Month: June 2011

Joey Logano   No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry Coke Zero 400 – Daytona International Speedway

The Home Depot Team Notes of Interest

·   Joey Logano and The Home Depot Team return to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway (DIS) for the Saturday race under the lights.  Logano has five point races under his belt at DIS.  Daytona as well as Talladega both showcased two-car drafts in their restrictor-plate events earlier this season. While Logano has just two top-20 finishes at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway, he has four top-10 finishes in five starts at Talladega Superspeedway.

·    Florida Governor Rick Scott will host a delegation of NASCAR executives, NASCAR drivers including Logano and racing legends this Wednesday evening, June 29 at the Florida Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee, Fla., in celebration of NASCAR’s historical significance in Florida and its economic benefit to the state.

·    About last week: Logano and The Home Depot Team earned their first pole position of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season at Infineon Raceway and followed it up with a top-10 run at the 1.99-mile road course on Sunday.  It was Logano’s first top 10 at a road course in his three-year Sprint Cup career, and his second career pole.  Logano took the checkered flag in the sixth position and is now tied for the 22nd position in the Sprint Cup driver standings and is just 12 points out of the top 20.

·    Logano will be competing in Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) event before piloting The Home Depot Toyota on Saturday evening.  In five starts at Daytona in the NNS Series, Logano has two top-five and three top-10 finishes.

·    Welcome aboard The Home Depot associates from store #773 in Knoxville, Tenn.  The store number will draft along with Logano this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. ·    The No. 20 Home Depot Team is taking chassis #298 this weekend to compete in the Coke Zero 400.  This chassis served as the back-up chassis at Daytona earlier this season but has never been raced.  The back-up chassis is #293 that Logano drove in the Daytona 500 and to a top-10 finish at Talladega in April. ·    To access information on The Home Depot Team visit: www.joegibbsracing.comand follow twitter.com/homedepotracing, twitter.com/joegibbsracingand twitter.com/jlogano.

Logano Quotes: On the finish last week “Last weekend was really important for me and The Home Depot Team.  Obviously the season isn’t going the way we wanted it to, but Sonoma was big. I haven’t run very well there in the past, so we put a lot of focus on it and that went a long way.  A solid weekend, from the pole to the sixth-place finish, will certainly give us some momentum going into this weekend.  I think another good finish this weekend would get us out of this slump we’ve been in so far this season.”

On Daytona “Daytona is just one of those unpredictable tracks.  When you unload you pretty much have what you have.  There’s not much you can do at that point to improve your race car.  These two-car drafts and new style of racing make it so important to take of your equipment and make sure you are there at the end with a drafting partner. But everyone knows and everyone has seen that pretty much anything can happen.”

Logano 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Earnings Ave. Start Ave. Finish 16 0 1 3 $1,813,913 14.2 19.2

Logano Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Earnings Ave. Start Ave. Finish 91 1 11 26 $13,788,653 18.2 19.2

Logano NASCAR Daytona International Speedway Stats Date Start Finish Laps Led Laps complete Laps  Status  Earnings 02/20/11 38 23 0 206 208 Running $290,363 07/03/10 16 29 0 148 166 Accident $123,615 02/14/10 16 20 1 208 208 Running $316,960 07/04/09 21 19 0 160 160 Running $142,551 02/15/09 9 43 0 79 152 Accident $317,720   Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Ave. Start Ave. Finish Earnings   5 0 0 0 20 26.8 $1,191,209

No. 20 Home Depot Team Primary Team Members: Crew Chief – Greg Zipadelli                             Car Chief – Jason Shapiro                                Engine Builder – Mark Cronquist     Lead Engineer – Jacob Canter                        Engine Specialist – Michael Johnson             Spotter – Mark Robertson Tire Specialist – Jerold Shires                          Shock Specialist – Dusty Boyd                         Second Engineer – Mike Lorusso Mechanics – Scott Geerts, Todd Foster         Pit Support – Bill Byrne                                      IT Support – Nathan Boone Truck Drivers – Tom McCrimmon, Scott Crowell

Over-The-Wall Crew Members: Jackman – Jason Tate                                       Front Tire Changer – John Royer                    Front Tire Carrier – Brett Morrell Gas Man – John Eicher                                     Rear Tire Changer – Coleman Dollarhide     Rear Tire Carrier – Eric Groen

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. turns 31 on Wednesday and would like nothing better than to celebrate his birthday in victory lane Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver has plenty of reason for optimism. He led 17 laps in February’s Daytona 500 – the fourth most of all drivers. His strategy for Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race is simple: be there at the end to have a chance to contend.

