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For Immediate Release
Contact Bill Janitz
True Speed Communication
(330) 880-4501 or Bill.Janitz@TrueSpeedCommunication.com
www.TrueSpeedCommunication.com
Online Media Kit Available at: www.TrueSpeedMedia.com
JOEY LOGANO
‘C’est la Vie’ North of the Border
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (July 29, 2008) – Despite six meaningful starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, where Joey Logano has
already racked up one win, two poles and five top-10 finishes, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has asked him to turn right and leave the
country.
The 18-year old phenom who drives the No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry for JGR isn’t really going anywhere. After all, he’s most
certainly a key component for years to come with one of NASCAR’s powerhouse teams.
This weekend, Logano will not only be competing in his first Nationwide Series race on a road course, he’ll be making his first-ever
trip to Canada as he heads north of the border for Saturday’s Napa Auto Parts 200 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Formula 1 road
course in Montreal.
The native of Middletown, Conn., has limited experience on road course circuits, making his only previous road course starts during
2007 NASCAR Camping World Series competition at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., and Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn.
Logano had strong runs going in both events before being thwarted by mechanical issues that forced him to settle for 32nd- and 23rdplace finishes, respectively.
Despite the lack of road course experience, one thing Logano has shown in his young career is the ability to quickly adapt to new
circuits and situations. Prior to the race two weeks ago at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., he had never seen that
particular 1.25-mile oval. In an effort to get familiar with the tricky layout, Logano was sure to take a look at it on video games
provided by sponsor GameStop, along with taking a pace car ride around the track when he arrived. The result was an impressive
second-place finish behind veteran driver and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular Carl Edwards.
In addition to his ability to adapt quickly, the young Logano also knows he has a strong team behind him, and one that is certainly no
stranger to victory lane at road courses. The No. 20 team already has a road course victory to its credit this season thanks to Sprint
Cup regular Kyle Busch at Mexico City’s own F1 circuit, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Busch led twice for 22 laps to score
his first-ever road course win, and added to the 2006 road course win at Mexico City scored by the No. 20 team with driver Denny
Hamlin.
As Logano readies for the challenge of his first Nationwide Series road course test in Canada, he has the comfort of knowing he has
the right stuff to get the job done. C’est la vie.
Joey Logano – No. 20 GameStop NASCAR Nationwide Series Toyota Camry at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal
You got a chance to test with the No. 20 GameStop team on the road course at the Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in
preparation for this weekend’s race in Montreal. What did you learn from your time there?
“I think it helps, but the two tracks are pretty different. We tried a few things here and there, but mostly it was just to get me some
more seat time at a road course in the GameStop car. We shook the car down and just got some laps under my belt. I think we’ll be
pretty good. These guys obviously know how to prepare a car for a road course since they won with Kyle (Busch) at Mexico City. I’m
hoping we can get another one this weekend at Montreal.”
You’ve used video games in the past, particularly for Gateway, to get used to the layout of the race track before you arrived.
Will that be important to do this week before you arrive in Montreal?
“I guess I have to thank GameStop, since I was able to get NASCAR 09 for my X-Box 360 and I’ve been playing it to try to get used
to the layout more than anything. I did that before Gateway and it helped a bit. It’s much more important to play the video game
before going to the race track on a road course than it is on an oval, since you learn what’s coming up next. If you go barreling off into
the first corner and you don’t know whether it’s a right or a left, there’s going to be an issue. I think one of the most important things
will be to try to not get off-track and have a good, clean race. I’m hoping to get to drive or ride in the pace car before we go on track
there to see it in person. I did that on Friday before we went on track at Gateway and it helped a ton. We’ll go out there the same way
we always do. We’ll go out there and figure out the race track as quick as we can. Figure out the car just as quick as we can and get
working on it from there.”
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GameStop Racing – Joey Logano Montreal Advance
Page Two
What are you looking forward to most about making the trip to Montreal this weekend?
