Motorsports FanHouse

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Banking 500

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:38:00 EST

Filed under: Casey Mears, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Sprint Cup, Joey Logano

Kasey Kahne might have had the only car to really challenge Jimmie Johnson on the longer runs Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but a late pit stop and a bad set of tires didn't let that situation play out.

"The tires we took on the last stop shook and didn't turn," said Kahne after the race in which he led 67 laps. "I guess that was our bad set for the night."

That didn't mean that Kahne was making excuses for coming up short with a third-place finish -- his best result since a win at Atlanta in September. Instead, he was stating the obvious.

"We were the best car at times, but the final run when it counted, we weren't," said Kahne. "Jimmie [Johnson] showed up and beat us all."

It seems that a mention in last week's N's & Q's provided a nice boost of momentum to Casey Mears again this week. (OK, maybe not...)

Anyways, Mears followed up an 11th-place finish last weekend at Auto Club Speedway with a 7th-place effort at LMS on Saturday night. LMS, of course, is the site of Mears' only career win in 2007.

Mears, though, was feeling that the finishes were finally starting to back up some strong race cars that didn't finish where they should have over the past few races.

"We've had some really strong runs over the last six races and we finally have the finish we deserve," said Mears. "We're really starting to click as a team and we're looking forward to carrying this momentum over to the final five races of the season."

Mears' teammate Clint Bowyer had the best night of the oft-struggling Richard Childress Racing group with a 6th-place finish -- a sign that the team is starting to turn the corner in terms of competitiveness. Unfortunately for Casey, though, team owner Richard Childress acknowledged this weekend that his No. 07 car is having trouble attracting sponsorship -- leaving the door open to the chance that Mears won't have a ride with RCR in 2010.

Current sponsor Jack Daniel's announced last month that they'll be leaving the sport at the end of the season.

The official stated attendance for Saturday night's Sprint Cup action at LMS was 105,000 -- a number that is dwarfed by the nearly endless grandstands around the 1.5-mile speedway.

But when you stop to think about the situation, it's not a big surprise that LMS was having trouble getting tickets sold to near capacity for the fall race. Not only was the weekend a cloudy, cold and often rainy mess, but the NASCAR Banking 500 was the third Sprint Cup event at the track this season when you count the Coca-Cola 600 and the Sprint All-Star Challenge.

Toss in the big NHRA weekend at the track and you're looking at a bunch of racing options that you're trying to get local fans to throw hefty amounts of money at to attend. Let's face it: this economy just isn't going to support such spending.

I'm not saying that the Charlotte market is oversaturated with racing or that the quality isn't there on the race track -- the end of Saturday night's race had me on the edge of my seat -- but that it's understandable that tickets aren't easy to sell at the moment.

News flash: Joey Logano is still, in fact, a rookie and a 19-year-old kid.

Just look at what Logano had to say after finishing fifth on Saturday night after a late-race duel with Jeff Gordon.

"I had a blast," said Logano. "Racing a world class champion race car driver like that, running door to door for a fourth-place finish -- that was a bunch of fun. It's still really cool to me. I'm still a rookie on this whole deal. To be racing Jeff Gordon, I never thought that day would happen."

It's kind of refreshing to know that he's still getting a kick out of turning laps with the best of the best, huh?

The top-five was Logano's best finish in the Sprint Cup Series since his win at Loudon in May.

Kurt Busch, fresh off a 10th-place finish at LMS, is starting to see a trend develop in NASCAR -- particularly in the first five races of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

"You get into a marathon-type pace early on and then you have a 100-yard dash at the end," said Busch. "It's almost like clockwork."

Fortunately for NASCAR, they didn't have to endure any criticism for a phantom debris caution after Max Papis lost an engine latein Saturday night's race. That caution led to two more before a 20-or-so lap green flag stint to the finish.

Busch acknowledged that such a pattern makes it easier to know what a car will need to win at the end.

"The team that has the car to make that short run at the end is going to be successful," said Busch.

Based on their two Chase wins in 2009, it's apparent that Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus knew that beforehand.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Banking 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logano Races to Heated Victory as Father's Credential Pulled

FanHouse Newswire — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:10:00 EST

Filed under: Greg Biffle, Sprint Cup, Joey Logano

FONTANA, Calif. (AP) -- Joey Logano simply got mad after Greg Biffle put Logano in the wall Saturday in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway.

His father, Tom, tried to get even, and lost his NASCAR credentials in the process.

Joey Logano recovered to win the 300-mile race, pulling away from Brian Vickers over the final two laps to pick up his fifth series win of the year, and second in a row.

Yet while the 19-year-old exalted in Victory Lane, his father was being taken to the NASCAR hauler to talk with Nationwide Series director Joe Balash following a post-race confrontation with Biffle.

The elder Logano approached Biffle's car in pit lane after the race and made at least one hand gesture in Biffle's direction before a NASCAR official intervened.

"A NASCAR official pulled Mr. Logano's annual credential after he confronted the 16 on pit road," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.

Tom Logano will be eligible to sign for a single-event license while officials review the event and can attend Sunday's Sprint Cup event at the track, Poston said.

Tom Logano was apparently upset about the scrape Biffle and his son had on lap 50. The veteran was challenging for the lead when he hinted over the radio that he was going to put the young driver in the fence.

Moments later Biffle slid up the track while passing Logano on the inside, a move that slightly damaged Logano's No. 20 Toyota. Dave Rogers, Logano's crew chief, called Biffle "a coward" over the radio.

Poston said NASCAR is reviewing the video. Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs had no comment and neither Logano could be reached for comment following the race.

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FONTANA, CA - OCTOBER 10: Joey Logano, driver of the #20 GameStop/Brutal Legend Toyota, performs a burn out to celebrate winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Copart 300 at Auto Club Speedway on October 10, 2009 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Joey Logano

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Eventual winner Joey Logano in his Game Stop/Brutal Legend Toyota leads the pack, just ahead of Greg Biffle in the early laps of the NASCAR Copart 300 auto race in Fontana, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Greg Biffle in his CitiFinancial Ford makes a pit stop after colliding with Kyle Busch, forcing Busch out of the race, in the final laps of the NASCAR Copart 300 auto race in Fontana, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. Busch finished the race, in 14th place. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Leading with just a few laps to go in the race, Kyle Busch in his Z-Line Designs Toyota crashes into the wall in Turn Four, narrowly avoiding other cars, in the NASCAR Copart 300 auto race in Fontana, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Joey Logano holds the trophy as he and crew signify his fifth victory after winning the NASCAR Copart 300 auto race in Fontana, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

FONTANA, CA - OCTOBER 10: Brad Keselowski, driver of the # 88 GoDaddy Chevrolet, leads the field during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Copart 300 at Auto Club Speedway on October 10, 2009 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brad Keselowski

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FONTANA, CA - OCTOBER 10: Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 CitiFinancial Ford, races Brian Vickers, driver #32 Dollar General Stores Toyota, during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Copart 300 at Auto Club Speedway on October 10, 2009 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Greg Biffle;Brian Vickers

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FONTANA, CA - OCTOBER 10: Scott Speed (R), driver of the #99 Red Bull Toyota, leads Brendan Gaughan, driver 5-hour Energy ES Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Copart 300 at Auto Club Speedway on October 10, 2009 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Scott Speed;Brendan Gaughan

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FONTANA, CA - OCTOBER 10: Joey Logano, driver of the #20 GameStop/Brutal Legend Toyota, makes a pit stop during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Copart 300 at Auto Club Speedway on October 10, 2009 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Joey Logano

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FONTANA, CA - OCTOBER 10: Brian Vickers, driver of the #32 Dollar General Stores Toyota, races during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Copart 300 at Auto Club Speedway on October 10, 2009 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers

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Tom Logano has been a fixture at the track since his son made his Nationwide Series debut last June. Joey Logano joined JGR's Cup program at the end of the 2008 season and took over as the driver for the No. 20 Toyota in the Cup Series when Tony Stewart left to form his own team.

