Title: Shell Eco-marathon 2021 Joey Logano Q+A
Duration: 13:27
Description: Joey Logano Q+A with Norman Koch
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Joey Logano in conversation with Norman Koch
On teamwork, race tactics, advice for Shell Eco-marathon teams and his passions
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Wipes to Norman, full frame.
[Text displays – name strap]
Norman Kock
Shell Eco-marathon Global General Manager
Norman in vision – Question 1:
Shell Eco-marathon is all about teamwork - and YOU are part of an immensely successful team. What do you find most inspirational of being part of the Shell-Pennzoil Team Penske?
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What do you find most inspirational about being part of the Shell-Pennzoil Team Penske?
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Cuts to split screen of Norman and Joey before cutting to Joey full frame.
[Text displays – name strap]
Joey Logano
Shell-Pennzoil NASCAR for Team Penske
Joey in vision – Answer 1:
Hey Norman, what's happening? Well a lot, but probably the thing that stands out the most to me would be the support, right? Everybody working together, um, for one common goal…
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Cuts to VT of Joey racing
Joey – Answer 1 continued:
… and each person's role is equally important in its own way. And what we see is all of it come together on race day. Uh, and I think that is probably the most incredible part is that everybody is willing to put that effort in and work as hard as the next guy. Cause we don't want to let each other down, but we also support each other to make sure we're doing the best in our job. And a lot of times that means having those tough conversations, pointing out where we can be better, but at the same time, giving the pat on the back and saying, ‘Hey, nice job with, uh, you know, whatever piece that may be’. So, um, I, I like how we're all able to work together, but being open and honest is a big piece.
Norman in vision – Question 2:
Over the years we’ve seen Shell Eco-marathon teams design some really incredible vehicles. From a driver’s point of view, how important is vehicle design for you?
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How important is vehicle design for you?
Joey in vision – Answer 2:
Haha. As a driver, it’s everything. For us as a race car driver, we want to have the fastest car on the race track. Uh, and how do we do that? We have to come up with great new ideas and, and we have to try to get those back to the racetrack as quickly as possible. It's not just a race on the race track…
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Joey – Answer 2 continued:
… It’s a race off a race track on how we can design prove our new pieces that go on the car and get them into the race as quickly as possible because there's a race every Sunday and we really want to have the latest and greatest on our cars. Um, so that, that race away from the track is equally as important as the one that you, everyone sees on TV.
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Norman in vision – Question 3:
Now, Shell Eco-marathon, as you well know, is all about energy optimisation. As a driver, what top tips do you have to manage the fuel efficiency during a race?
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What top tips do you have to manage the fuel efficiency during the race?
Joey in vision – Answer 3:
Obviously we get put into those situations. We're not always in fuel safe mode…
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Cuts to VT of Joey pulling into pit stop
Joey – Answer 3 continued:
… but there is times during the year, quite a few times that it will come into where we need to save fuel. And there's a lot of different strategies to that. Obviously the first one, probably everyone here knows get your foot off the brake pedal.
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1 Get your foot off the break pedal
Joey – Answer 3 continued:
That is usually the one that's the quickest and easiest. Um, you know, so trying to maintain speed without, um, slowing down the car as much is usually the quickest and obviously the first thing you do. Others would be, you know, push the clutch in, shut the motor off and coast as long as possible…
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2 Push the clutch in, shut the motor off and coat for as long as possible
Joey – Answer 3 continued:
Um, now it's all about for us, the balance just like for you guys as well, as you gotta maintain a certain speed, you got to try to win the race still, but you got to keep enough fuel in there to get to the end. So you know, the way we communicate that, the way we do the math to understand how much gas we're going to have left in our car. Um, that's where it becomes very challenging as everybody knows.
Um, you know, so trying to come up with that math, how much, you know, your motor’s actually shut off, um, and put back out. So there's that obviously outside of that, there's fuel map strategies.
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3 fuel map strategies
Joey – Answer 3 continued:
…um, within our EFI systems that, that, um, you know, we can, we can look into and try to find ways to save fuel there as well. So, uh, there's a lot of different, different things we can do. Um, and, but for the driver, it's usually stay off the pedals the most, as much as you can, but it's hard when you got to go fast at the same time, you're trying to save fuel.
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Norman in vision – Question 4:
Now, you have been a regular on the Shell Eco-marathon Off-Track Awards…. but you know a little bit yourself about being a winner and receiving awards. How did you feel when you won YOUR CUP Series Championship in 2018?