TRUEX QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR. ON RETURNING TO DAYTONA: “We saw some craziness at Infineon last week and I expect some more craziness at Daytona. You are pretty much blindfolded and going 200 mph. It will be pretty intense at the end. I think our superspeedway program is really good. We had strong runs in both the Daytona 500 and at Talladega. I’ve got two good teammates in David Reutimann and (JTG-Daugherty’s) Bobby Labonte to work with. David and I were leading at Talladega with four or five laps to go, but just got the lead a little too soon. I think our chances this time are just as good. It’s going to be a little bit different on Saturday with it being a night race. But the strategy will be the same — just be there at the end so you can race for the win.”

TRUEX ON DRAFTING PARTNERS: “I think everyone has a handful of drivers that they like to work with. I know there are guys out there that when I get to them or they get behind me, I can trust them. I think what we saw at Talladega is what we will see on Saturday and that is teams dictating their drivers to draft and stick together all day long. There’s a need to keep it all in the family. We’re formulating our team strategy right now.”

TRUEX ON TRACK CONDITIONS: “I don’t think it’s going to be any different than what we saw in February. The track is so new it has so much grip. We could’ve ran 40 miles an hour faster than we did in February and still not have to let off. It should have plenty of grip still and I assume for a couple of years it will be like that. The racing will be just like in February, but it will be under the lights. It will look cooler.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Saturday’s race marks the 206th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start for Truex. At Daytona International Speedway in 12 races, his best start is first (Feb. 15, 2009). His best finish of sixth came last year driving for NAPA.

• NAPA Racing will host Honorary Pit Crew Member Manny Gonzalez Sr. He is the owner of Osceola Complete, a NAPA AutoCare Center, in Kissimmee. He will be recognized in NAPA pre-race festivities and have his name decaled on the No. 56 NAPA Toyota.

• On Saturday, Martin will be signing autographs at the Schick Get Fresh Mobile Display in the DIS infield from 4:05 to 4:25 p.m. and then at the MWR souvenir rig at DIS midway outside Turn 4 from 4:30 to 4:50 p.m.

• Check out NAPA Reserve Online. Visit www.napaonline.com to make shopping for an auto part easier. Order online and pick up at your favorite NAPA AUTO PARTS store.

Daytona International Speedway Advance Notes

Race:                             Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola on Saturday, July 2

Track:                            Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile superspeedway)

Location:      Daytona Beach, Fla.

NOTES Jamie McMurray and No.1 McDonald’s Team

Back For More:  Jamie McMurray will be looking for his third career win at Daytona International Speedway when the Sprint Cup Series returns to the “World Center of Racing”. This weekend will mark McMurray’s 18th Sprint Cup Series start at the famed 2.5 mile tri-oval.  The 2010 Daytona 500 champion is coming back to the track where he landed his biggest career win. McMurray also won the 2007 edition of the July race at Daytona, beating Kyle Busch to the line by .005 seconds, the third-closest finish in NASCAR history.

Better To Be Lucky:  McMurray has had quite a bit of luck and success at restrictor plate tracks in his career. He has tallied three wins, eight top-fives and 10 top-10s. He has led 188 laps at Daytona and Talladega combined and completed more than 90% of the laps run at the superspeedways since his first start at Talladega in October of 2002.

Sonoma Review:  Jamie McMurray andthe No. 1 McDonald’s team traveled west to wine country and took on the rest of the NSCS at Infineon Raceway. McMurray started the day from the outside of the front row and managed to have a strong run near the front during the early portion of the race.  However, the rest of the race would test the fortitude of the No.1 team.  The team would have to overcome issues after being caught up in an on-track altercation on lap 38 and having a flat tire on lap 55.  McMurray and the McDonald’s team raced back through the field on both occasions to regain some important track position and brought the car home in the 15th-positon.

