News

THE RACE

Cheez-It 355 at the Glen – Watkins Glen International (2.45-mile road course, Watkins Glen, N.Y.)
Sunday, August 10, 1:00 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 NEWS AND NOTES

The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion

· ON SECOND THOUGHT: Though he has just four career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) starts at the historic Watkins Glen International road course, Keselowski has finished in second place in the last three consecutive events at the iconic East Coast track.

· A TRIP WURTH MAKING: On the way to Watkins Glen, Keselowski will stop to visit Würth USA Corporate Headquarters in Ramsey, NJ this Thursday, August 7. Team Penske partner WURTH USA is the global leading supplier of high-quality products and services for the transportation maintenance and repair industry.

· CAUGHT UP IN THE CHASE: As one of just three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers to have earned three victories in the 2014 season, Keselowski, who currently holds down the second position in the Chase Grid, is well positioned to compete for his second Sprint Cup Series title in NASCAR’s postseason.

· A TOP QUALIFIER: The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season has been Keselowski’s career best year of qualifying. He has qualified on the front row nine times and he has a remarkable 13 top-three starts through 21 races. He has also doubled his career pole position tally as he came into the season with three and now owns six Coors Light Pole awards.

· TWO AND THE 22 TOO: The Watkins Glen event will mark Keselowski’s eighth double-duty weekend of the season. The most recent active multiple series championship driver has swept both Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series race weekends twice this year. First at Las Vegas and then again at New Hampshire. Keselowski owns three victories in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series in 2014.

· LITE THE WAY TO MEET BRAD: Keselowski will be appearing on behalf of Miller Lite at the Wal-Mart Super Center located at 515 E 4th Street in Watkins Glen, NY this Thursday, August 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
    

THE Q&A

BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD

YOU HAVE FINISHED SECOND YOUR LAST THREE TIMES OUT AT WATKINS GLEN. DO YOU THINK THIS IS YOUR WEEKEND TO BREAK THROUGH WITH A WIN?

“We have had some great races at Watkins Glen. Most of them have involved intense battles over the final few laps of the race. I truly enjoy this circuit as the layout seems to favor my driving style quite well. I also like the history of the track because it is a place where many of the greatest cars and drivers of all time have competed over the years. I would like to add my name to the list of drivers that have won here. Team Penske traditionally has a strong package for this venue and I am confident that we will have the opportunity to get our Miller Lite Ford Fusion to Victory Lane this Sunday.”

BRIAN WILSON, ENGINEER, NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD

TEAM PENSKE HAS A STRONG RECORD AT THE GLEN. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO BUILD ON THAT THIS WEEKEND?

“Team Penske does have a long and rich racing heritage at Watkins Glen. On our side, the No. 2 Miller Lite car has run very well there historically and especially so over the last few years. We have a strong database to work from in terms of set-up, and we feel like we have a solid platform to work with this weekend. Overall, the team has been building strong cars and we’ve been executing well at the race track. As long as we continue to work to our potential, we should be a valid threat to bring Team Penske its first Sprint Cup Series victory at The Glen.”

THE NEWS AND NOTES

The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion

· TURNING LEFT AND RIGHT: This weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Watkins Glen International, turning left and right on the 2.45-mile road course. It will be the second road course race of the 2014 season. In the first event, at Sonoma Raceway in June, Logano started 10th and led three laps before pit strategy cost him some track position and an eventual 16th-place finish.

· MOVING BACK UP IN THE POINTS: Logano finished a strong third place last weekend at Pocono Raceway, notching his eighth top-five and 11th top-10 finish of the 2014 season. With the result, Logano moved up two spots to seventh in the Sprint Cup Series point standings, where he is tied in points with Jimmie Johnson and just nine points out of the top five. The seventh-place position in the point standings marks the highest spot Logano has ever been this late in the NSCS season.

· A LOT OF TESTING: Heading into the final road course race of the season, Logano will rely on a lot of road course testing the team has done in 2014.  The team tested multiple times at both Road Atlanta and Virginia International Raceway over the course of the year to refine the setups on the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford.

· THE SOCCER STAR: Logano spent Tuesday afternoon in Kansas City, Kansas working out with several members of the Major League Soccer (MLS) club Sporting Kansas City. Logano made an appearance at Sporting Park to help promote the upcoming Kansas Speedway Chase event on October 5, the fourth race of the Chase. Sporting Kansas City leads the MLS Eastern Division and is a two-time MLS Cup champion, winning the title in 2000 and 2013.

· DOUBLING UP FOR EXPERIENCE: Not only will Logano be turning right and left on Sunday, he will also do it on Saturday at Watkins Glen International. Logano will participate in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Saturday, driving the No. 12 Snap-on Ford Mustang as a teammate to Brad Keselowski and the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford.
 

THE Q&A
 
JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD

YOU SAID AFTER POCONO THAT YOU FEEL YOUR TEAM IS NOW FINISHING WHERE IT DESERVES TO FINISH.  WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?

“We have been a top-10 car at a majority of the tracks this season, we just didn’t have the finishes to show for it. At Indy, we were a top-10 car and that is where we finished. At Pocono, I feel like we were probably the third best car and that is where we finished. We are finishing where we are running. We got wrecked out at Daytona and Loudon while we were running in the top five, and we had engine issues at Kentucky and the first Pocono race while we were running in the top three at those places, so we didn’t finish where we deserved. The team puts in a lot of hard work to give me fast race cars, and we work hard during the race, so it’s frustrating when you don’t finish where you think you should. It lifts the guys’ spirits on the team when finish like you feel you should.”
 

YOU MOVED UP TWO SPOTS IN THE POINTS LAST WEEKEND.  HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE SEVENTH IN THE STANDINGS THIS LATE?

“This year, it doesn’t mean as much once you are locked into the Chase. We are fifth in the Chase points right now, but even if we were 20th in the regular point standings, we would still just be sixth or seventh in the Chase points. So things are different this year. But more, it’s a morale booster for myself and the guys on the team. You don’t want to be locked into the Chase and parked far down in the garage. And you want the regular season points to reflect how strong your team is running. We are just a few points out of the top five, and that is where we would like to finish at Richmond, before we get to the Chase. It pumps everyone on the team up when you can say you were one of the five best teams in the garage at the end of the regular season.”