Joey Logano has delivered on his precocious talent, helping dominate the Nationwide Series along with teammate Kyle Busch.

He qualified on the pole for Saturday's race, but thought his day was done after getting together with Biffle, figuring if he could manage a Top 10 finish, he'd have a decent day.

He got much more than that. While Biffle, Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski battled for the lead, Rogers went to work on Logano's car, finally finding the right formula late in the race.

Logano benefited from a late-race collision between Hamlin and Biffle, then caught another break when a late caution led to a green/white/checkered finish. He dominated the restart, pulling away from Vickers for the victory.

"I was going to try to salvage a top 10 out of it and all of a sudden I'm sitting third and all of a sudden I took the lead and I thought 'I got a shot at this thing,'" Joey Logano said. "I can't believe it.

"You don't want to get me mad. I just race harder."

Carl Edwards finished third and pulled within 155 points of series leader Kyle Busch, who exited his No. 18 Toyota early in the race because of a fever.

Hamlin filled in capably for his teammate and appeared to have one of the strongest cars on the track when he found himself stuck between Keselowski and Biffle coming out of Turn Four.

Hamlin and Keselowski had a run-in during the Nationwide race at Dover two weeks ago, and Hamlin admitted he got so caught up focusing on Keselowski he never saw Biffle trying to pass on the outside.

"I was trying, if I hold the line low, (Keselowski) ends up wrecking us anyway," Hamlin said. "Either way it was going to be a bad situation."

Busch, who had won two straight Nationwide races at California, has been fighting flu-like symptoms the last few days but tried to make a go of it. He qualified second and quickly zoomed to the lead but feared he was getting too hot.

"When I get in the car and I get hot, I start not being able to see exactly straight," Busch said. "The car was really good though. ... (but) I didn't feel it was in my best interest or the team's best interest to win this race or keep going. I probably could have."

Busch said part of his concern was being able to recover in time for Sunday's race.

By WILL GRAVES, AP Sports Writer

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Logano Races to Heated Victory as Father's Credential Pulled originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Cup N's & Q's: AAA 400 @ Dover

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Michael Waltrip, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, Joey Logano

Please follow Joey Logano's actions and keep your hands and feet inside this ride we call Sprint Cup Notes & Quotes at all times.

Michael Waltrip's crash on lap 86 didn't look too vicious compared to Joey Logano's tumbling crash on lap 31, but when you take into account the angle of impact and sudden stop Waltrip's No. 55 experienced, it would easily be the most dangerous of the two.

His Toyota suffered a blown right front tire that uncontrollably rocketed Waltrip into the outside wall. After getting out of his damaged machine, Waltrip was feeling awful thankful for the safety improvements NASCAR has implemented in the past few years.

"I've been racing for a long time and I don't ever take the softer walls for granted," said Waltrip after the hit that left him with a 36th-place finish. "But, at Dover, when you blow a right front -- that's career-ending. We've seen people just not be able to race again because of it. And here I stand talking to you. Dr. Melvin, Dean Sicking, NASCAR, Tony George -- from the bottom of my heart, a guy who has hit real walls before -- I thank you."

Those guys he mentioned were instrumental in getting the SAFER barrier system invented and implemented initially at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and later at every track the Sprint Cup Series races at.

Waltrip's a guy that has turned a lap or two in his career -- over 750 starts, actually -- and for him to acknowledge how much of a difference a safety device made has some significant credence.

For Denny Hamlin and Greg Biffle, the Goodyear tires each raced on didn't suffer any problems like Waltrip -- but the two drivers weren't happy with the results.

NASCAR allowed eight drivers to test at Dover in August with the tire supplier because Goodyear was hoping to find a better compound for last Sunday's race. Goodyear had learned several new technologies in its extensive testing at other tracks this season and felt that they could bring a better tire to produce racing.

Denny Hamlin wasn't happy with the tires before the race and the mood didn't change afterwards, either.

"We definitely came out here thinking we could win the race just like any other weekend, but as soon as the green flag fell, I knew we were in trouble," said Hamlin. "It was just a bad day. The tire that we had was so loose that you had to overcompensate so much with the chassis that it just didn't make for good racing, at least from my standpoint."

Hamlin finished 22nd after never contending all day and is 108 points out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup lead.

Greg Biffle had troubles getting a handle on the new tire as well, but was more concerned with an advantage he felt was given to Jimmie Johnson and Juan Pablo Montoya. They were two of the test drivers from August.

"It was a frustrating day," said Biffle. "What's probably most frustrating about the whole thing, and I hate to beat a dead horse, is that the 42 and the 48 and I don't know who else came up here and tire tested, and when we came back, look at the guys that didn't tire test, we ran terrible. It was a completely different tire, it had us off our game right when we unloaded off the truck, we couldn't even make a lap on the track. We got going there toward the end, but not like the guys that tested. That's the whole deal. We had a decent car, but we're not going to beat guys that came here and tested."

Biffle finished 13th.

Another Chase competitor -- Jeff Gordon -- left Sunday's race quite disappointed as well, but it had nothing to do with the tires.

Gordon was upset with finishing sixth, a position much lower than he ran for parts of the race.

"I'm really disappointed," said Gordon. "I feel like we had a second-place car and when you have a second-place car you've got to finish second or contend for the win. We had a problem with a gun on pit road and I don't know what you do about that but we'll try to fix it for the next time. It's just nice to run good. The No. 48 was in a league of their own but I felt like we were second best."

Gordon's title hopes for 2009 are still intact, though the deficit of 122 points he faces is tough road climb in 8 races when the Chase leaders are looking nearly bulletproof. He'll need to make up ground and not lose it this weekend at Kansas.

Did you catch the in-car camera of Kyle Busch when he hit the wall on lap 207? Something wasn't quite right with the whole ordeal.

Busch first hit the turn one wall with his No. 18 before also impacting the turn two wall. Nothing strange there, right?

Busch then accelerated down the back straightaway with obvious tire and suspension damage and made more contact with the turn three wall before turning on to pit road. Generally, a slow and cautious approach is used to get a car back on pit road in such an instance.

For a guy that is known to have some tremendous car control, it was interesting to see Busch stuff it in the fence three times in one lap. Was he doing it intentionally to finish off a car that had already been wrecked?

I suppose that's something only he knows.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: AAA 400 @ Dover originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joey Logano OK After Wild Dover Crash

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:41:00 EST

Filed under: NASCAR Videos, Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano walked away unscathed from a nasty, tumbling crash on Lap 31 of Sunday's AAA 300 at Dover International Speedway.

More Coverage: Johnson Serves Notice at Dover | Results | Standings

Logano, 19, was startled and later called it the "wildest ride" that he's ever been on.

Logano, a rookie in the series, got turned sideways entering turn 3 at the 1-mile oval, slid up the track, collected three other cars and suddenly started barrel-rolling down the corner. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing machine rolled over violently seven times before coming to a stop at the apron of the corner.

"It just startled me," said Logano. "That was the wildest ride I've ever been on. You can't go on a roller coaster any wilder than that."

The incident started in the middle of the pack on the first lap after a restart on Lap 30. Logano was running on the inside line on the backstretch when Bobby Labonte in the No. 96 tried to fill a hole between Logano and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The No. 96 clipped Logano's nose.

As Logano backed off, Tony Stewart bumped the No. 20 from behind and spun Logano sideways to the inside of the track. Logano's momentum shot the No. 20 back up on to the track in turn three where he collected Reed Sorenson, Martin Truex Jr. and Robby Gordon. Logano's car was hit broadside by Sorenson, forcing it on to its side and then into seven door-over-door flips.

"It started rolling and I was like, 'Please make this stop,'" Logano said. "It just shows how safe these cars are."

