Team Penske Race Preview - The Sprint Unlimited
February 12, 2014
Related Photos
Related Videos
THE RACE
The Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile superspeedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.)
THE CARS
No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
driven by Brad Keselowski
No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion
driven by Joey Logano
THE BROADCAST
Race: The Sprint Unlimited
Track: Daytona International Speedway
Date: Saturday, February 15
Race Start Time: 8:00 pm ET
Radio Broadcast:
Live on MRN, 7:00pm ET
TV Schedule:
Saturday
8:00pm ET, Sprint Unlimited (FOXSports1)
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
driven by Brad Keselowski
· THE ORIGINAL: Team Penske will debut the “new” retro white paint scheme on the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford during Saturday night’s non-points race and unofficial start to the 2014 NASCAR season. The “new” paint scheme commemorates the first Miller Lite can that began Miller’s lite beer segment in the early 1970s.
· SECOND TIME AROUND: This will be just the second appearance for Keselowski in the Sprint Unlimited. In his only previous start, in what was then called the Shootout, Keselowski started third and finished in fourth place in 2012.
· SAME GREAT TEAM – NEW MONNIKER: This weekend’s race will mark the first NASCAR event that the championship organization will compete under the Team Penske banner. While the overall company remains Penske Racing – all of its race teams will compete as Team Penske beginning this season.
· CONSTANT IS CONSISTENT: The core crew members of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford team remain intact with all the individuals from the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship team still on the roster and ready to challenge for another title this season.
· CHANGING A CHANGER AND CARRIER: There have been a few adjustments made on the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford pit crew as the team did change the tire changer and tire carrier positions for this season (see full crew list below).
· BIG APPLE DETOUR: Keselowski stopped in New York City on his way to Daytona to tape an appearance on “Live with Kelly and Michael.” The interview segment is set to air on Friday, Feb. 21 leading into Daytona 500 race weekend. He also visited several other NYC media outlets including ESPN and FOX News.
THE Q&A
BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS HEADING INTO THE SPRINT UNLIMITED?
“I’m genuinely looking forward to this race. It is an excellent opportunity to see where our car is in terms of speed and performance. We’ve been working hard over the winter and we are all ready to be back at the track. I’m also curious to see just how good our No. 2 Miller Lite Ford is going to look under the lights with the original paint scheme. We’ve had a ton of positive feedback from the fans about this car and we plan on doing our best to build on the excitement surrounding this commemorative paint scheme.”
PAUL WOLFE, CREW CHIEF NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD
WHAT IS THE TEAM’S OUTLOOK AS YOU HEAD INTO THE FIRST RACE OF THE YEAR?
“First off - we are ready to get back to racing. While the season is long, racing is what we love to do. We have had a productive offseason and feel as though we are well positioned to challenge for wins this year. Our entire organization has been making a dedicated effort to improve our processes and our equipment. This Saturday night we will get to see how we’ve done. I have a feeling that the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford is going to garner its fair share of attention.”
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion
driven by Joey Logano
· SCHOOL’S BACK IN SESSION: Walking into the garage area at Daytona International Speedway on Friday morning will be reminiscent of summer break ending and the school year starting. And Joey Logano will return “to school” with his same group of friends from last year, returning to the seat of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion for the second consecutive season. Last year Logano set career high marks in top-five finishes (11), top-10 finishes (19), laps led (323), races led (15) and average finishing position (14.1) en route to an eighth-place finish in the final point standings.
· SOME 22 CAR CHANGES: There are a few changes to the No. 22 crew this year with the addition of Canadian Alex Sinoyannis who will take over as vehicle dynamics engineer after working in the Team Penske shop for the last several years. The over-the-wall pit crew will also have a new look as only jackman Ray Gallahan will return from last year’s team.
· HE’S HOW OLD?: Amazing as it seems, Logano will embark on his sixth full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2014. Even more amazing is the fact that after five years as a veteran under his belt, Logano will still be one of the youngest drivers in the series at just 23 years old when the green flag drops for Saturday’s Sprint Unlimited.