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How did you feel when you won your Cup Series Championship in 2018?
Joey in vision – Answer 4
Well that's a hard question to answer 'cause it's pretty loaded. How do you feel? Um, I'm not going to put feelings into words, but, uh, it definitely was, you know, the ultimate, um, for, for me, right. I started as, you know, a young kid wanting to be a, uh, a NASCAR champion. Um, you know, since I was seven years old and, uh, that, that fight to get to that level, um, was a lot of ups and downs, and there was a lot of moments where I was pretty sure I wasn't going to make it.
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Joey – Answer 4 continued:
Um, but you know, you keep grinding, you keep learning, you keep making mistakes and getting better from those mistakes. And you know, you eventually you find yourself at the top. And, um, so when you think about everything that's gone into something and then achieving that, that accomplishment that you've had, you know, that goal that’s has been set in front of you since you were seven years old. Uh, putting that one into words is pretty tough. Um, but I can tell you one thing, there was a lot of yelling and screaming and having a good time.
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Norman in vision – Question 5:
What do you admire most of our Shell Eco-marathon teams?
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What do you admire most about our Shell Eco-marathon teams?
Joey in vision – Answer 5:
Um, well I like the ingenuity, um, as probably what I, I like looking at the most is when you see some of these really unique ideas. Um, and, and I think everyone can probably agree with this is where you see what the automobile has come from to where it is now. Uh, it didn't get that way from people doing things the same way over and over and over again, it's taking an idea and refining it and making it better or coming up with something that's completely out of the box. And I think, I mean, for me, I've always looked at cars, you know, I'm a classic car guy, so I have a, a 1924 Ford model T and I love driving that car only because I can't believe how much further cars have come from that moment. And it makes my mind wonder what's next? How can you make today's cars so much better?
Today's cars are incredible what they can do. Uh, and, and to know that another 50 years from now what's the automobile gonna look like, and there's no telling, uh, and it's because of the ideas it's because of people risking, uh, things, trying to become better. Uh, and I think that is what, um, to me is the most impressive about everyone in this program.
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Norman in vision – Question 6:
Er, like for many people, it’s been a really challenging year, er, for all our students taking part in the Shell Eco-marathon program as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. What has been for you the biggest learning from this last year?
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What has been for you the biggest learning from this last year?
Joey in vision – Answer 6:
My biggest key takeaway is probably, um, things that we all felt like we couldn't do and got forced to do, and it was never as bad as we thought it would be. Um, you know, so in other words, here's a situation that happened with us in NASCAR. So no practice anymore, we can't be at the racetrack. And when it's just racing, there's no practices or qualifying. You show up and race the car. Well, we went to a whole new racetrack this year at the Daytona road course, we've never made a lap there. They line us up 40 cars deep and say, go ahead. None of us even know what turn comes up next. And we're like, this is the craziest thing I've ever done in my life as anything on a racetrack. And we would never in a million years have done this.
We would've had tyre tests. We would’ve had practice sessions. We would, we would have made a whole ordeal out of it. And you know, what, the race went just fine. It went just fine. It was no issues. Everyone figured it out. There was a winner. There was, I mean, everything went fine. Uh, and, and, and I think that was such an eye opening experience for me is that we can do anything. A lot of the limitations that we set are just in our mind and it's because we've never done it before, but we have to be willing to try more things. And I think that was probably the key takeaway for me.
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Norman in vision – Question 7:
Can you share with them maybe how you prepare mentally and physically for a race?
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How do you prepare mentally and physically for a race?
Joey in vision – Answer 7:
You always want to train to the environment you're in…
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Joey – Answer 7 continued:
Um, so for me physically, uh, I train outside as much I can because it's hot. Right? I live in North Carolina. Uh, I trained when it's one or two o'clock in the afternoon, the sun's beating down on the black top. That's where I need to be the most because our race cars are 130 degrees inside the car. Um, know, so I try to train to what I need to be good at. Um, and mentally that makes me tougher as well. Mentally, um, but I think is, is, is probably more than, than anything as a race car driver, um, is mentally being engaged for a long period of time and knowing what's coming your way before it happens. And how do you do that? You prep, um, you prep from watching videos, you prep from watch, looking at data, uh, being with your team, your engineers, and going through, uh, the strategy of the race.