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DOVER, DE - SEPTEMBER 27: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, celebrates with the trophy in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on September 27, 2009 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Jimmie Johnson

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DOVER, DE - SEPTEMBER 27: A detail of the signature of Jimmie Johnson is seen on the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet in victory lane as Johnson celebrated his win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on September 27, 2009 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Jimmie Johnson

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DOVER, DE - SEPTEMBER 27: Jimmie Johnson (L of trophy), driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, celebrates with his crew including crew chief Chad Knaus (R of trophy) in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on September 27, 2009 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Jimmie Johnson;Chad Knaus

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DOVER, DE - SEPTEMBER 27: Jimmie Johnson (L) driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, celebrates with a crew member in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on September 27, 2009 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Jimmie Johnson

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DOVER, DE - SEPTEMBER 27: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on September 27, 2009 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Jimmie Johnson

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NASCAR drivers race during the AAA 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup auto race, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Logano's car came to a rest on its side before falling back onto its wheels at the bottom of Dover's banked corners between turns 3 and 4. Safety crews immediately arrived at his mangled race car as NASCAR put the red flag out to halt all on-track action.

"I'm glad Joey is OK," Robby Gordon said after the incident. "I remember being stopped there and looking and watching it flipping and flipping and flipping."

Stewart, who raced Logano's No. 20 just last season, seemed to feel pretty sick about the incident when he was interviewed over his in-car radio by the ESPN booth.

"I wish I would have saw that coming," said Stewart. "I don't know how to say sorry enough to Joey."

Fortunately, Logano's wreck is exactly the type of crash that a NASCAR Sprint Cup race car is designed to handle. The car has a solid roll cage built under the body and is designed to tear away parts during an impact -- decreasing the amount for force felt by the driver.

Logano's car never came to a complete halt -- the worst type of wreck in NASCAR -- and instead dissipated energy with every roll. The restraint system inside the car also aided Logano by holding his body and head in place and not allowing them to flop around as the car turned over.

Logano earned his first-career Sprint Cup win earlier this season in a rain-shortened race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to become the youngest winner in Sprint Cup history.

Joey Logano OK After Wild Dover Crash originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gordon, Logano Get Into Scuffle

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Robby Gordon, Joey Logano

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) -- Robby Gordon says he's glad Joey Logano is OK after their run-ins at Watkins Glen International.

Both Cup regulars raced in Saturday's Nationwide race and had two run-ins late in the 82-lap event.

Gordon blew his right front tire after slamming Logano in the rear entering the first turn of the 2.45-mile track to bring out a caution. Gordon said Logano had knocked him sideways only moments earlier.

"I ran him down towards the inside wall on the front straight,'' Gordon said in an e-mail. "I tried to do a crossover move in turn 1 to get back by him. However, I misjudged a little, resulting in both of us getting flat tires.''

Not long after the restart, Gordon ran Logano off course into a tire barrier. Gordon said that crash, which ended Logano's day, happened when Logano tried to block him.

"Apparently, we got in a little grudge match after I cut down his tire,'' Logano said after visiting the care center. "It's a pretty raw deal. You can't fix stupid, it's forever. You put that in your memory bank.''

Gordon said it was just a matter of hard racing for the lucky dog position.

"We both had good cars and were just trying to improve our finishing position for the day,'' Gordon said. ``I felt he would be OK because he was in the section where the outer loop was. Rather than going down the inner loop, he decided to cut across the grass, hitting the tire barrier.

"This is a highly competitive sport, and we are all very passionate when we are on the track,'' Gordon said. "Tempers have a tendency to flare, but hopefully in the future we will both race each other cleaner.''

Gordon said he met with NASCAR officials Sunday morning and was told there would be no penalties.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Gordon, Logano Get Into Scuffle originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 09 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Lenox 301

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:22:00 EST

Filed under: Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano

Mopping up from a wet finish, here's this week's teenage wasteland edition of Sprint Cup Notes & Quotes. They're Logano-rific!

No. No. No. Rain Tires. No.

Because this is the third time in 2009 that a Sprint Cup race has been halted by rain [congrats, Lincoln Log-ano!], the thoughts of "Why can't NASCAR use rain tires?" are creeping back again.

Well, you want the answer? It's way too simple: the racing would plain suck.

Apologies for breaking out the Kyle Busch lingo on that one, but if you just look back to NASCAR's one attempt at running at rain race in its history during last year's Nationwide Series event at Montreal, you'd know that it just wouldn't work on an oval.

Not only do teams have trouble keeping the inside windows from fogging up and getting a windshield wiper to actually adhere to a windshield at speeds above 100 mph, but the racing would dramatically change as soon as the track got wet and drivers were tip-toeing around an oval on grooved rain tires.

In all likelihood, your race winner on Sunday wouldn't have been Jeff Gordon or Kurt Busch, and instead, an obscure name -- like, gasp, Joey Logano! -- could have found victory lane with the amount of carnage the leaders would have produced.

Just accept it, please. Rain tires don't work. Better scheduling on NASCAR's part [by season, race start time and track lights] does.

Speaking of the Shrubinator himself...

Boy did Kyle Busch take some slack for the wreck that he caused -- don't let Kyle Petty tell you any differently -- on the frontstretch during a restart of Sunday's race. Just read some of these quotes:

"I guess everybody just learns to expect Kyle doing something stupid. Stupid is forever," -- Brian Vickers

"I guess Kyle just decided he didn't want to lift, so I was just an innocent victim today. Someone spun the tires and our lane didn't go. Kyle just lost his head like he usually does when something bad happens." -- Martin Truex Jr.

To his credit, for once, Busch did take the blame for the wreck as he should have. I realize that Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun his tires, but had Busch tried not to make it three-wide, there would have been no wreck, and Brian Vickers wouldn't have been able to throw any more verbal barbs at New Hampshire.

Scott Speed, it turns out, was pleasantly surprised that he didn't get blamed for that wreck, too. Grin.

Did you catch the finish of that Modified race?

Carl Edwards made note of it before Saturday's Nationwide Series race, and ESPN eventually showed the replay of the finish of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series race. The short end of it is that Donny Lia won it after four cars battled and two nearly ended up flipping coming to the checkered flag.

You can see the photo over on From the Marbles, and you can catch an amateur video here.

It's totally worth it.

Just to make a quick note

Dale Earnhardt Jr. did, in fact, drive his No. 88 into a competitive role during Sunday's race. From what I can tell, the biggest difference has been how he is being coached more to tell crew chief Lance McGrew what the car is doing instead of what changes they need.

Some may say that's a knock on Junior's driving ability, but just listen to his teammates and you'll find that each of them just say what the car is doing before the crew chief decides on the plan of action.

Really, it's just like other sports -- the right coach [or in NASCAR, the crew chief] can meld a team of individuals into a winning combination, and that's what seems to be happening here, one step at a time.

Earnhardt finished 13th.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Lenox 301 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Weather Determines Winner - Again

Holly Cain — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Toyota, NASCAR Tracks, Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano

If we celebrated David Reutimann's win at Charlotte last month and Matt Kenseth's February Daytona 500 victory -- both races called off early because of rain -- then no one can begrudge rookie Joey Logano his maiden win Sunday at rain-soaked New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

However, we can question NASCAR's schedule. And we're entitled to bristle just a bit at Sunday's finish.

More Coverage: Logano Makes History | Check Standings

This is the second consecutive year -- and fourth time overall -- that weather dictated the outcome at New Hampshire instead of the racing. Qualifying has been rained out five times in the last eight seasons, including Friday.

The fine folks in New England deserve their slice of Sprint Cup action. But the rest of the country deserves a chance to see a legitimate race. And the drivers -- like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson, who actually ran up front at New Hampshire -- deserve a better fate.