Three’s Company: With a victory in the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola, McMurray would have three career NSCS wins at Daytona. This would put him in a tie with some of the great names that have won at Daytona including Dale Earnhardt, A.J. Foyt, Bobby Isaac, Sterling Marlin, Tony Stewart, Michael Waltrip and LeeRoy Yarborough for 10th on the all-time wins list at Daytona International Speedway. (only includes NSCS points events)

Starting Eleven:With a win on Saturday night, Jamie McMurray can become only the 11th driver in NASCAR history to win multiple summer races at Daytona. The list of other drivers with more than one win includes Hall of Famers Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, David Pearson, Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough. Also on the list are Bill Elliott, A.J. Foyt, Jeff Gordon, Fireball Roberts and Tony Stewart.

Dinner reservations: Jamie McMurray, the 2010 Daytona 500 winner, will be the honored guest at the Stewart-Marchman-Act Foundation (SMA) dinner Wednesday night in the Daytona 500 Club at Daytona International Speedway.  The dinner is an annual fundraiser for the SMA Foundation.  SMA Foundation is a single-purpose organization that exists to support the clients and programs of SMA Behavioral Healthcare which provide “beyond state-of-the-art” substance abuse and mental health services for prevention, treatment and aftercare.  The Stewart-Marchman-Act Foundation was founded by Jim Foster, former Daytona International Speedway President and incorporated in 1997 as a tax-exempt charitable organization.

Visit McDonald’s: Attention Race Fans – Stop at one of the many McDonald’s locations within minutes of Daytona International Speedway.  Two locations can be found at 1388 West International Speedway Boulevard, Daytona Beach, FL 32114 and 2994 US Highway 92, Daytona Beach, FL 32124

In the Points:  After his 15th-place finish at Infineon Raceway, McMurray and the No. 1 team picked up one position to move into 27th in the NSCS driver standings.  McMurray is now 105 points out of the coveted 12th-position. The No. 1 team is also only 55 points out of wild card contention.

Juan Pablo Montoya and No.42 TargetTeam

On A Roll:  Montoya has nine NSCS starts at Daytona International Speedway.   He has picked up three top-10 finishes at DIS, all of them coming within the last four races. His best finish at the “World Center of Racing” came earlier this season in the Daytona 500, when he started in the 13th position and took the checkered flag in sixth.

Seeing The Checkers:  Montoya has finished seven of nine races at DIS and completed more than 96% of the laps run since his first career start at the track. That lap completion percentage ranks Montoya ninth among Sprint Cup Series drivers who have started the last nine races at DIS.

Moving Past Legends:  Juan Pablo Montoya’s sixth-place finish in the 2011 Daytona 500 gave him his third career top-10 in just nine starts at Daytona International Speedway. With that finish he moves ahead of racing legends Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones and Curtis Turner for all-time top-10s at DIS. With another solid finish in the Coke Zero 400, Montoya can tie Buck Baker, Dan Gurney and teammate and past Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray on the list.

Coming Home:  Florida is the home state of crew chief Brian Pattie, spotter Tab Boyd and jackman Mark Jacobs.  Brian Pattie is from Zephyrhills and got his start working with David Reutimann on DIRT modified and Late Model circuits throughout central Florida. Tab Boyd is a native of Pensacola and grew up racing at local short tracks with his family. When Boyd comes down from the spotters stand, he works in the fabrication department at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Jackman Mark Jacobs hails from Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The ex-University of Kentucky defensive tackle got his start working as a member of Bill Elliott’s pit crew during the 2000 season.

Infineon Recap: Juan Pablo Montoya began the Toyota/Save Mart 350 from the 17th position, but it didn’t take long for him to find his way into the top-10. The No. 42 team relied on solid pit strategy and endured an on-track beating for the first 100 laps of the race. Crew chief Brian Pattie frequently radioed in that the No. 42 Cottonelle Chevrolet was the fastest car on the track. The team made their last pit stop of the day on lap 90 and mounted a final charge to the front. While battling for the fifth position, Montoya had an on-track incident with a fellow competitor causing the car to go off course. The No. 42 would eventually have to settle for a 22nd-place finish when the checkered flag fell.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Fast Fact:  After last week’s 22nd place finish, Juan Pablo Montoya has now been running at the finish in 31 of the last 32 Sprint Cup Series events.  He has finished every event during the 2011 season. His only DNF during that stretch was in the 2010 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In the points: Montoya fell one position in the point standings after his 22nd-place finish in Sonoma last weekend. He currently sits 16th in points, 43 points out of the 10th spot.