Um, knowing where the track is going to change. Our track changes a lot as rubber lays down. Things like that change, uh, knowing how restarts work, know how your competitors are, uh, that, that prep work is a constant thing. It doesn't just, it's not for a day and ‘okay, I'm prepared!’ No, you’re not. Uh, the only way you can feel confident behind the wheel is knowing what's coming up next.
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Cuts to NASCAR VT
Joey – Answer 7 continued:
And the only way you can do that is prepare and have experience. I know that helps as well, but for everybody, that's not always an option, especially in this situation, you may be very new to it, but the more you can talk to people and understand what's coming your way, you're gonna be a better driver, uh, and see more success.
Norman in vision – Question 8:
But, as you already said before, er, not all the success is, of course, only down to the driver in any race team. So what is the most important piece of advice you want to give to all our Shell Eco-marathon students?
Joey in vision – Answer 8:
I would say the biggest piece when it comes to, uh, I, I feel like a racing team, um, building cars, racing, however you're racing, um, is that not one position is bigger than the next. Um, I've lost plenty of races with the 50 cent park breaking, right? Like, it's it, the smallest thing is, is, could make the difference. Um, and as you guys know, no one's out there winning by a lot, right? You're, you're stacking pennies, you're stacking, you know, a little here and a little there, and eventually it adds up. So there's no piece too small to overlook.
Um, and, and that details win races, right? Details wins in life. Uh, you know, everyone's going to be so close at the top level that the little things is what separates you. Uh, and I think that's probably the biggest thing that, that I have to focus on every day is that this stuff that seems so small, and is this going to make a difference? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no. But, uh, every now and again, it does. And, and that's the difference that that would need.
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Norman in vision – Question 9:
Many of our viewers are probably also wondering, ‘who is Joey as a person?’ So, Joey, what do you do off the racetrack?
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What do you do off the racetrack?
Joey in vision – Answer 9:
Haha. Plenty! Haha. I know that… uh, I’m the father of two little guys and a husband as well, so as you guys know, that keeps me plenty busy. We do a lot with the Joey Logano Foundation, um, over this year, and probably had our best year ever during COVID, which is incredible to see the support that we’ve gotten, but also the support we’ve been able to give. Um, my favourite quote during this whole time has been ‘Don’t let a crisis go to waste’. And I wake up every morning thinking that, you know, what’s the opportunity in front of me? Because we’re in this crisis and how can we come out ahead as winners? You know, when I think about the foundation, boy there’s so many people that needed help, um, you know, through this pandemic, right. There was a real hunger crisis here in America. Um, you know, people losing their jobs and people relying on some meals that their kids were getting from school, right. And now we’re all virtually learning and virtually doing stuff.
So you know, the game has changed and people needed some help and support through that situation. We’ve put together a million dollar COVID-19 response and recover fund, which was amazing. And one of the key things we did was, er, partnering with Convoy of Hope. Er, Convoy of Hope is a great organisation. They’re, they’re huge. They do a great many, many things, but one of things they do is, er, is show up with a tractor trailer full of essentials, er, to give to people in need. And we were able to do that in a lot of race markets, um, over the last, you know, year, year or so now, um, and and been able to give, you known, food most importantly, but clothes, um, we gave a lot of Shell gas cards away, which was really cool! Er, so it’s been pretty neat to see, you know, people roll up in their car and you ask them, you know, ‘in what ways does this help you?’ And the answers you get when you ask that question are just remarkable. Um, you know, and tears are falling, you know, down their face, er, and it puts life into perspective for you in a lot of ways that we should be there lending a helping hand where we can, and you know, being nice is is, doesn’t cost you anything. Er, you know, so it was definitely an eye-opening experience for myself, but also really fun to see everybody team up together. It’s not just me doing this. This is a group of a lot of people, a lot of volunteers, a lot great companies supporting us, um, and being able to do this is really fun. And obviously the support from Shell is much appreciated.
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Norman in vision – Closing:
Very wise words there. I think we couldn’t finish any any year nicer and with any more important advice from you. Well, Joey, it’s been such a pleasure. Thank you very much for joining us today. NASCAR Shell-Pennzoil Team Penske Champion Joey Logano, thank you very much!
Joey in vision – Closing:
Thank you, and er, appreciate you having me on, and keep it up, guys!
[End board with Shell logo]
#MakeTheFuture
#ShellEcoMarathon
Shell International Limited 2021