Maybe racing at New Hampshire in June isn't the best idea.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, only November has more average rainfall than June and July in Loudon, N.H. where the track is located.

Obviously you can't predict rain and you can't control the weather. But you can recognize a pattern.

And until NASCAR takes a serious look at fitting its venues with the proper weather, this is going to be an unfortunate side effect. It's too cold to race here in February and March, but April and May might provide better conditions.

Many fans will be unhappy with Sunday's outcome, if for no other reason, Logano wasn't a real factor all day. He was not better than Gordon or Busch or Stewart who battled for the lead throughout the afternoon.

But give the rookie's championship crew chief, veteran Greg Zipadelli credit. His meteorology skills triumphed and his strategy worked despite Logano's best effort to derail a decent finish earlier in the day.

Logano spun his No. 20 Home Depot Toyota and brought out a caution on lap 182, only getting back on the lead lap thanks to NASCAR's "free pass" award seven laps later.

He inherited the race lead on lap 264 when Ryan Newman had to pit for gas. The race was called for rain, 10 laps later. He would have had to come in for gas had the race continued its schedule distance -- another 28 laps.

However, as a very gracious Gordon, who finished runner-up, told the television cameras during the initial rain delay, you take any win you can get.

A win is a win. And Logano, 19, a New England native, was in position to capitalize, making history as the youngest series winner to boot.

"This was the opportunity we had and we had nothing to lose,'' Logano said in his post-race interview. "This is a dream come true and the best race track that it could happen at."

There are no asterisks in NASCAR.

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Joey Logano smiles in victory lane after winning the rain-shortened NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301 auto race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Sunday, June 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

Joey Logano limps into the pits with flat and missing tires during the NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301 auto race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Sunday, June 28, 2009. Logano went on to win the rain-shortened race. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

Ryan Newman's crew tries to get his engine running on pit row during the NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301 auto race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Sunday, June 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

Bobby Labonte, front left, and Regan Smith, walk under umbrellas after the NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301 was called due to rain in Loudon, N.H., Sunday, June 28, 2009. Joey Logano won the race. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

Jeff Burton climbs out of his car after a crash during the NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301 auto race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Sunday, June 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Josh Gibney)

Joey Logano (20) makes it past a crash during the NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301 auto race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Sunday, June 28, 2009. Logano went on to win the rain-shortened race. (AP Photo/Josh Gibney)

Jimmie Johnson makes a pit stop during the NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301 auto race in Loudon, N.H., Sunday, June 28, 2009. Joey Logano won the rain-shortened race. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

Joey Logano makes a pit stop during the NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301 auto race in Loudon, N.H., Sunday, June 28, 2009. Logano won the rain-shorted race. (AP Photo/Gil Talbot)

Martin Truex Jr., left, Casey Mears, center, and Kevin Harvick (29) crash during the NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301 auto race in Loudon, N.H., Sunday, June 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Gil Talbot)

Cars crash in Turn 1 during the NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301 auto race in Loudon, N.H., Sunday, June 28, 2009. Joey Logano won the rain-shortened race. (AP Photo/Mike Silverwood)

Weather Determines Winner - Again originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logano Makes History on 'Gutsy Call'

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:26:00 EST

Filed under: Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) - There were questions about the judgment of team owner Joe Gibbs when he decided to replace departing two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart with a 19-year-old rookie this season.

Even a rookie considered a phenom.

The former NFL coach, head of Joe Gibbs Racing, admitted Sunday he tried not to put too many expectations on the talented, but woefully inexperienced Joey Logano.

Holly Cain: Weather Determines Winner | Check Standings

"We were really looking for just constant improvement, and that's really what we've seen,'' Gibbs said after Logano became the youngest driver in the history of the Sprint Cup series to win a race, taking the rain-shortened Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

"The last seven, eight races we've battled back from some real tough things,'' Gibbs added.

Sunday was no exception as the precocious teenager overcame a crash and a lost lap, then saved just enough fuel to earn his first Cup victory in only his 20th start.

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 28: Joey Logano, driver of the #20 Home Depot Toyota, celebrates winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 28, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. Logano won the rain shortened race with 27 laps remaining. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Joey Logano

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 28: Joey Logano, driver of the #20 Home Depot Toyota, celebrates winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 28, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. Logano won the rain shortened race with 27 laps remaining. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Joey Logano

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 28: Joey Logano, driver of the #20 Home Depot Toyota, leads a group of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 28, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Joey Logano

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 28: Joey Logano, driver of the #20 Home Depot Toyota, speaks to the media after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 28, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. Logano won the rain shortened race with 27 laps remaining. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Joey Logano

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Jamie McMurray crashes into the wall in the third turn during the NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301 auto race in Loudon, N.H., Sunday, June 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

Joey Logano drives past the yellow flag on a wet track near the end of the NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301 auto race in Loudon, N.H., Sunday, June 28, 2009. Logano held on to the lead and the victory when the race was called due to rain. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

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Joey Logano spins after losing a back tire at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Sunday, June 28, 2009. Logano won the rain-shortened race. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 28: Crew Chief Greg Zippadelli (L) and Joey Logano (C), driver of the #20 Home Depot Toyota are congratulated by Tony Stewart (R), driver of the #14 Old Spice Chevrolet after being declared the winner due to rain during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 28, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Greg Zippadelli;Joey Logano;Tony Stewart

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 28: Joey Logano, driver of the #20 Home Depot Toyota, drives under caution due to rain during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 28, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. Logano won the rain shortened race with 27 laps remaining. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Joey Logano

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LOUDON, NH - JUNE 28: Joey Logano, driver of the #20 Home Depot Toyota talks with his Crew Chief Greg Zippadelli after coming to a stop under caution due to rain during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 28, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. Logano won the rain shortened race with 27 laps remaining. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Joey Logano;Greg Zippadelli

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Logano, not even allowed to begin his NASCAR career until he turned 18 in May 2008, added his latest victory to three wins in the second tier Nationwide Series.

"Well, I figured out this sport is a rollercoaster,'' Logano said when asked how tough his learning curve has been. "I go up and down, up and down, up and down. ... One week you can win and the next week you can be 43rd.''

The youngster was among a group of drivers who moved to the front of the field after getting out of sequence on fuel stops. He took the lead when Ryan Newman, trying to stay on track as long as possible with rain threatening, ran out of gas on lap 264 in the event scheduled to go 301 laps.

Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon moved into second and was steadily cutting into the lead as Logano, with a nearly empty gas tank, conserved as much fuel as possible. But the rain began falling three laps later.

The competitors ran six slow laps under caution before NASCAR put out a red flag in hopes of drying the track. But the rain began falling harder and the race was called after 273 laps.

"I was, like, 'The day just went bad, just try to finish it off and get as best finish we can,' and we made the right move at the end,'' Logano said.

The youngster gave most of the credit to crew chief Greg Zipadelli, who worked with Stewart throughout the 10 years he spent at JGR and stayed with the team when Stewart left to become an owner-driver.

"He went for it and I was just lucky enough to be in the seat,'' Logano said. "He said to just stay out, rain's in the area. So we started saving a little bit of fuel ... It's a dream come true, that's for sure.''

Zipadelli, who guided Stewart to 33 Cup victories, seemed a little stunned by this win.

"It's crazy,'' he said. "Obviously, everything at the end of the day went our way. You can't control the weather. The only thing you can do is try to play it to our hand.''

Logano, 19 years, one month and four days old, broke the record set by Kyle Busch for the youngest winner. Busch, now 24, was 20 years, four months and two days when he won for the first time at California in Sept. 2005.

Logano was first spotted as a 15-year-old by NASCAR star Mark Martin, who predicted greatness for the youngster. He been on the fast track ever since, winning races at every level and beating some of NASCAR's top developmental drivers along the way.