CHASSIS INFO No.1 McDonald’s Chevrolet (NSCS):Chassis #1009. This chassis was last raced earlier this year to a 21st–place finish at Talladega Superspeedway. It was also used in this season’s Daytona 500, finishing 18th, and both Talladega races last season, where it came home second and 36th.

No.42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #902.  Chassis #902 was run three times during the 2010 season, finishing 10th at the Daytona 500 and third in both Talladega races. The Target team also used this chassis in all four restrictor plate events in 2009 with a best finish of ninth in the July race at Daytona.

2011 STATS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series   Starts Wins  Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Pts. Pos./(Prev) Jamie McMurray 16 0 1 0 2 14.9 22.1 27/28 Juan Pablo Montoya 16 0 2 2 5 17.1 17.6 16/15

CAREER STATS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series   Starts Wins  Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Jamie McMurray  310 6 8 39 94 19.3 19.2 Juan Pablo Montoya 161 2 7 20 46 17.3 19.6

TEAM ROSTERS

Tony Glover – Team Manager Steve Hmiel – Director of Competition

No. 1 (NSCS) Hometown   Hometown   Crew Chief:  Kevin Manion Boylston, MA Rear Tire Changer: Chris Taylor  West Plains, MO   Chief Mechanic:  Gary Putnam Vernon, CT Rear Tire Carrier:  Adam Mosher Fort Mill, SC   Front Tire Changer:  Cory DeMarco St. Louis, MO Gas Man:  Benjy Grubbs Richmond, VA   Front Tire Carrier:  Doug Riepe Danbury, CT Spotter:   Lorin Rainer Prestonburg, KY   Jack Man:  Tracy Duncan Lincolnton, NC       No. 42 (NSCS) Hometown   Hometown Crew Chief:  Brian Pattie Zephyrhills, FL  Rear Tire Changer:  Chris McMullen Troutman, NC Chief Mechanic:  Heath Silver Asheville, NC  Rear Tire Carrier:  Chip Goode Statesville, NC   Front Tire Changer:  Trevor Lysne Fergus Falls, MN  Gas Man:  Ed Watkins Maiden, NC   Front Tire Carrier:  Eric Bilyeu Waterford, MI  Spotter:  Tab Boyd Pensacola, FL   Jack Man:  Mark Jacobs Fort Walton Beach, FL

DODGE AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

·  Dodge has nine Sprint Cup wins at Daytona International Speedway (four in the Daytona 500 and five in the Coke Zero 400).

·  Dodge’s Kurt Busch earned victories at the season opening Bud Shootout and Gatorade Duel at Daytona earlier this season.  Busch is seeking his first Sprint Cup point’s win on a restrictor plate track.  He has three runner-up finishes in 21 starts at Daytona.

·  Dodge has earned nine poles at Daytona.  Five of the nine have been during the July event.

DODGE NEWS AND NOTES

·  Dodge won its second Sprint Cup Series race of the season last weekend at Infineon Raceway and the second Cup Series win in the last four races.

·  Dodge’s Kurt Busch is the only Sprint Cup Series driver who has been in the top-10 in the driver point standings all season (16 races).

THE DODGE BOYS

·  Dodge has 209 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories.

·  Dodge’s most recent win came last weekend at Infineon Raceway.  Kurt Busch led 76 of the 110 laps en route to victory in the Save Mart 350.  The victory was the second for Dodge in 2011.

·  Dodge teams have posted 49 victories since the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001 after being out of the sport since 1977.

·  Dodge has posted wins each season since its return in 2001 including seven wins twice (2002 and 2006).

·  Dodge claimed two Sprint Cup victories in 2010.

·  A Dodge has started from the pole in four of the last five Sprint Cup races – Brad Keselowski (Charlotte) and Kurt Busch (Kansas, Pocono and Michigan).

