THE RACE Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway (.526-mile oval, Martinsville, Virginia) No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion driven by Brad Keselowski | No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion driven by Joey Logano Sunday, October 27, 1:30 pm ET THE CARS The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion Primary Chassis PRS-834 Primary Chassis PRS-836 Last Raced Watkins Glen (finished second) Last Raced Watkins Glen (finished seventh) Backup Chassis: PRS-838 Backup Chassis: PRS-848 Last Raced: Darlington (finished 32nd) Last Raced: Loudon (finished 14th) THE NEWS AND NOTES · FULL CIRCLE AT MARTINSVILLE: In 2004, Brad Keselowski made his first start in a NASCAR touring division when he piloted his family-owned K Automotive Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Martinsville Speedway. After qualifying in the 33rd position, the 20-year-old driver brought his truck home in the 26th spot for a humbling beginning to a championship career. · SHORT TRACK STATS: In 24 short-track starts in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, Keselowski has amassed two wins, three top-five finishes and nine top-10 results. In the spring race at Martinsville, Keselowski captured a sixth-place finish marking his third-consecutive top-10 finish at the paperclip-shaped oval. · TEAM OWNER HAT: This weekend begins a stretch of four consecutive race weekends when Keselowski will have an opportunity to watch his Brad Keselowski Racing team in person as they compete in NCWTS competition while the schedule merges back together with the Cup Series. · IT’S MILLER TIME: The featured tag line on the rear bumper of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion this weekend at Martinsville is “It’s Miller Time.” One of the most recognized marketing slogans in recent memory, “It’s Miller Time” can be found within many popular culture references. · VIRGINIA NATIVE: The state of Virginia has long been a hotbed for racing talent, including the men that work on the cars. The engine tuner on the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion, Mark Nickels, hails from Damascus, Va. · TESTING: Recently, Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team, along with his Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski, tested at the famed “paperclip” half-mile of Martinsville Speedway. The two-day test, which was shortened by a day due to rain, helped the team get a better grasp on the tricky track. Logano finished 23rd at Martinsville back in the spring. · NASCAR HALL OF FAME: Logano participated in the NASCAR Hall of Fame “Chase Driver Tuesdays” this past week. As part of the appearance, Logano met with the media, was part of the NASCAR weekly teleconference, filmed segments for local television stations and then met with a number of NASCAR Hall of Fame guests for a question and answer session and autographs. · LOOKING BACK TO 2010 AT MARTINSVILLE: To Logano, 2010 was a banner year in his career at Martinsville Speedway. Logano came “oh-so-close” to a win at Martinsville in the spring race of that year, finishing second to his then Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin. Logano was running in the top five late and took advantage of contact between two other cars to grab second place. Unfortunately, laps ran out and Logano had to settle for the runner-up position. That same season, Logano finished sixth in the fall event at Martinsville, marking his two best career finishes at the track. His career-best qualifying effort at Martinsville is fourth, which he has done twice, including at the spring race this year. · RACER’S DREAM GARAGE CALENDAR: The 2014 Racer’s Dream Garage presented by Shell V-Power calendar will debut at the track this weekend in Martinsville. The calendar will show off drivers like Logano, Keselowski, Travis Pastrana, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Helio Castroneves and several others along with their personal street vehicles. Several fans’ cars are also featured as part of the Shell Ultimate Enthusiast contest. Fan can get the calendar on the Shell-Pennzoil merchandise hauler or by ordering it online at joeyloganofoundation.org. THE BROADCAST Race: Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 Track: Martinsville Speedway Date: Sunday, October 27 Race Start Time: 1:30 pm ET Radio Broadcast: Live on MRN Radio and SIRIUS XM Channel 90 TV Schedule Friday Saturday Sunday · 12:00 pm ET, Practice (FS1) · 3:30 pm ET, Qualifying (FS1) · 10:30 am ET, Practice (FS2) · 12:00 pm ET, Final Practice (FS1) · 1:30 pm ET, Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 (ESPN) THE Q & A BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD YOU SEEM TO HAVE TAKEN TO MARTINSVILLE OVER THE LAST TWO SEASONS. WHAT’S THE REASON WHY? “Martinsville is a place that I have really mixed emotions about. Early in my career that was a place where I really couldn’t figure it out, to be honest. Now the last few times we have been there I feel like we have been exceptionally strong. I like how we’ve been qualifying there, minus the fall race last year. That is so important at a place like Martinsville. We seem to be better every time we go back there. I am a lot wiser as to what I need and I think this year I have to be honest – I am going in feeling like we can put the Miller Lite Ford Fusion in Victory Lane and should be one of the favorites.” PAUL WOLFE, NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD CREW CHIEF WHAT IS IT ABOUT MARTINSVILLE THAT HAS ALLOWED THE TEAM TO EXPERIENCE SOME SUCCESS RECENTLY? “I think in general Martinsville is a rhythm type race track and that is an area where Brad excels. It is not a track where you get rewarded for charging the corners. It is about getting in a rhythm and being smooth and taking care of your brakes. That keeps the tires on it longer and if you look across the board in general, that really fits Brad’s style. He isn’t very hard on his brakes. He is more of a long run guy and that is how we have had our success in the past. I think that is no different when we go to Martinsville, a place where you really have to manage your equipment.” JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MARTINSVILLE HAS BEEN A TOUGH TRACK FOR YOU IN THE PAST. DO YOU THINK THE TEST HELPED? “I really think the test helped. Going up there and running with our teammate, so we had two cars to bounce ideas off of, was huge. And, like it has been at a lot of the tracks this year, going to Martinsville for a second time with Todd as a crew chief will help us out too. With the test, we now have a race and a test worth of notes that we can work off of and start with when we unload on Friday. That is one of the biggest keys in my mind. And there is nothing that can replace experience together on the track.” YOUR RACER’S DREAM GARAGE CALENDAR COMES OUT THIS WEEKEND. HOW MUCH FUN WAS IT TO MAKE? “It was a blast. I’ve always said, one of the most common questions I get asked when I do Q&A sessions is what kind of personal car do I drive on the road. So I figured out that this would be a cool way to show that and what some of the other drivers in the garage area drive on the road. We have a lot of really cool cars in the calendar and a lot of good drivers. Clint Bowyer has a really cool car and of course Brad’s car is just what you’d expect from Brad. I think the fans will love it and the proceeds will go to a good cause.”
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 20:45:10 +0000
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