To his embarrassment, Logano was dubbed "Sliced Bread,'' as in, "the greatest thing since ... "

The kid has struggled at times this season, but he has shown flashes of the kind of talent that gave Gibbs the confidence to put him in the No. 20 Toyota.

"We know today we were fortunate,'' Gibbs said. "And we know there will probably be some tough days out there for us. But I'm absolutely thrilled for Joey and his family and for us, all of us at Joe Gibbs Racing. We figure we can keep this going, ride this thing for about 20 years.''

It was a virtual home victory for Logano, who was raised in Middletown, Conn., and who made his first Cup start on the same 1.058-mile oval last September, struggling throughout the race and finishing 32nd.

Gordon was disappointed with the second-place finish.

"I felt like we had the best car,'' Gordon said. "The guys got us out first on our last pit stop, but it just got us out ahead of the guys we were racing with.''

He said Zipadelli made "a gutsy call'' leaving Logano on track.

Kurt Busch, who won a rain-shortened event here last June, finished third, followed by David Reutimann and Stewart, the series leader by 69 points over Gordon.

The race was slowed by 11 caution flags for 47 laps. The ninth one was brought out when Logano spun in heavy traffic, hitting the wall in turn four on the 1.058-mile oval.

That cost Logano a lap, but he got it back on the next caution flag, earning the free pass as the first car a lap down.

Logano said Zipadelli told him he could probably have run about five more laps before he ran out of gas.

But the rain came and Logano won.

"Obviously, it's not the way you want to win your first race, in the rain,'' Logano said. "But 20 years down the road, when you look in the record books, no one will know the difference. A win is a win and I'll take them any way I can.''

Spoken like a veteran.

By MIKE HARRIS, AP Sports Writer

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Logano Makes History on 'Gutsy Call' originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Busch Tops Logano for Nationwide Win

FanHouse Newswire — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Kyle Busch, Nationwide Series, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) -- Kyle Busch figured out a way to win again in NASCAR's Nationwide Series.

After two straight frustrating runner-up finishes in the second tier series, Busch passed Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano near the end of the Camping World 200 on Saturday and held off the precocious 19-year-old to get the victory at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Logano, who started from the pole and led 108 of the 200 laps, beat Busch out of the pits by the length of a hood on the final pit stop by the two leaders. But Busch was able to stay with the leader and eventually drive past him with 36 laps left.

"We just kept adjusting on our car all day,'' said Busch, who had led the most laps in the last eight Nationwide races while winning only two of them. "Normally, when we're out front, we don't adjust on it. Today we didn't have the winning car, we made the winning car.

"(Crew chief) Jason (Ratcliff) and myself, we talked this past week about what we need in order to get better, in order to take this team to Victory Lane instead of finishing second week in and week out. This is a good step in the right direction.''

Logano said the handling on his car changed too much during the final run and it slowed him down enough for Busch to move ahead.

"We had a pretty good car today,'' the teenager said. "Just not good enough. It's not like he beat us by a lot. (We were) just too tight at the end. ... I guess this is how Kyle felt lately, leading all the laps and finishing second.''

Busch, who led a total of 37 laps Saturday, picked up his fifth Nationwide win of the year and 26th of his career. The 24-year-old, who also is a star in Sprint Cup and the Camping World Truck Series, now has a total of 52 wins in his NASCAR career.

Saturday's victory was his 10th of the season, including three in Cup heading into Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 on the same track and two in trucks.

Busch's latest victory also added to the remarkable string of 23 different winners in 23 Nationwide races on the 1.058-mile New Hampshire oval.

Former series champion Carl Edwards challenged Logano in the early going, leading 51 laps. But his crew had problems changing the right front tire on a pit stop just past halfway and he fell out of contention, finishing sixth. That left Edwards 162 points behind Busch in the championship after 16 of 25 races. Logano, in his first full season in Nationwide, is fifth.

Brad Keselowski finished third, followed by Mike Bliss and Kevin Harvick.

As the leaders crossed the finish line, Scott Speed hit Brian Vickers from behind and spun out his Cup teammate while they battled for ninth place. Vickers recovered to finish 12th. The angry Vickers bumped the rear of Speed's car several times as the two drove slowly along pit road after the race.

By MIKE HARRIS, AP Sports Writer

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Busch Tops Logano for Nationwide Win originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kyle Busch Dominates Field at Kentucky, But Joey Logano Wins

Bruce Ciskie — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 23:30:00 EST

Filed under: Kyle Busch, Toyota, Nationwide Series, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano

It almost seems like a broken record.

While Kyle Busch continues to own the NASCAR Nationwide Series points standings, he is having awful issues finishing races. He's had some bad luck, no doubt about it. However, Saturday night in the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano simply had a better racecar. It helps that he picked a good time for what could have been his best restart of the night.

With 15 laps to go, a Mike Bliss wreck caused a red flag. After the track was cleaned up, the field was brought to green with 13 to go.

Not long after the restart, Logano got a great run on the low side of Busch, who had led for most of the race, and he made the clean pass. The combination of a popular young driver in Logano and a driver in Busch who is perceived (right or wrong) to be a complete jerk led to a loud roar from the 70,000 fans when Logano took the lead. He didn't give it up, winning by over a second.

For Busch, it was another race where he was dominant throughout, but couldn't cross the finish line first. It's the seventh straight Nationwide race where Busch led the most laps, but he has just two wins in that span.

His frustration was evident in a short postrace chat with ESPN's Mike Massaro. Asked about his widening point lead (Carl Edwards, second in points, ran 20th Saturday, so Busch picked up 47 points on the lead), Busch simply said "Would be nice to have 12 wins," before walking off.

Give him credit, though. He predicted a second-place finish earlier in the day, after a second-place finish in the Truck Series race at Michigan that saw him get passed late.

Kyle Busch Dominates Field at Kentucky, But Joey Logano Wins originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 13 Jun 2009 23:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Cup Notes & Quotes: All-Star

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:38:00 EST

Filed under: Tony Stewart, Lowes Motor Speedway, Sprint Cup, Joey Logano

Musings, rumblings and ramblings from Geoffrey Miller after Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Challenge

'Wooooooooo!' to LMS, NASCAR

I'm not sure who makes the final call on the All-Star race format, but Saturday night's version is about as a good as it gets. That 10-lap finale? Adjectives don't describe that, but honorary race director Ric Flair's trademark "Woooooo!" does.

'Woooooo!' Part Deux

The single funniest moment of the night? Joey Logano's Ric Flair imitation after being announced as the fan vote winner. [Watch here at 1:16]

Harvick Burns 'em Down

Kevin Harvick won the Pennzoil Victory Challenge -- a pre-race burnout contest on the LMS frontstretch -- but don't chalk it up to sponsor favortism. Harvick nailed his burnout and had smoke absolutely pouring from his rear tires.

In a shocking result, both the old and new versions of a hated driver on the NASCAR circuit -- Darrell Waltrip and Kyle Busch, respectively -- broke the rules of the contest and were disqualified. Go figure, eh?

Richard Childress Racing... who?

All-Star race magic wasn't in the cards for the RCR boys, though it isn't shocking after their dismal season so far. In the main event, Jeff Burton lost an engine in his No. 31 to finish 20th while teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer were never factors. They finished 15th and 12th.

Casey Mears allegedly ran the Sprint Showdown, too.

".............."

That's precisely what Kyle Busch had to say for his All-Star outing after an incident with Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman saw him fade to a 7th-place finish. He must communicate with his race fans in some weird, telepathic manner.

"I don't know if I'll even be conscious tomorrow."

So says the All-Star winner Tony Stewart. It must be nice owning your own team after a race win, eh?

I'll say he deserves a crazy night for the amount of work that team has done in the offseason to go from nobody to a contender.

Had enough Jeremy Mayfield drug talk?

I sure hope not.

