Joey Logano visits historic Ball & Chain on Calle Ocho

By:
On:
In: Speedway News

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano headed to South Florida today to walk the streets of Calle Ocho and to visit the historic Ball & Chain bar and lounge, in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month. The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contender took part in numerous activities at Ball & Chain that are staples of the Cuban culture, flavor and tradition of Miami and its locals.

At Ball & Chain, Logano was immersed in the Cuban lifestyle, which has been preserved in the neighborhood of Little Havana for many years. To start off the day, the driver of the #22 Ford Fusion learned to play the popular game of dominoes with the help of an instructor and then competed in multiple rounds against Homestead-Miami Speedway President Matthew Becherer, the instructor and Orlando Alzugaray, who was the host of the event and is the radio host for the “Big O Show” on 560 WQAM. Following that, the 2015 Daytona 500 champion put on his dancing shoes as he received Salsa lessons to the tune of a live band.

Logano ended his visit by going behind the renowned bar of Ball & Chain where he crafted the location’s signature mojito and learned about the history of the bar. He then paired his cocktails with a traditional Cuban meal of maduros (sweet plantains), arroz moro (moro rice) and lechon (pig) that was specially prepared and cooked in a Caja China.

“I had a lot of fun. I learned how to play dominoes which is a pretty fun game actually, and we are going to take some of those [dominoes] home with us,” said Logano. “I learned a lot about the culture in South Florida in the Miami area and about the Cuban culture as well. So, it was a lot of fun to check all of that out and get ready for the race down here.”

Logano’s visit to South Florida came in advance of one of the biggest weekends in all of motorsports, Ford Championship Weekend, which will take place at Homestead-Miami Speedway November 18-20. The weekend will culminate with the Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 championship race on Sunday, November 20 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Currently, Logano is one of 12 drivers in contention for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup after advancing out of the Round of 16 of the Chase. This week he will compete in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, the second race in the Round of 12. If he advances into the Round of 8, he will be one step closer to having the opportunity to contend as part of the Championship 4 during the Ford EcoBoost 400 on November 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“Homestead-Miami Speedway is one of the best race tracks to go to,” said Logano. “I honestly say that because the surface is worn in nicely to where the tires wear out a lot and you can race anywhere you want, so the restarts become crazy because you can run on the bottom and you also have people running up by the wall. The race track itself is a lot of fun as a race car driver.”

Tickets to the 2016 Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 championship race, in addition to the XFINITY Series Ford EcoBoost 300 championship race and the Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 championship race, are now available and can be purchased by calling (866) 409-RACE (7223) or visiting www.HomesteadMiamiSpeedway.com.

Homestead Miami Speedway PR

Speedway Digest Staff
Follow Me
Latest posts by Speedway Digest Staff (see all)
Post Views: 65