Phoenix Raceway (Avondale, Ariz.) — As Joey Logano stood on pit road during the final INDYCAR practice Friday, he marveled at what he was seeing … and hearing.
“They’re going really fast, number one,” Logano told me. “They’re a little quieter than what our race cars are like.
“The biggest things you notice is just the culture difference. The way they have things set up, the way they prepare for their practice, and what they look at. Those type of things are just a little bit different than what we do. I’m interested to see the race and kind of see their strategies and how they play their race out.”
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The Staff Penske driver will be part of the FOX Sports activities sales space for the 250-lap INDYCAR race Saturday on the 1-mile oval as a part of the Desert Double weekend. INDYCAR kicks off a Saturday doubleheader with INDYCAR and the O’Reilly Sequence, after which the Cup Sequence races Sunday.
Logano will go from Cup qualifying Saturday morning to the sales space for the 250-lap INDYCAR race (3 p.m. ET, FOX). The three-time Cup champion will then race Sunday within the 312-lap occasion (3 p.m. ET, FS1).
“There’s not a lot the identical from an INDYCAR to a Cup automotive,” Logano mentioned. “That is what makes this weekend so particular. You’ve gotten two fully various things. So for those who’re a race fan, the place else are you able to go and see two fully various things inside a day of one another?
“The automobiles themselves. I imply, take a look at theirs. They’re small, proper? Like, take a look at how low they’re. Tires are large, the quantity of downforce they’ve is ridiculous. All these issues collectively is what makes their pace simply ridiculous.”
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NASCAR driver Joey Logano will sit within the broadcast sales space for Saturday’s INDYCAR race at Phoenix Raceway.
The INDYCAR drivers flip laps at about six seconds and 40 mph sooner than Cup automobiles.
“I used to be speaking with McLaughlin earlier than the week began right here, and he is, like, ‘You guys simply sort of cowl the break a bit of bit?’ I am like, ‘No, bro, like, we’re on the binders as arduous as we are able to. We’re downshifting, it is quite a lot of brake.’
“And he was in disbelief as a result of they’re pinned all the best way round, virtually not less than. They’re proper at it. So it is sort of loopy to listen to the variations in driving.”
Staff Penske driver David Malukas gained the pole Friday for the INDYCAR race, setting an early customary for the group that has each of its INDYCAR and NASCAR operations below one roof in North Carolina.
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“There’s a pleasant rivalry,” Logano mentioned. “All of us have enjoyable with one another. We need to see them win. … It’s enjoyable to root them on and I’m positive they’ll have enjoyable, too, rooting from our finish, too.”
Whereas each collection have competed on the identical weekend, that is the primary time on an oval.
The apply Logano watched was the second of the day, along with qualifying, with a few hours between for changes.
“They’re very shocked once we say, ‘Yeah, we obtained like, you recognize, 20 minutes and we go qualify, that is what we get.’ And quite a lot of the [INDYCAR] drivers are in disbelief after they hear that.
“They clearly are used to quite a lot of apply. We used to have this. I’m OK doing what we’re doing.”