Accused drug user and suspended NASCAR driver bought an infield pass for Saturday night's race before a contingent of media caught up with him after which NASCAR promptly asked him to leave. Before departing peacefully, though, he had some interesting words on the controversy surrounding him.

He said that he has lawyered up and is preparing to figure out what steps he can take legally, he won't enter rehabilitation because he claims a problem doesn't exist and he still doesn't know what substance NASCAR caught him with.

NASCAR has put themselves between a rock and a hard place in this situation, it seems, because Mayfield seems to think he has plenty of solid evidence that will clear his name. This won't just blow over for the sanctioning body any time soon.

Sprint Cup Notes & Quotes: All-Star originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 17 May 2009 23:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logano Gets Nashville Confidence Boost

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 20:17:00 EST

Filed under: Kyle Busch, Nationwide Series, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano

On the Nationwide Series' first venture of 2009 away from the shadow of the Sprint Cup Series, Joey Logano spoiled the show.

Logano, a full-time driver in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the Nationwide Series, won Saturday's Nashville 300 at Gladeville, Tenn.'s 1.5-mile Nashville Superspeedway after passing teammate Kyle Busch with just 8 laps to go.

While the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates dominated much of the day, the biggest story might be a restoration of Logano's confidence in a race car.

The 18-year-old Logano moved up to a full-time role in the Sprint Cup Series in 2009 to fill in a seat at JGR vacated by the departing Tony Stewart. Seven races into that campaign, it's quite easy to see that his venture to the top ranks of NASCAR has been a bumpy ride -- including a hard head-on crash in the season-opening Daytona 500 after a frustrating speedweeks.

Since then, Logano has nearly fallen from the Top-35 automatic start line with his best finish in the Sprint Cup Series a 13th-place result at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.

His Nationwide campaign, however, has been much more successful. Logano has completed every lap in 2009 with a worst finish of 20th at Daytona. Saturday afternoon, Logano led a race-high 95 laps of the 225 lap event (teammate Kyle Busch led 77) and made the winning move on his teammate as the checkered flag neared.

"It's been way too long since we've been here," said Logano after the race, referring to victory lane.

But the drive to that checkered flag stopped momentarily after a scary crash on the frontstretch saw Joe Nemechek's No. 87 get clipped in the right rear, spin sideways, and flip on his roof before bouncing arond to land back on all four wheels. Nemechek actually kept driving the car as the caution came out. However, Nemechek brought the car to pit road under the ensuing red flag and NASCAR wouldn't let him return to the track in fear that the car couldn't adequately protect Nemechek in another crash.

Oddly enough, Nemechek wasn't required to report to the infield hospital after flipping his car because he didn't stop on the track and actually drove it back to the pit area. NASCAR rules mandate any car that stops on track after an incident see the driver report to the infield care center.

The wreck didn't stop Logano, though, and the No. 20 jumped quickly out to a multiple car length lead over Busch to cruise to his first win of 2009. Logano's first career win in the Nationwide Series came last year at Kentucky Speedway.

Brad Keselowski (third) and Kelly Bires (fourth) led the brigade of Nationwide Series regulars, while Carl Edwards finished 5th. After the race, Edwards was very high on the work put in by Bires after the Kevin Harvick Inc. driver passed him in the final laps. Bires doesn't have a full-time ride in the Nationwide Series.

Jason Leffler, David Ragan, Mike Bliss, Steve Wallace and Scott Lagasse Jr. rounded out the Top-10.

Logano Gets Nashville Confidence Boost originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 20:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR Off-Week Check-Up

Holly Cain — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, Joey Logano

During one of only four off-weeks all season, it's a good time to breathe and check out the early-season statistics. It's way to early to come to any conclusions, but it's been an interesting few weeks of haves and have-nots.

Here's a look at who's getting the thumbs-up or thumbs-down as we prepare for one of the best shows NASCAR has to offer -- 500 laps at the half-mile Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway next Sunday afternoon.

Jeff Gordon: Thumbs Up
This is an obvious and, let's face it, sentimental selection for the points leader. Gordon never fell off the championship wagon, but his first winless season last year convinced the non-believers that he was somehow on his way out. Come on, this is Jeff Gordon.

The four-time champ has returned to form with two runner-up finishes in the last three races -- and his 13th place in the roll-of-the-dice Daytona 500 is his only effort worse than sixth. Get used to seeing his name atop the leaderboard and soon his car in victory lane over and over.

Clint Bowyer: Thumbs Up
This is not only because Bowyer is ranked second, only 43 points behind Gordon, but because of the fact that Bowyer is the best-performing driver most of the country still doesn't know about. The quiet, personable Kansas native is proving you don't have to have a household name to consistently better the household names. Last year he qualified for the Chase and won the Nationwide Series title. This year he's right back in the thick of the Sprint Cup Series championship -- with three top-six finishes -- even after having his former car, sponsor, and crew uprooted at Richard Childress Racing. That's C-L-I-N-T B-O-W-Y-E-R.

Mark Martin: Thumbs Down
This is not of his own doing, unless you count that dark cloud of so-close that has followed Martin throughout his career. After coming out of retirement for a fulltime ride with NASCAR's most dominant Hendrick Motorsports team, even the typically cautious Martin got caught up in high expectations. That's what makes his 34th place ranking so disheartening. He's started from the front row twice -- won the pole last week at Atlanta -- but had two DNFs (engine failures). The 50-year-old's only finish higher than 30th came in the Daytona 500. Even Martin admitted last week, "I do have a history of not being the luckiest guy in the world."

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In a photo provided by the NHRA through Auto Imagery Inc., NHRA Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta is seen in an undated photo. Much like NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt's racing death in February of 2001, the deaths of the 33-year-old Eric Medlen and the 46-year-old Kalitta have been a catalyst for major safety changes in the sport. (AP Photo/NHRA, via Auto Imagery Inc.) ** NO SALES **

In this Oct. 15, 2006 photo provided by RacersEdgePhotography, Eric Medlen celebrates winning a Funny Car race at the TORCO RACING FUELS NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Va. Much like NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt's racing death in February of 2001, the deaths of the 33-year-old Medlen and 46-year-old Scott Kalitta have been a catalyst for major safety changes in the sport. (AP Photo/RacersEdgePhotography, Ken Sklute) ** NO SALES **

** FILE ** This is a Feb. 5, 2009, file photo showing NASCAR driver David Reutimann at media day at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Reutimann is proving that nice guys don't always finish last. The polite-almost-to-a-fault driver for Michael Waltrip Racing is off to a decent start in 2009, good news for his boss' struggling franchise. (AP Photo/Reinhold Matay, File)

** FILE ** This is a Feb. 5, 2009 file photo showing NASCAR driver Mark Martin at media day at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. This was supposed to be Mark Martin's best shot at a championship. Instead, two motors and a tire failed him the past three weeks, leaving the Hendrick Motorsports driver 34th in the Sprint Cup Series standings. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

** FILE ** This is a March 8, 2009, file photo showing Mark Martin sliding across the infield grass during the NASCAR Kobalt Tools 500 auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. This was supposed to be Mark Martin's best shot at a championship. Instead, two motors and a tire failed him the past three weeks, leaving the Hendrick Motorsports driver 34th in the Sprint Cup Series standings. (AP Photo/Mark Young, File)

Kurt Busch (2) leads a pack of cars into Turn One during the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday, March 8, 2009. (Johnny Crawford/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT)

MCT

ATLANTA - MARCH 08: Fans watch action during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8, 2009 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

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HAMPTON, GA - MARCH 08: Kurt Busch, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8, 2009 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kurt Busch

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ATLANTA - MARCH 08: Fans watch during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8, 2009 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

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Rookie Class: Thumbs Down
Come on guys, even without the testing we expected more. And that's the irony. Australian Marcos Ambrose is schooling the marquee wonderkids Joey Logano and Scott Speed thus far. With three top-22 finishes, Ambrose was ranked 20th until a DNF at Atlanta Sunday dropped him to 28th. Still that's better than "Sliced Bread" Logano, who is 33rd in points without a single finish better than 32nd in the famously strong No. 20 Home Depot Toyota vacated by Tony Stewart. Former F1 driver Scott Speed is also looking for his first top-30 run and is ranked even worse -- 37th. We're not expecting a victory, but how about a glimpse of competitiveness.

