The seventh running of the Toyota All-Star Showdown in Irwindale, California
did not start out as planned for the Grimm Construction Chevy. After
struggling through both practices and a disappointing qualifying run, the
team rebounded to finish a respectable eighth place. Eddie MacDonald,
driving in the newly sponsored K&N Pro Series, battled back from as far back
as 23rd position to post the satisfying finish.
Logano Wins Toyota All-Star Showdown
Irwindale, CA (February 1, 2010): Joey Logano drove to his second career NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown victory Saturday night driving the No. 25 Home Depot Toyota, a car prepared by Fadden Racing. Logano led 171 laps en route to the victory by holding off rookie Sergio Pena in the final 25-lap segment. Logano joins Matt Kobyluck as the only drivers to ever win the event more than once.
“It feels awesome,” said car owner Mike Olsen. “It’s huge for us. We felt we had a good car. It wasn’t the fastest thing out there. The 4 car was pretty quick, but Joey did a good job of doing what he had to do to win. I couldn’t be happier.”
Logano started the race from the second position and led all but one lap during the first segment, which ended at lap 98 when an accident brought the race under caution. During that segment, Logano was pressured by the No. 4 of Sergio Pena, but Logano closed the door on all of his challenges and kept the Home Depot Toyota out front.
Fadden Racing’s Harry Norcross worked together with Logano’s Nationwide Series crew chief Kevin Kidd to improve the car in the entry of the corner, where Pena was able to gain some ground on him.
The race resumed at lap 99, but Pena was able to get by Logano at lap 106 and pull away to a comfortable distance. A caution came out at lap 130 and tightened the field back up again, and Logano didn’t hesitate when the green dropped. He flew to the front and continued to get pressure from Pena as the laps ticked off.
“Running quick laps is half the battle – it’s finding little things, like restarts, that wins races. It definitely paid off for me tonight,” said Logano.
Pena reclaimed the lead at lap 177 and stayed out front until the second mandatory break at lap 200. The tight, side-by-side racing had Fadden crew members fixing some of the front end fender damage before sending Logano out for the final 25-lap dash to the checkers.
Logano went straight to the front in his Home Depot Toyota when racing resumed, but Pena, again, challenged Logano by getting up alongside him. They were side-by-side when caution came out with 21 laps to go.
The race went back to green at lap 212 with Logano showing his mastery of restarts, but a red flag was brought out to preserve laps when an accident occurred with only ten laps to go.
On the restart, Logano went to the front while Pena dealt with Matt Kobyluck, who moved into second place. It took two laps for Pena to reclaim the position – enough time for Logano to pull out to a comfortable distance and take the checkers .584 seconds ahead of Pena.
“We won the race on restarts. Mike Olsen and the guys put together a real good piece for me. I had told myself that if I was in the top-five in the last 25 laps that I would have a shot at the win,” said Logano. “I’m happy that (Fadden Racing) gave me the opportunity to do this. I didn’t know what I was going to have coming into this deal, but we unloaded off the truck decent and we had fun.”
Podium Finish For Kobyluck At Irwindale
Irwindale, CA (February 1, 2010): Matt Kobyluck has had the most impressive finishing statistics of any driver in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. Last weekend, he continued that streak by wheeling the No. 40 Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet to a third place finish in the 225-lap race, and captured his sixth top-five finish in the events seven year history.
“I’m happy with third,” said Kobyluck. “We had a better car on the longer run, but we were limited on the things we could do during the breaks and we weren’t able to correct to make a better short run car. We did everything we could for those final 25 laps to be as good or better than Logano and Pena. We would have liked to win it, no doubt about it, but third was good.”
Kobyluck started the race from the 14th position and was conservative in the first segment, which ended at lap 98 when an accident slowed the pace. During the break, the Mohegan Sun Casino race team, led by crew chief Perry Waite, made adjustments on the track bar, air pressure, and spring rubber in the left rear.
Racing resumed at lap 99 with Kobyluck breaking into the top-10 after just one lap. His biggest gain came between laps 120 and 150 when he moved up six positions and settled into fourth. By the segment end, Kobyluck had moved up to third, but dropped back to fourth to have an outside starting position for the restart on the final 25-lap dash.
“We were getting close,” said Waite. “We were getting it dialed in after fighting a little bit of a forward bite issue and it seemed to be getting better.”
But the Mohegan Sun Casino was better on the longer runs, and a caution filled 25-lap segment didn’t help matters. Still, Kobyluck was going for the win. Seven laps before the race conclusion, Kobyluck dove to the bottom and passed Sergio Pena for second place. Pena returned his challenges and kicked off a battle that last for two circuits.
“I was giving it everything I had to try and win. I tried to go to the bottom because it worked for me in the past,” said Kobyluck. “I got by Pena and then he got by me. He ran me up the track a little bit and ran me into the marbles. Once I got the tires cleaned off I was able to get back into contention, but we were so equally matched that trying to make up any ground is so hard to do.
Kobyluck crossed the line in third, a noteworthy finish for the two-time winner of the event.
“I think it was a good day. I’m really happy. I wish it would have ended up a little bit better than third, but that’s the way it goes, and that’s what makes this race so fantastic.”
For more information on Matt Kobyluck or Mohegan Sun, visit www.mattkobyluck.com.
IRWINDALE, Calif. – Joey Logano got his second NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown trophy and Sergio Pena nearly made a historic debut on the national stage.
Logano, 19, held off the 16-year-old Pena and two-time race winner Matt Kobyluck for the victory in the 225-lap race Saturday before a sold-out crowd at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
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All-Star Team For All-Star Showdown
Boucenna And Logano In Fadden Racing Entries
North Haverhill, N.H. (January 24, 2010): Fadden Racing will showcase an All-Star lineup when they arrive in California next week for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown on January 29-30 at Irwindale Speedway. Joey Logano will be joined by Willy Boucenna in making up the two-car team at the post season event.
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced today that K&N Engineering, Inc., will be the title sponsor for NASCAR’s top developmental series, formerly known as the NASCAR Camping World Series East and West, beginning in 2010.
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series will continue to crown champions through separate schedules on the East and West Coast. The seven-year agreement illustrates NASCAR’s commitment to the grassroots foundation of the sport.
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