“I’ve actually never even been to Canada before, so it will be a new experience for me to get to see a new city. But just like any other
race, I’m there to compete. I don’t think it matters what country I’m racing in as long as I’m racing. That’s the important thing.”
Your only previous road course races in your career came last year in the Camping World Series at Infineon Raceway and
Lime Rock Park. What did you learn from those races that will help you this weekend?
“I learned a lot in both of those races and ran well, but just didn’t end up having good finishes. We ran up front at Infineon Raceway
and in the end it just didn’t work out. I’m hoping to change my luck on the road courses this weekend.”
Dave Rogers – Crew Chief, No. 20 GameStop NASCAR Nationwide Series Toyota Camry at Montreal
You tested last week at VIR with Joey to prepare for Montreal. What did the team learn that will help for this weekend?
“We just went up to VIR to get Joey used to turning right and left again in the Nationwide Series car. We didn’t work a whole lot on
setup stuff since we felt we had a pretty good package from Mexico City and some notes from last year at Montreal. It was more about
seat time and trying to get out as a team and do some team bonding and keep working on our communication and have a bit of fun.”
Since Joey has never raced at Montreal, what are you doing as a crew chief and as a team to get him ready for this weekend?
“He’s only run six races, but I think if you look at the average finishes, we probably fare better if he had not seen the track before.
We’ve been joking around that we are going to give him a mind-eraser before we get on track so he has to re-learn it. He just really
adapts to new race tracks extremely quickly. I think going up to VIR was a big plus. Scott Pruett was up there and gave Joey a ride
around in a two-seater race car and gave Joey some pointers. We are just going to go up there and let him log some laps to begin with,
and familiarize himself with the course, and then we’ll work on the race car. Last year, I was really surprised that there wasn’t too
much attrition. What I fear is that if the race goes cleanly to the very end that some of the guys are going to go 100 percent out of
control and really wear out their equipment. So I’m going to preach to Joey about patience. He needs to take care of his brakes and
take care of his race car. The straightaways are really long, so aero will be crucial. I will just preach to him to be around at the end. If
we do that, we’ll have a solid finish.”
Meet the No. 20 GameStop / Joe Gibbs Racing Team
Primary Team Members:
Driver: Joey Logano
Car Chief: Rick Bray
Engine Tuner: Dan Bajek
Over-The-Wall Crew Members:
Gas Man: Dennis Falls
Catch Can Man: Jason Hinson
Mechanic: Nate Bellows
Jack Man: Ben Chase (also serves as mechanic)
Other Crew Members:
Truck Drivers: Mike “Sweats” Lance and Jerry Gray
Engineer: Mike Lorusso
Crew Chief: Dave Rogers
Engine Builder: Mark Cronquist
Spotter: Mark Robertson
Front Tire Changer: Gus Hinton
Front Tire Carrier: Brandon Pegram
Rear Tire Changer: Chuck Efaw
Rear Tire Carrier: Eric Groen
Tire Specialist: Jamie Turski
Shock Specialist: Ron Denton
The Car
Chassis No. 2077: This chassis was built in 2007 and competed in the 2007 Zippo 200 on the Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International road
course last August with driver Denny Hamlin. Hamlin qualified 10th and finished 14th in the race as the No. 20 team couldn’t get the
track position it needed despite having a stronger race car than the finish indicated. In No. 2077’s lone outing thus far in 2008, Kyle
Busch led twice for a total of 22 laps en route to winning at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course in Mexico City.
About GameStop
Headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, GameStop Corp., is the world’s largest video game and entertainment software retailer. The
company operates 5,453 retail stores in 16 countries worldwide. The company also operates two e-commerce sites: GameStop.com
and EBgames.com. It also publishes Game Informer® magazine, a leading multi-platform video game publication. GameStop Corp.
sells new and used video game software, hardware and accessories for video game systems from Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. In
addition, the company sells PC entertainment software, related accessories and other merchandise. General information on GameStop
Corp., can be obtained at the company’s corporate website: www.gamestopcorp.com.
– TSC –