Joey Logano: The Tiger Woods of Nascar?
by Virginia Vroom of Predictem.com
Many believe that Joey Logano is the next big thing in NASCAR. Some have even gone so far as to compare him to the likes of Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Sr., and Richard Petty. Those are some pretty high standards to live up to.
Being categorized with those guys is putting a lot of pressure on Joey. Thats not to say, though, that he wont take it. This kid has been racing as long as he can remember. He raced competitively beginning at the age of 6 in quarter midgets, much like many other high profile NASCAR drivers. To put his childhood years into perspective, Logano began racing in 1996. By 1999, he already had 6 championships under his belt. He has experience in everything from those infamous midget cars to modifieds. And thats before he turned 10!
Throughout his teenage years, Logano was able to race in the Pro Legends National Championships, the FASCAR Pro Truck Series, and the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series. Thats quite a resume from someone who just turned 18 this year. In fact, Logano certainly never lacked the talent to crossover into NASCAR. He just didnt meet the age requirement. Nevertheless, NASCAR changed the rules allowing drivers as young as 16 to now race in Grand National Division, which is basically the level below the Nationwide Series. This meant that Logano had to win. And he did. He won that championship in 2007 and moved onto the Nationwide Series, where he currently is finishing out the last part of the season.
His record thus far is nothing short of impressive. With little seat time because of sponsorship deals with Tony Stewart, Logano has managed an average finish just under 10th. Hes already racked up a win in his third race at Kentucky this year. He has 8 top 10 finishes in 11 starts. I dont care who you are, but thats remarkable.
The only thing holding Logano back now is his lack of experience on the super speedways. If you dont know a lot about them, there are specific requirements that drivers must meet in order to be licensed to drive on those tracks. Logano will drive the ARCA race at Talladega to meet all of his requirements and become a licensed super speedway driver.
Announcements have already been made that Logano will take over Tony Stewarts ride in the 2009 season as Stewart prepares to launch his own team. Veterans like Mark Martin have expressed their approval for Loganos talent, going so far as to say he could be one of the best that NASCAR has ever seen. His record certainly upholds this theory so far, but Sprint Cup racing is a lot different than even Nationwide.
There have been a lot of successful drivers who just cant make the switch to Cup. Logano, on the other hand, may just have the talent to be one of the greatest. Its due time that NASCAR produce another great. Not since the inception of Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch have we really seen anyone dominate the sport and really be one of the greats. Earning that kind of respect to be put into the same category as guys like Petty, Earnhardt, and Allison is something that will take a good while, but if Logano can keep his head on straight and continue producing the same kind of record he has with the rest of his racing career, he may very well be on his way. Logano is definitely one to watch. Every other series hes competed in, hes won. Plain and simple, Logano doesnt take long to show what hes got. Im looking forward to watching him run in the #20 next year. Its going to be interesting to see if he can run with the big boys. Im willing to bet he can.