Browse > Home / ARCA Remax Series, Car of Tomorrow, Daytona 500, Denny Hamlin, Dover International Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano, Kentucky Speedway, NASCAR, Tony Stewart / Joey Logano Officially A Sprint Cup Driver

Joey Logano Officially A Sprint Cup Driver

User Avatar

by Matt Mercer, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2012 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I'm the former blogger of The Catfish Show NASCAR Blog and a contributor to On Pit Row. Follow me on Twitter: @mattmercer

August 25, 2008 11:18 pm UTC 3 Comments

It’s been a whirlwind season for young Joey Logano.
(Note: this post also appears on my regular website, www.thecatfishshow.com)

The Middletown, CT native is a talent that rarely comes along. Regular readers know how highly I think about him. This is a guy that won the East Series title at the age of 17. He followed that up by dominating the ARCA race at Rockingham this May in preparation for his Nationwide Series debut, which came at Dover this May. He would go on to capture poles at Nashville and Kentucky, winning in Kentucky in just his third series start. Logano followed up with consecutive runner-up finishes at Milwaukee and Gateway and top-10 runs at IRP, Watkins Glen, and Michigan. The kid’s ready to contend at any level you put him in.

For Gibbs, this meant not going outside of the organization to find a replacement for Tony Stewart in the #20 Home Depot Camry. Why go through that process and deal with possible chemistry issues when the best choice is already there? Logano’s been a teammate to both returning drivers next season, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch this year. Hamlin in particular has taken an active role in Logano’s development, which will only accelerate the learning curve. Logano may actually be on the same level as most drivers in the COT, since he has been the primary test driver for the cars since their inception. I’m going on record right now and saying that Logano wins in 2009 and qualifies for the Chase. I’m that confident in his ability, not to mention the JGR camp and the quality of the team he will inherit.

As for the rest of 2008, Logano is looking at running 6 Sprint Cup races in the #02 – Richmond, New Hampshire, Kansas, Lowes, Atlanta, and Texas, 9 Nationwide races in the #20, as well as the ARCA race at Talladega in order to garner some plate experience before the Daytona 500 this fall.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: ARCA Remax Series, Car of Tomorrow, Daytona 500, Denny Hamlin, Dover International Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano, Kentucky Speedway, NASCAR, Tony Stewart 

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Comments

3 Responses to “Joey Logano Officially A Sprint Cup Driver”

  1. User Avatar Steve Wronkowicz on August 26th, 2008 6:44 am

    Just another case of the rich getting richer. Why should NASCAR be any different than any other sport? It always seems as if teams that are strong find ways to get stronger.

    Logano is the real deal and whether Stewart fans like it or not, Joey may make Gibbs stronger in 2009.

    This is the type of talent that a Petty or HOF needs to find to turn their teams into contenders again.

  2. User Avatar Charlie Turner on August 29th, 2008 10:09 pm

    I asked Larry MacReynolds back in the spring about the chemistry of the Gibbs teams – back then we meant Busch, Hamlin and Stewart. Larry Mac didn’t think that the three of them would mesh all that smoothly. Too many real big egos.

    We’ve been told by close observers who should know, that Logano is the real thing. We’ve been told by many of the same folks that he’s also a big pain in the ass. Doesn’t sound like subbing Joey for Smoke will make for any better inter-team chemistry to me.

  3. Right Rears are the Early Talladega Story | Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie on October 3rd, 2008 8:44 pm

    [...] Allgaier passed Joey Logano with a lap to go in a stirring finish that had Steve and I jumping up and down.  That just might [...]

Got something to say?

Did you know you can log in with your Thunder Lounge account, and have your personal avatar and site link available when you comment at On Pit Row?

Don't have an account yet? Sign-up for free.





March Madness

Play the Rattles from the Catch Can contest

ON PIT ROW at RaceTalkRadio
Backstretch Boys: 30% Off New CD!
Jayski's: See what the buzz is about.

We've got your game.

Advertisement