News

HOMESTEAD, FL (November 4, 2014) – Joey Logano’s shot at the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship will start from the ninth position on Sunday following his qualifying effort at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday night.  Both Team Penske Ford Fusions will start in the top-10 as the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season comes to a close.

Logano’s lap of 30.124 seconds in the final of the three qualifying rounds will put him ninth when the green-flag falls for Sunday’s 400-mile finale at the 1.5-mile track.  Two of the other three drivers competing for the Sprint Cup Series title will also start in the top-10.  The qualifying performance was even more impressive considering the fact that the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion struggled in qualifying trim during practice on Friday.

“I’m really happy with the pickup and the speed we showed in qualifying, especially after the struggles we had in practice,” said Logano.  “The No. 22 guys did a good job of putting their heads together and coming up with a game plan to get this car better and it worked.  We were the third fastest car in the first round and that surprised us all.  We can race our way to the front with that starting position.  The car was good in race trim and I think we can dial it in even better.  Things are looking good for Sunday for sure.”

Teammate Brad Keselowski will lead the Team Penske charge on Sunday, as the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion will roll off the grid from the fourth position.  Keselowski was the fastest car in the first round of qualifying and backed it up throughout the evening, ultimately turning a lap of 30.001 seconds in the final round.

“I’m not happy with fourth, but I’m happy with how strong we’ve been all day,” said Keselowski.  “We had decent runs.  Our first qualifying run was really strong and then our second and third just weren’t quite where we wanted to be. I’m not sure what we were missing there, but we were close.”

The Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway will air live Sunday afternoon, November 16 at 3:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. Race coverage will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90.