DID YOU KNOW

·  Dodge’s Kurt Busch has finished in the top 10 in eight of the last 10 Sprint Cup races at Daytona and has the fifth- best average finish (13.8) in the last six Sprint Cup races at the 2.5-mile track.  In 42-career Sprint Cup restrictor-plate races, he has 16 top-five and 25 top-10 finishes.

·  Dodge’s Brad Keselowski earned his first Sprint Cup Series win at a restrictor-plate track (Talladega – 2009).

·  The 2011 Daytona 500 produced a record number of leaders (22) and lead changes (74).  It also produced a record number of cautions (16).

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

·  Kurt Busch has led 274 laps in the last four Sprint Cup races: (Kansas (152), Pocono (37), Michigan (9) and Infineon (76).  In the first 12 races, he led 123 laps with a best finish of fourth (Charlotte).  He’s finished outside the top 10 only once in the last five races (Michigan – 11th).

FROM THE ENGINEER

“The Daytona 500 in February was fast, the Amp Energy 500 in April at Talladega was faster.  Who knows how fast this restrictor plate race will be.  The rules package in effect for Sprint Cup restrictor plate tracks this season is geared for faster races than we’ve seen in more than 10 years.  That may not have been the original intent but it’s certainly been the result.  Teams will be very busy this week trying to find grip on a typically slick, Daytona in July, track to keep up with somebody in the garage that’s found the speed we saw at both restrictor plate tracks this spring.” Howard Comstock, Dodge Motorsports Engineering

ODDS AND ENDS

·  Dodge’s Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch have each earned a Sprint Cup pole and race win this season.

·  Brad Keselowski is one of three drivers outside the top-12 in the driver point standings with a win.

·  Kurt Busch has a current streak of 10 consecutive years with a race win – the second longest active streak behind Tony Stewart (12 years).

·  Kurt Busch has gained five positions in the Sprint Cup driver standings in the last five races.

·  Since 2005, Busch has the fourth-best driver rating at Daytona (96.4).

2011 SPRINT CUP SERIES SEASON BEST

·  Kurt Busch                      Start: 1st (Kansas, Pocono & Michigan)                                                 Finish: 1st (Infineon)

·  Brad Keselowski              Start: 1st (Charlotte)                                             Finish: 1st (Kansas)

·  Robby Gordon                Start: 30th (Daytona)                                             Finish: 16th (Daytona)

DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY BEST

·  Kurt Busch                      Start:  3rd (2011)                         Finish: 2nd (2003, 2005 & 2008)

·  Brad Keselowski              Start: 16th (2011)                         Finish: 24th (2009)

·  Robby Gordon                Start: 3rd (2003)                         Finish; 6th (2003 & 2008)

ON TWO-CAR DRAFTING AT DAYTONA “We’ll see how the track has matured since the repave and what the grip level will be like.  It’s going to be hot and slick because it’s July in Florida.  We’ll see if we can still hook up in that two-car draft.  The grip level was extremely high in February.  I anticipate the grip to be good this time around.  If so, you’ll see two-car drafting just like we had in February.” Kurt Busch, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T

DODGE MOTORSPORTS QUOTE OF THE WEEK “With the Speedweeks that we had in February, we’re excited to head back to Daytona because Kurt is such a great plate racer.  We won the (Gatorade) 125.  We won the (Budweiser) Shootout.    We want to get Kurt a restrictor-plate point’s win.  The restrictor-plate engines at Penske are awesome.  The guys are working really hard on the cars.  I feel good about it.  I feel like we can go win.  Our testing is paying dividends and everyone on this Shell/Pennzoil Dodge team is working their butt off.  We just need to keep the momentum going and go get us a win at Daytona.” Steve Addington, crew chief, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T

DODGE QUOTES “We certainly want to finally win us one of these things (restrictor-plate race), that’s for sure.  But, we still have to keep focus on this season and what it’s going to take to move forward in the effort to make the Chase this year.  We need to win races because that will be so important come September.  At the same time, we have to stay consistent in posting the top-five finishes and top-10s.  The bottom line is that we have to go after those race wins as hard as we can, but still exercise conservatism, if you want to call it that.  Unlike the guys back there in 15th to 20th in the points who can gamble on fuel mileage and roll the dice out there in every race, we have to look at it as the big goal of completing all the laps and getting the best possible finish we can in every race.” Kurt Busch, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T