· NEVER MISSED A RACE: Since becoming a full-time Sprint Cup Series driver, Logano has never missed a start in the annual Sprint Unlimited. Logano has experienced the highs and lows in the exhibition race. Accidents brought an early end to his races in 2009, 2011 and 2012 while he finished seventh in 2010 and third in 2013.
· FAMILIAR RIDE: The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team will start the season with a car that has seen the track before – but never at an official race. Chassis number 654 last raced as Sam Hornish Jr.’s primary car at last season’s Talladega event. However, despite being fast in practice, Hornish missed the race when qualifying was rained out. The team’s backup for the Sprint Unlimited will be its primary car for the Daytona 500.
THE Q&A
JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD
EVERYONE IS READY TO GO RACING, BUT YOU SEEM SO MAYBE MORE THAN OTHERS. WHY IS THAT?
“It’s just my style – my nature. I’m competitive and I want to be racing and winning. If you look at the things I do for fun it’s either riding a four-wheeler or racing my go-kart or hanging out at the shop with my guys. I just live and breathe racing. Heck, I even volunteer to go to the track and test during the off-season as much as I can. So pretty much a week or two after the season ends, I’m ready to start racing again. I can’t wait to get back on the track and get back behind the wheel. This is what I do and I’m just ready to get going again.”
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE SOME CONSISTENCY WITH TEAM PENSKE THIS SEASON?
“It’s really important. Last year, everything was new. It wasn’t just me at a new team and working with a new crew chief. We had a new engineer, a new spotter, a new shock guy and some new guys on the pit crew. This year we have a few changes but it will almost be like we just left Homestead last week. To come back and have some of that familiarity and get right at it with the same chemistry is a big deal. I’m pretty excited about that and I know all the guys on the team are excited about it. When we unload, we already have notes and we already know what we are doing. No more learning curve. Now, we just continue to adapt.”
The Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile superspeedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.)
THE CARS
No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
driven by Brad Keselowski
No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion
driven by Joey Logano
THE BROADCAST
Race: The Sprint Unlimited
Track: Daytona International Speedway
Date: Saturday, February 15
Race Start Time: 8:00 pm ET
Radio Broadcast:
Live on MRN, 7:00pm ET
TV Schedule:
Saturday
8:00pm ET, Sprint Unlimited (FOXSports1)
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
driven by Brad Keselowski
· THE ORIGINAL: Team Penske will debut the “new” retro white paint scheme on the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford during Saturday night’s non-points race and unofficial start to the 2014 NASCAR season. The “new” paint scheme commemorates the first Miller Lite can that began Miller’s lite beer segment in the early 1970s.
· SECOND TIME AROUND: This will be just the second appearance for Keselowski in the Sprint Unlimited. In his only previous start, in what was then called the Shootout, Keselowski started third and finished in fourth place in 2012.
· SAME GREAT TEAM – NEW MONNIKER: This weekend’s race will mark the first NASCAR event that the championship organization will compete under the Team Penske banner. While the overall company remains Penske Racing – all of its race teams will compete as Team Penske beginning this season.
· CONSTANT IS CONSISTENT: The core crew members of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford team remain intact with all the individuals from the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship team still on the roster and ready to challenge for another title this season.
· CHANGING A CHANGER AND CARRIER: There have been a few adjustments made on the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford pit crew as the team did change the tire changer and tire carrier positions for this season (see full crew list below).
· BIG APPLE DETOUR: Keselowski stopped in New York City on his way to Daytona to tape an appearance on “Live with Kelly and Michael.” The interview segment is set to air on Friday, Feb. 21 leading into Daytona 500 race weekend. He also visited several other NYC media outlets including ESPN and FOX News.
THE Q&A
BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS HEADING INTO THE SPRINT UNLIMITED?
