News

THE RACE

Zippo 200 at the Glen – Watkins Glen International (2.45-mile road course, Watkins Glen, N.Y.)
Saturday, August 9, 2:15 pm ET

THE CARS

The No. 12 Snap-On Ford Mustang
driven by Joey Logano

The No. 22 Hertz Ford Mustang
driven by Brad Keselowski
 

THE NEWS AND NOTES

The No. 12 Snap-On Ford Mustang

· ANOTHER TWO-CAR EFFORT: Team Penske will once again be a two-car team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) this weekend at Watkins Glen International (WGI), with Joey Logano piloting the No. 12 Snap-On Ford Mustang alongside teammate Brad Keselowski. The team has fielded only the No. 22 car entry in the majority of NNS races this season but the No. 12 competes at select events in 2014.  Ryan Blaney was the last driver to race in the No. 12 Ford, competing at Kentucky Speedway in June, when he finished fifth.

· ROLLER COASTER AT THE GLEN:  Logano has had mixed results competing in the Nationwide Series at Watkins Glen International. The 24-year-old has finished second and third, but also has three finishes outside of the top 10 in his career.  In last year’s race, when Logano raced a third car for Team Penske, he was running fourth and ran out of gas on the white flag lap, finishing 21st.

· ROAD COURSE QUALIFYING:  Over the years, Logano has been strong qualifying on the road course at Watkins Glen International. In six career NNS races at the track, he’s only qualified outside the top eight on one occasion, his rookie year in 2008.  Last season, Logano qualified in the third position at WGI.

· SNAP-ON RETURNS AGAIN: Snap-on will return as the primary sponsor of the No. 12 Ford Mustang this weekend at Watkins Glen. Snap-on Tools is a leading global innovator, manufacturer and marketer of tools, equipment, diagnostics, repair information and systems solutions for professional users performing critical tasks. Snap-on Tools is one of the largest non-food franchise companies in the world, selling its products and services through franchisee, company-direct, distributor and Internet channels.
    
THE Q&A

JOEY LOGANO, NO. 12 SNAP-ON FORD
HOW DO YOU VIEW THIS WEEKEND’S RACE IN THE NO. 12 SNAP-ON FORD?

“It will be a lot like last year’s event at Watkins Glen when I was running the No. 48 car. We were out here for two things – to get some time behind the wheel on the road course and to try and win the race.  We aren’t running for points, so finishing second or third or 25th doesn’t make any difference. But I also want to go out there and be competitive. The reason we put a second car together for this race is to give both Brad and I some more on-track time. That’s important, especially on these road course events. The more time you get, the better you get. And if I learn one thing that I can do different on Sunday, just one thing, then the weekend was worth it, no matter where we finish.  But don’t get me wrong, I want to win the race.”

DO YOU THINK IT WILL FEEL DIFFERENT TO DRIVE THE NO. 12?

“It will be different for sure, but it’s just a number of the side of the car. It will be the first time I can remember running the No. 12 in my career though, in any racecar. I’ve gotten to run the 48 and the 12 while here at Team Penske, so I guess I’m expanding my resume quite a bit.”

THE NEWS AND NOTES

The No. 22 Hertz Ford Mustang

· LOOKING TO DOUBLE UP IN THE 22: As the defending WGI race winner and coming off of his win at Iowa last Saturday, Keselowski has the opportunity to become both a repeat winner at Watkins Glen and a back-to-back race winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) this weekend.

· WELL ABOVE AVERAGE FINISHER: In seven NASCAR Nationwide Series starts this year, Keselowski has three victories, three runner-up finishes and seven top-three results. The strong numbers add up to an astounding 1.7 average finish thus far this season.

· SEASON OF THE FRONT ROW START: Keselowski has qualified on the front row in six of his seven NNS races this season. He has earned three Coors Lite Pole Awards and three second-place starting positions. His current NNS career pole tally stands at 17.

· MOVING UP ALL-TIME: With 30 NNS victories to his credit, the 2010 NNS Champion driver is listed as the sixth-winningest driver in NNS history. He trails fifth place Jack Ingram by just one race victory.

· TIGHTENING UP THE TITLE FIGHT: As the most recent NNS race winners, Keselowski and Team Penske’s No. 22 Hertz Ford team have closed to within one point of series leaders Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 54 machine for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Owners’ Title.

· TEAM PENSKE STANDING TALL AT WGI: In 15 starts in NNS competition, Team Penske has notched four victories, nine top-five and 10 top-10 finishes, as well as earning an impressive five pole positions.
 

THE Q&A    

BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 22 HERTZ FORD

YOU’VE HAD A STRONG WINNING PERCENTAGE THIS SEASON. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS WEEKEND?

“This No. 22 Hertz Ford team has hit its stride, and we are in that sweet spot where solid preparation and effort equals strong results. Running these Nationwide Series races is important to me for a lot of reasons, one of those being the extra seat time at the track gives me more insight into how things are likely to play out in the Cup race. On top of that, I know how hard this team works to give me competitive cars and that drives me to give my best for them. We’ve demonstrated that our Ford Mustangs are capable of winning on any given weekend, and this one is no different. I feel great about our chances this weekend.”

ANDREA MUELLER, ENGINEER, NO. 22 HERTZ FORD

THIS TEAM HAS BEEN STRONG ON ROAD COURSES. CAN WE EXPECT MORE OF THE SAME THIS WEEKEND?

“Team Penske does have an exceptional road racing heritage and that has carried over to the No. 22 Hertz team. We have a fairly extensive database to reference from, and we’ve had a lot of top drivers provide us feedback. As we prepare for this weekend, we are applying what we’ve learned over the past few years along with a few little tweaks that should be beneficial. Our team has been doing well, and Brad has been strong this year. As long as we continue to execute at the level we have been, we should be good.”