with (crew chief) Todd (Gordon) under my belt.”
HOW MUCH DOES IT HELP HAVING A NOTEBOOK TO REFERENCE WITH TODD GORDON WHEN YOU COME BACK TO A TRACK?
“It’s huge. When you come to a track together for the first time, you don’t know how he likes to set up the car. He doesn’t know what kind of adjustments that you like. You don’t know exactly how to explain the car’s handling to him. When you do it once and you come back a second time, you have all those notes and you know where you are going to start. That is why we have seemed to click so well going back to these places a second time. That’s a huge advantage, especially working together for the first time.”
AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway (one-mile oval; Avondale, Arizona)
Sunday, November 10, 3:00 pm ET
THE CARS
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
driven by Brad Keselowski
The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion
driven by Joey Logano
THE BROADCAST
Date: Sunday, November 10
Race Start Time: 3:00 pm ET
Radio Broadcast: Live on MRN Radio and SIRIUS XM Channel 90
TV Schedule:
Friday
· 2:00 pm ET, Practice (FS1)
· 5:30 pm ET, Qualifying (FS2)
Saturday
· 11:30 am ET, Practice (FS2)
· 2:30 pm ET, Final Practice (FS2)
Sunday
· 3:00 pm ET, AdvoCare 500 (ESPN)
THE NEWS AND NOTES
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
· KEY TO A CHAMPIONSHIP: One year ago, Brad Keselowski entered the Phoenix race weekend trailing Jimmie Johnson by seven points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship battle. Thanks to a strong sixth-place finish, Keselowski exited Phoenix with a 20-point lead with one race remaining as the result provided a comfortable cushion heading into the season finale.
· PHOENIX SPRING REWIND: In the second race of the 2013 season, Keselowski was able to race his way to the front of the field for 16 laps before a late-race caution set up a green-white-checkered flag finish. After pushing Carl Edwards to the lead on the final restart, Keselowski engaged in a hard-fought battle with Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin over the final laps before finishing second, one of four consecutive top-five finishes to start the season.
· VIVA LAS VEGAS: On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, Keselowski will make appearances at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, NV. The SEMA show, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, is the largest convention in Las Vegas.
· SOLID STATISTICS: Despite an up-and-down season, Keselowski is on the verge of double-digit finishes inside the top five as he currently has nine with two races remaining. In addition to his victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway last month, the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has 15 top-10 finishes.
· CHAMPIONSHIP INDUCTION: On Thursday evening, Nov. 7, the 2012 Miller Lite championship car will be inducted into the Penske Racing Museum, located at 7125 E. Chauncey Lane in Phoenix, Ariz. The Penske Racing Museum showcases an amazing collection of cars, trophies and racing memorabilia chronicling one of the most successful organizations in all of sports. Thursday night’s event is for media members only.
· HONORING THE REAL HEROES: A big supporter of wounded military members through his Checkered Flag Foundation, Keselowski would love to win on Veteran’s Day weekend as a salute to those who sacrifice for our freedom.
THE Q & A
BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD
HOW ARE YOU APPROACHING THE LAST TWO RACES OF THE YEAR?
“This Miller Lite Ford team is definitely finishing the year on a positive note. I think we’re turning a corner with our cars. That’s really important as we head into the off season. But we have two races left and we want to win both of them. I feel like we had a car that could’ve won the first race at Phoenix this year but we lost track position late in the race and never recovered. It’s become a good track for us over the last few races. Hopefully we can make that little bit of improvement we need and get to Victory Lane this weekend.”
IS THE SURFACE AT PHOENIX STARTING TO BECOME RACIER?
“Absolutely. The surface at Phoenix improves with every race. You saw that in the race in March when we ran side-by-side over the final laps. It was good, hard racing that the fans want to see, which is great because the fans at Phoenix really support our racing. This surface is only going to get better and better as the desert elements continue to work on it.”
THE NEWS AND NOTES
The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion
· SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT: Joey Logano’s third-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway Sunday allowed him to move up two positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings to ninth place. With his current spot in the standings, Logano put himself in position to be one of the 10 drivers that will address the crowd at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet in Las Vegas.
· EXCLUSIVE COMPANY: With Logano’s third-place effort last weekend, the 23-year-old earned his 11th top-five finish of the season. Only two other drivers – points leader Jimmie Johnson and multiple-race winner Kyle Busch – have earned more top-five finishes this season than Logano.
· RUNNING BETTER THAN EVER: Another amazing stat from Logano’s breakout 2013 season: the first-year Penske Racing driver has scored his career-best finish at eight different tracks this season. Logano’s 2013 finishes at Atlanta, California, Bristol, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Richmond and Texas have all bested his previous-best results entering this year.
· CAREER-BESTS CONTINUE: Coming into the season, Logano’s previous season-best for top-10 finishes was 16, which he achieved in 2010. Following Texas, Logano established a new career-best 17 top-10 finishes in 2013.
· QUICK VEGAS TRIP: Following Texas, Logano made a quick trip to Las Vegas to speak on behalf of Pennzoil at a company dinner at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, where Pennzoil was showcasing several exciting new products.
· RACER’S DREAM GARAGE CALENDAR: The 2014 Racer’s Dream Garage presented by Shell V-Power calendar is now available. The calendar showcases drivers like Logano, Brad Keselowski, Travis Pastrana, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Helio Castroneves and several others along with their personal street vehicles. Several fans’ cars are also featured as part of the Shell Ultimate Enthusiast contest. Fan can get the calendar on the Shell-Pennzoil merchandise hauler, at the Penske Racing gift shop or by ordering it online at www.joeyloganofoundation.org or www.penskeracing.com.
THE Q & A
JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD
ARE YOU SAD TO BE ENTERING THE FINAL RACES OF 2013?
“In a way I am, in other ways, I’d like it to keep on going. I’m a racer and I like to race. When the off-season comes around, I’m good for a couple of weeks and then I’m ready to get back in a racecar and race. That’s what I like to do and that what I want to do. There isn’t much other than racing for me. So a couple of weeks off is plenty. But I know the guys on the team like to recharge and I’m looking forward to starting 2014 already with the type of year we’ve had and having a full year with (crew chief) Todd (Gordon) under my belt.”
HOW MUCH DOES IT HELP HAVING A NOTEBOOK TO REFERENCE WITH TODD GORDON WHEN YOU COME BACK TO A TRACK?
“It’s huge. When you come to a track together for the first time, you don’t know how he likes to set up the car. He doesn’t know what kind of adjustments that you like. You don’t know exactly how to explain the car’s handling to him. When you do it once and you come back a second time, you have all those notes and you know where you are going to start. That is why we have seemed to click so well going back to these places a second time. That’s a huge advantage, especially working together for the first time.”