The Home Depot Team Notes of Interest
* Joey Logano will make his first start at the famed Indianapolis
Motor Speedway (IMS) this weekend for the Brickyard 400. Following the
2008 race, Logano and the No. 20 team participated in one of
Goodyear's first tire tests last year. It is the only time Logano
has been to Indianapolis.
* Logano currently sits 20th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver
point standings following his 18th-place finish at Chicagoland two weeks
ago. He has maintained the top-20 position for the last two races and
sits four points out of 19th. He has finished in the top 25 for the last
12 Cup races, posted one win and four top 10s.
* Welcome aboard The Home Depot Associates from two Georgia stores!
Store #6848 from Lovejoy and store #139 from Rome will ride along with
Logano for the Brickyard 400 at IMS. The two stores are 90 miles apart
from each other, Rome sits northwest of Atlanta while Lovejoy is south of
the capital city. Two major Hollywood hits (Sweet Home Alabama and
Remember the Titans) filmed scenes at Berry College in Rome.
* Crew chief Greg Zipadelli and The Home Depot Team guided the No. 20
car to victory lane twice at IMS in 10 starts. The first was an
emotional victory for Indiana-native Tony Stewart in 2005 and again in
2007. In total, The Home Depot Team has two wins, four top-five and six
top-10 finishes. Last year the team finished 23rd in the Brickyard 400.
* The Home Depot Team is taking chassis #247 to the track this weekend
for the 20th race of the season. This is a new chassis for the team.
* Logano earned top rookie honors for the 15th time in 19 races two
weeks ago at Chicagoland with his 18th-place finish. He continues to
build his lead over Scott Speed and now has a 23-point advantage
(203-180) heading to Indianapolis. Last year's top rookie finished
15th at IMS.
Joes Logano:
On Indianapolis...
"I participated in the tire test with Zippy (crew chief Zipadelli)
and the No. 20 team after the race last year. It was awesome. To come
down the front stretch and have grandstands on either side and feel the
bump as you cross the bricks is just cool. That was my first and only
time there. The track has such a unique shape, it's pretty clear
your car needs to be good coming off the corners because the
straight-aways are so long. You could lose a ton of time there if your
car isn't turning off the corner. We are taking a new Home Depot
Toyota this weekend for the Brickyard; I'm pretty excited about
it."
On the off week...
"It was nice to relax and have some fun, but to be honest it was
killing me watching the Nationwide race on television. I was ready to
get back in a car. We did get a test in this week, so I wasn't out
of one too long."
-credit: jgr