“I’m genuinely looking forward to this race. It is an excellent opportunity to see where our car is in terms of speed and performance. We’ve been working hard over the winter and we are all ready to be back at the track. I’m also curious to see just how good our No. 2 Miller Lite Ford is going to look under the lights with the original paint scheme. We’ve had a ton of positive feedback from the fans about this car and we plan on doing our best to build on the excitement surrounding this commemorative paint scheme.”
PAUL WOLFE, CREW CHIEF NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD
WHAT IS THE TEAM’S OUTLOOK AS YOU HEAD INTO THE FIRST RACE OF THE YEAR?
“First off - we are ready to get back to racing. While the season is long, racing is what we love to do. We have had a productive offseason and feel as though we are well positioned to challenge for wins this year. Our entire organization has been making a dedicated effort to improve our processes and our equipment. This Saturday night we will get to see how we’ve done. I have a feeling that the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford is going to garner its fair share of attention.”
THE NEWS AND NOTES
No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion
driven by Joey Logano
· SCHOOL’S BACK IN SESSION: Walking into the garage area at Daytona International Speedway on Friday morning will be reminiscent of summer break ending and the school year starting. And Joey Logano will return “to school” with his same group of friends from last year, returning to the seat of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion for the second consecutive season. Last year Logano set career high marks in top-five finishes (11), top-10 finishes (19), laps led (323), races led (15) and average finishing position (14.1) en route to an eighth-place finish in the final point standings.
· SOME 22 CAR CHANGES: There are a few changes to the No. 22 crew this year with the addition of Canadian Alex Sinoyannis who will take over as vehicle dynamics engineer after working in the Team Penske shop for the last several years. The over-the-wall pit crew will also have a new look as only jackman Ray Gallahan will return from last year’s team.
· HE’S HOW OLD?: Amazing as it seems, Logano will embark on his sixth full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2014. Even more amazing is the fact that after five years as a veteran under his belt, Logano will still be one of the youngest drivers in the series at just 23 years old when the green flag drops for Saturday’s Sprint Unlimited.
· NEVER MISSED A RACE: Since becoming a full-time Sprint Cup Series driver, Logano has never missed a start in the annual Sprint Unlimited. Logano has experienced the highs and lows in the exhibition race. Accidents brought an early end to his races in 2009, 2011 and 2012 while he finished seventh in 2010 and third in 2013.
· FAMILIAR RIDE: The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team will start the season with a car that has seen the track before – but never at an official race. Chassis number 654 last raced as Sam Hornish Jr.’s primary car at last season’s Talladega event. However, despite being fast in practice, Hornish missed the race when qualifying was rained out. The team’s backup for the Sprint Unlimited will be its primary car for the Daytona 500.
THE Q&A
JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD
EVERYONE IS READY TO GO RACING, BUT YOU SEEM SO MAYBE MORE THAN OTHERS. WHY IS THAT?
“It’s just my style – my nature. I’m competitive and I want to be racing and winning. If you look at the things I do for fun it’s either riding a four-wheeler or racing my go-kart or hanging out at the shop with my guys. I just live and breathe racing. Heck, I even volunteer to go to the track and test during the off-season as much as I can. So pretty much a week or two after the season ends, I’m ready to start racing again. I can’t wait to get back on the track and get back behind the wheel. This is what I do and I’m just ready to get going again.”
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE SOME CONSISTENCY WITH TEAM PENSKE THIS SEASON?
“It’s really important. Last year, everything was new. It wasn’t just me at a new team and working with a new crew chief. We had a new engineer, a new spotter, a new shock guy and some new guys on the pit crew. This year we have a few changes but it will almost be like we just left Homestead last week. To come back and have some of that familiarity and get right at it with the same chemistry is a big deal. I’m pretty excited about that and I know all the guys on the team are excited about it. When we unload, we already have notes and we already know what we are doing. No more learning curve. Now, we just continue to adapt.”