News

THE RACE

Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Saturday, August 30, 7:30 PM ET
    
THE CAR

The No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang
Driver: Joey Logano
    

THE NEWS AND NOTES

· STILL LOOKING FOR WIN NUMBER ONE: Joey Logano comes into the Atlanta weekend still looking for his first NASCAR Nationwide Series win of the season. One week ago teammate Ryan Blaney earned his first of the year at Bristol Motor Speedway. Logano has earned at least one NASCAR Nationwide Series victory in each of his six previous seasons in the series with 21-career victories to his name. Through seven races this year, Logano has five top-five and six top-10 finishes.  Logano came close to extending the streak back at Michigan International Speedway when he was leading with just five laps to go and when he had to pit with a cut tire.

· SIXES ACROSS THE BOARD:  Despite being in the Nationwide Series since 2008, Logano has only run three NNS races at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In each of those three races, Logano has found himself come away with a sixth-place finish, including last season with the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford.

· KIND OF A HOME TRACK:  While Logano’s bio lists Middletown, Connecticut as his hometown and he currently resides in Cornelius, North Carolina, the 24-year-old spent several years living in the Atlanta area.  Logano raced both Legend and Bandoleros at Atlanta Motor Speedway, winning track championships in both divisions and winning a standing record 14 races in a row at the track.

· EXTENDING THE LEAD:  Blaney’s win at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend allowed the No. 22 Discount Tire team to extend their lead in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Owners’ Championship race. The team, which won the title last season, sits 24 points ahead of the No. 54 for Joe Gibbs Racing with just 10 races to go.

· FRIDAY APPEARANCE: Fans will get a chance to meet Logano on Friday morning at a local Discount Tire location. Logano will meet with fans at 11:00am on Friday morning at the Discount Tire located at 65 Willow Lane in McDonough, GA, just 15 miles away from the track.
    

THE Q & A

JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 DISCOUNT TIRE FORD

YOU ARE STILL LOOKING FOR YOUR FIRST NNS WIN OF THE SEASON.  HOW BAD DO YOU WANT TO GET IT?

“I mean, who doesn’t want to win when they go to the track. I try to win every weekend I’m in the car.  Things just haven’t worked out the way we have wanted them to this year so far. I felt like there were a couple of times where we should have won the race. We were on our way to a win in Michigan and had a flat tire with less than five to go.  And I thought we had a shot at Watkins Glen and Daytona and it just didn’t work out. We’ve had our chances, I just need to finish it. I guess the pressure is on me now though because Brad (Keselowski) and Ryan (Blaney) have both won in the car now. I guess it’s time for me to hold up my end of the bargain and get this No. 22 Discount Tire Ford in victory lane. And it would be cool to win it at Atlanta.”

HOW COOL WAS IT TO GET TO WATCH RYAN BLANEY WIN LAST WEEKEND IN THE 22 CAR?

“You are always excited when you team car wins the race. That No. 22 Discount Tire team and Jeremy Bullins, Andrea Mueller and everyone that works on the car is great. They are hard workers. And they want to go out there and win that Owners’ Championship again. So to see Ryan get in the car, run up front and then battle through a lot of craziness at the end of the race and then to beat Kyle Busch, who is one of the best-ever in the series, is pretty cool to see. Ryan is a great kid and I’m happy he’s here at Penske with us. He’s worked hard, and he doesn’t get as much time in the car as some of the other young guys in the series, but he always seems to run as well as them. Always fun to see him succeed with the team.”