“Our Miller Lite Dodge was really fast at Daytona in February.  We’re bringing really fast cars to the race track and we feel that we have a shot to win every week.” Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T

CONCORD, N.C. (June 28, 2011) — Affliction Clothing, who debuted as a primary sponsor for 2003 Cup Series Champion Matt Kenseth and his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing team earlier this season, added two more races of primary sponsorship to the 2011 Sprint Cup Series schedule. Affliction will serve as the sponsor for Kenseth and the No. 17 team for the Sprint Cup Series race weekends in July at Daytona International Speedway as well as the July 17th race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“It’s always great to bring a new sponsor to our team, but it’s even more thrilling to have them add more races to their sponsorship,” said Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Affliction Clothing Live Fast Ford.  “We’re proud to have Affliction Clothing as part of our Roush Fenway organization and are looking forward to another pair of great races representing their brand.”

“We enjoyed Matt and the Roush Fenway team’s performance at both of our sponsored races and are looking forward to watching Matt race the No.17 Affliction Ford at Daytona” said Tom Atencio, Vice President of Entertainment and Sports Marketing for Affliction Clothing.

Kenseth has achieved two wins, five top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes this season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series within the first 16 races of the year, and is currently sixth in the driver point standings.

The Affliction family of brands exists at the intersection between the spirited artistry and hard edged attitude of the fast-living modern generation.  Affliction defines and meets the needs of their style savvy customer with an ever-expanding collection of contemporary fashion focused on an innovative combination of style, fit, fabrics, finishes and quality.  A true culture phenomenon and a commercial powerhouse; Affliction brands are rooted in and beloved by the hard rock and sports communities.  Visit www.afflictionclothing.com for more information.

About Affliction Clothing: Affliction Clothing’s ability to set the bar high in fashion is evident in its collection’s indulgence of style and design, focus on quality, and its trademark series of divinely executed, dark and powerful themes.  The Affliction family of brands exist at the intersection between spirited artistry and hard edged attitude of the fast-living modern generation.  Affliction is a mainstay for the most elite athletes, heaviest bands, A-listers and the fashion conscious worldwide.

About Roush Fenway Racing: Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating seven motorsports teams.  Four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; and three in the Nationwide Series with Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne.  For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 28, 2011) Three-time 400-mile-event winner Jeff Gordon is curious to see if higher temperatures create less grip — and less “stick” — in the annual Fourth of July weekend race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night.

Re-pavement of the 2.5-mile track surface in 2010 provided more grip to the competitors during Speedweeks earlier this year, but tracks tend to lose grip in hotter temperatures.

Will that be the case this weekend? If so, how will it affect the two-car drafts that have become the norm during restrictor-plate races recently? Gordon is eager to learn the answers to those questions when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to central Florida this weekend.

“With the bump drafting and two-car drafts, we were able to push another car all the way around the track here in February,” said Gordon, who will drive the No. 24 Pepsi Max Chevrolet Impala this weekend.

“We don’t know yet whether we’ll have the same level of grip this weekend with the higher temperatures. If we lose some grip, will one car still be able to ‘stick’ to another for a full lap or multiple laps? “Right now, I’m expecting we’ll still be able to (push the entire track), so you’re going to have to find a partner. My (Hendrick Motorsports) teammate Mark Martin and I worked well at Talladega, so I’m sure we’ll try to work together again.”

In 37 starts here Gordon has six wins, including three Daytona 500 victories, three poles, 12 top-fives and 18 top-10’s. One thing has not changed during his 19-year career — the ability to adjust to change at the superspeedway.

“When I first started racing here, we had big single-file packs where you had to work lap-after-lap-after lap to finally make the right move to gain a position,” said Gordon, who is currently ninth in the point standings with two wins in 2011.

“Then, with some of the changes to the cars, we were racing in big packs two-and-three wide where a big ‘run’ could gain you a lot of positions in one lap or even just one straightaway.

“Now it’s evolved into the two-car packs. If you want to be good and have a shot at winning, then you have to learn how to two-car draft well. You have to learn how to cool the engine. You have to find somebody you can stick with who will stay with you all day.

“And you both need to be there at the end to have a shot to win the race.”