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 Crew 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 Series, after which the Cup Series 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 event (3 p.m. ET, FS1).
“There’s not a lot the identical from an INDYCAR to a Cup automobile,” Logano stated. “That is what makes this weekend so particular. You may have two fully various things. So in the event you’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, have a look at theirs. They’re small, proper? Like, have a look at how low they’re. Tires are big, 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 quicker than Cup automobiles.
“I used to be speaking with McLaughlin earlier than the week began right here, and he is, like, ‘You guys simply form of cowl the break a little bit bit?’ I am like, ‘No, bro, like, we’re on the binders as laborious as we will. We’re downshifting, it is plenty of brake.’
“And he was in disbelief as a result of they’re pinned all the way in which round, virtually not less than. They’re proper at it. So it is form of loopy to listen to the variations in driving.”
Crew Penske driver David Malukas gained the pole Friday for the INDYCAR race, setting an early normal for the group that has each of its INDYCAR and NASCAR operations beneath one roof in North Carolina.
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“There’s a pleasant rivalry,” Logano stated. “All of us have enjoyable with one another. We wish 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 observe Logano watched was the second of the day, along with qualifying, with a few hours between for changes.
“They’re very shocked after we say, ‘Yeah, we obtained like, you already know, 20 minutes and we go qualify, that is what we get.’ And plenty of the [INDYCAR] drivers are in disbelief once they hear that.
“They clearly are used to plenty of observe. We used to have this. I’m OK doing what we’re doing.”