Brian Vickers: Thumbs Up
If not for a melee in Daytona, Vickers would be ranked even higher than the 11th place position he finds himself in. That Daytona DNF -- on the frustrated bumper of Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- is his only finish outside of the top-10. Few people predicted this one-time Cup winner would be hanging with the big boys even this early on. And while Vickers infuriated the Junior Nation by calling Earnhardt out on national television for their Daytona dust-up, he's having the last laugh. For now. Earnhardt is ranked 24th -- 80 points behind.

The Rest of Hendrick Motorsports: Thumbs Down
Of course three-time defending Sprint Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson will make the Chase and so will his teammate Earnhardt. But if people are surprised that second-year driver David Reutimann and Vickers are ranked among the top-12, they are even more surprised that Johnson and Earnhardt aren't. It's way early and both have had their best results in the past two weeks, but it's time to go. Johnson has spotted Gordon 177 points already, but is less than 20 points behind 12th place Reutimann in the Chase cut-off position. He made up six positions last week alone. Earnhardt is 237 behind Gordon, but only 78 points out of 12th place.

The Busch Brothers: Two Thumbs Up
Older brother Kurt -- you know, the guy who won the 2004 Cup championship -- says he's beginning to hold up his end of the family bargain. His win Sunday at Atlanta moved him up four positions in the rankings to third -- right by younger brother Kyle -- and marked his third top-10 of the year. It was a big victory for Dodge, which has struggled in the past year, and a redemption for Kurt and the once perennial favorite Penske Racing team. Kyle, meanwhile, has a victory at hometown Las Vegas, is ranked seventh and has already earned a pair of Camping World Truck Series wins in his spare time. As NASCAR's winningest driver in 2008, everyone expected to see Kyle out front. It's his big brother's resurgence that has people talking and the rest of the garage on its toes.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Thumbs Up and Down, A Push
Team owner-driver Tony Stewart admitted to surprising himself with a tremendous outing right out of the box at Daytona. He's had three eighth-place finishes in four races and is ranked solidly among the early Chase contenders. All's well on the owner-driver double. It's the owner-only hat that's struggling. His teammate Ryan Newman is ranked 32nd and doesn't have a top-20 yet. He trails 12th place Reutimann by 151 points. Newman has only 48 points more than David Gilliland -- and Gilliland's only competed in three of the four races.

Drug Testing: Thumbs Up
Two crew members -- one from the Sprint Cup Series and one from the Nationwide Series -- have tested positive for illegal substances and have been suspended indefinitely by NASCAR. It's a small percentage of the thousands who took the mandatory test in the preseason. But it makes you wonder. If two people have been suspended in as many months knowing that they were subject to testing, what was going on before NASCAR modified its policy for 2009? Random tests continue at every race venue (about a dozen per week) and hopefully that will be a successful deterrent. There's no gray area in a life-and-death sport.

Attendance: Thumbs Down
This is a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty situation. Attendance has been down, but the television ratings are up and the camera operators have taken creativity to new heights with their crowd shots.

Tires: Thumbs Down
We're tired of having to hear about them. Let's get it right.

NASCAR Off-Week Check-Up originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday Notes and Quotes: Daytona

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:09:00 EST

Filed under: Elliott Sadler, Jamie McMurray, Sprint Cup, Joey Logano

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Here's a few rumblings and bumblings from a soggy evening at Daytona:

Are television viewers more important than full races? I think its a very valid question to wonder why NASCAR is so willing to push the snooze button later and later on Sunday afternoons with the start times of its Sprint Cup Series races.

It was just eight years ago that the Daytona 500 started at 12:30pm local time, while Sunday, it started after 3:40pm local time. The reason? Television ratings and commercial advertising rates go up the later in the day thanks to West Coast viewers and the "prime time" effect kicking in on the East Coast.

Sunday, the late start time produced one good thing: racing under the lights. But it also produced a shortened race that could have been avoided by just starting the race an hour earlier. It did rain Sunday morning at Daytona, but the track was ready to roll by 2 p.m. local time.

I know that its not a perfect system, but when it comes to finishing races or catching viewers -- NASCAR ought to think about what made this sport: competition.

Elliott Sadler was bitterly disappointed with himself following the race despite earning a 5th-place finish.

"You know, it's tough. It's hard to swallow," said Sadler. "But I'm proud of my guys. New team. New pit stops. They all worked out great tonight. To look in their faces when the rain was coming down when I got out of the car, man, that was hard, because I felt like I let them down."

The 5th-place finish for Sadler wasn't as bad as it could have been Sunday night. Just over a month ago, he had been removed from his ride before later being reinstated.

Joey Logano's weekend ended pretty appropriately for the troubles he had throughout Speedweeks. The 18-year-old lost it coming off turn four on lap 79 and pounded the inside wall head-on before spinning into the infield grass.

Logano had never been to Daytona in a race car, and it showed. He made contact with the wall several times throughout his time here and even had Kyle Busch get in the car on Friday to try and make it handle better and run faster. Sunday, he lost the lead draft early in the event.

Jamie McMurray's strong run ended with a multi-car crash that took out what was probably the strongest Roush Fenway Ford for the early part of the race. McMurray never led, but was a constant figure in the Top-10 before getting tangled in the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-Brian Vickers mess on lap 125.

"I was getting run into from the abck and I'm hitting the guy in front of me, and it looked like someone got spun around in the right," said McMurray. "I drove really well and we had some awesome horsepower this weekend from Yates and all those guys.

"Sometimes, it's just not your day."

FanHouse in Daytona officially comes to a close Sunday night, and its sure been a fun ride. It's been an incredible four days hanging around the grounds of NASCAR's most-famous track and to feel the energy that this race brings and the passion that the competitors put in to winning it makes this race second-to-none.

I hope you've enjoyed our coverage this weekend and we'll certainly look forward to bringing plenty of NASCAR news, notes and opinions as the 2009 season gets started and for the rest of the year. Holly and I will be both be at-track for a number of races in 2009, and we hope you'll be along for the ride.

Next week? Stop by for plenty of analysis of the news from Auto Club Speedway.

See you then.

Sunday Notes and Quotes: Daytona originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anxious, Nervous, Excited: Joey Logano Preps for NASCAR's Biggest Stage

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:08:00 EST

Filed under: Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano

Joey Logano should be getting ready to graduate from high school, be filling out college applications or otherwise doing things a typical 18-year-old kid does at this point in life. But Logano isn't exactly any other kid.

Instead of worrying about homework, Logano has his eyes set on becoming the youngest driver in history to start the Daytona 500 on Sunday after taking over the reigns left vacant by Tony Stewart of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. 2009 will mark Logano's first full season in the highest form of NASCAR racing.

Last week, I had a chance to catch up Logano to talk about the upcoming season, the new NASCAR Kart Racing game for Nintendo Wii and a little on-track skirmish he had in January.

FanHouse: Hey Joey, thanks for chatting with us. First off, you made some headlines a few weeks back during the Toyota All-Star Challenge at Irwindale Speedway when you wrecked the leader Peyton Sellars on the last lap. NASCAR penalized you for the move, taking away the victory. What did you think about the call and would you do it again?

Joey Logano: You know, I really did hate for all those guys behind me who got caught up in that mess and wrecked their race cars, but it was an All-Star race and I just made a move I thought could win it. We had the lead just a few laps before and was just trying to get it back by driving it down in there and it didn't stick like I thought it would.

FH: After the race, the driver you ran into, Peyton Sellars, stopped by your car to have a few words. What did you talk about?

JL: Oh, well, you know, he just stopped to talk about going to dinner sometime or something like that -- if you know what I mean. [laughs] It was definitely just to make some plans for dinner later and how to unlock my character on the new NASCAR Kart Racing game.

FH: Oh yeah? I've heard some things about EA Sports' NASCAR Kart Racing for Wii. Have you had a chance to play it?

JL: Actually, I just got a chance to play it for the first time the other night and it was a lot of fun. It's a lot like Mario Kart because you can shoot things at people to spin them out to crash them and things like that. Plus, if you play it enough you can unlock more tracks and drivers like me in my Gamestop car. I haven't had enough time to get there yet, though.

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FH: Well, if you did have time for that, you probably wouldn't be getting ready for Daytona right now. What would Joey Logano be doing if this racing thing hadn't taken off?

JL: I'd probably be back home in Connecticut hauling garbage because that's what my dad used to do. Of course, I'd be driving the truck. Even if I wasn't racing, I'd have to be driving something.

FH: Knowing that, it's a probably been a very good thing for Mark Martin to have called you "the real deal" before anyone had ever heard of your name, right?

JL: When he said that, I was 14 and no one had ever heard of me and after that, all the big teams knew my name. It was a big deal to have a driver like Mark Martin say something that nice about me and it definitely helped get me on the map and to where I am today in NASCAR. He really was responsible for helping me get into stock car racing.

FH: You've certainly come a long way from that point. Are you nervous at all about taking over Tony Stewart's old ride that has won two championships in the past 7 years?

JL: I'm definitely anxious to get the season started, and yeah, a little nervous at the same time. Everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing has been helping me get ready and I really think Zippi [crew chief Greg Zipadelli] and I will work great together. Getting in No. 20 Home Depot car is a big honor and I've obviously get some big shoes to fill after Tony left, but I think we're heading in the right direction. I'm definitely looking forward to getting in the car at Daytona.

Latest NASCAR Photos

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: David Ragan, driver of the #6 UPS Ford, spins into a gravel pit during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** David Ragan

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: A view of cars racing during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard Chevrolet, races Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Dale Earnhardt Jr.;Kyle Busch

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Crew members work on the #82 Red Bull Toyota, driven by Scott Speed, in the garage are during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Scott Speed

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Crew members work on the #18 M&M's Toyota, driven by Kyle Busch, on pit road during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Crew members work on the #29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, driven by Kevin Harvick, on pit road during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kevin Harvick

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, sits in his car on the grid prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, sits in his car on the grid prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Denny Hamlin (R), driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, talks with his crew chief Mike Ford on the grid prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Mike Ford;Denny Hamlin

Getty Images for NASCAR

NASCAR driver David Ragan talks with reporters as he leaves the infield care center after he was involved in an accident during the NASCAR Budweiser Shootout auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.(AP Photo/John Raoux)

FH: You had a handful of Sprint Cup starts toward the end of 2008 and none of them went too well. What will be different in 2009?

JL: I think a big difference will be getting in full-time with Joe Gibbs Racing and getting to be in the car each weekend. I know I'll be in the same car each weekend and having Zippy (Zipadelli) there will really help bring some consistency. Just being in the car week-in and week-out will certainly make things a little easier.

FH: Finally, you've earned the nickname "Sliced Bread" in the garage area thanks to your rising star status. What's your thoughts on that and would you change it?

JL: Oh, I don't really care what names people have for me, but that one actually has a story behind it. It actually came from [former NASCAR driver] Randy LaJoie last season and it has just kind of stuck. I guess its a good thing that everybody at least knows who I am, right?

FH: Certainly. Thanks Joey and best of luck for 2009.

JL: Thanks.

Anxious, Nervous, Excited: Joey Logano Preps for NASCAR's Biggest Stage originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Optimism Reigns in Daytona

Holly Cain — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:22:00 EST

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Tony Stewart showed up late, but conciliatory. Dale Earnhardt Jr. arrived early, and opinionated.

Mark Martin's invigorated. Jeff Gordon's motivated and Jimmie Johnson's confident. Such was Thursday's annual Media Day -- the kick-off event for Daytona International Speedway, which hosts NASCAR's Daytona 500 on Feb. 15.

This day drivers are full of optimism and philosophic perspective. And then the wheels hit the track.

The NASCAR press voted 2008 Cup runner-up Carl Edwards the preseason pick to win this year's championship figuring the odds were just too great against Jimmie Johnson winning an unprecedented fourth straight.

"It's not annoying, ... this is just the hype of the season," Johnson said of the Edwards pick. "This is not what goes on on the race track. The favorite going in, they still have to go out and perform for 26 weeks and for 10 after that."

It appears Johnson's finger is healing well after surgery to repair a tendon two weeks ago. Johnson sliced his finger while cutting through his driver's suit to insert tubing during the Rolex 24 sports car race here.

He had the five stitches taken out and while the finger on his left hand is still slightly swollen, only a small gauze bandage protects the inch-long cut. Johnson said he doesn't expect it to be a problem when he's driving and he'll try out a couple different braces in Budweiser Shootout practice on Friday.

"Frankly the thing I'm most worried about is if I trip or fall and have to catch myself - that would put me in the worst situation possible," he said.

Meanwhile, Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Earnhardt didn't back off from comments he's made that NASCAR's tracks should do more to help out fans during these challenging economic times -- suggesting venues should build their own hotels to help make a race trip affordable.

"People aren't coming to races because the drivers don't give a (expletive), they're not coming because it's too expensive to do it," Earnhardt said.

Stewart, whose new team, Stewart-Haas Racing debuts this week, said he still considers Earnhardt the favorite for Saturday's Budweiser Shootout non-points race and again for the Daytona 500.

"He's always been the guy here," Stewart said. "He's picked right up where his father left off as a restrictor plate driver."

While a crowd of reporters three deep took turns asking Stewart questions, only an hour earlier a much smaller group of writers broke in his replacement at Joe Gibbs Racing, 19-year-old Joey Logano.

Wearing a baseball cap and an ear-to-ear grin, Logano patiently and politely endured his first Daytona media day -- ending it with the same smile and good humor he started with.

"My goal is to have a lot of fun and learn a lot," said Logano, who would be the youngest Daytona 500 starter in history.

"I'm pretty excited about it for sure. You had time to think about it all over the offseason you keep thinking if it's ever going to come. Now it's here. And it's pretty neat."

Optimism Reigns in Daytona originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR DQ's Logano at All-Star Race

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:07:00 EST

Filed under: Other Racing Series, Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano

"Sliced bread" -- 18-year-old NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie Joey Logano's most-often used nickname -- didn't exactly fit NASCAR's appetite late Saturday night at Southern California's Irwindale Speedway.

Logano, as a video a little later in the post will dramatically illustrate, was closing on race leader Peyton Sellers on the final lap of the Toyota All-Star Showdown when the Joe Gibbs Racing driver in the black No. 08 car made a bonzai attempt at the lead and slammed Sellers into the Turn 4 wall as they came to the checkered flag.

Logano ended up crossing the finish line first -- a nose ahead of then-second place Matt Kobyluck -- as Sellers spun and collected multiple drivers in a big crash. The finish, however, wasn't to be for the young Logano, winner of the 2007 edition.

Just minutes after the checkered flag had fallen and barely after the smoke from the Turn 4 carnage had cleared, NASCAR declared Kobyluck the winner after disqualifying Logano's finish and citing rough driving as the reason. The decision set off an interesting spectacle of Kobyluck celebrating on-track with donuts while Logano got some stern words from Sellers, who had climbed from his mangled car and jogged down the track to confront the young driver.

Kobyluck, who owns his own construction contracting business in Connecticut in addition to his full-time ride with the Camping World East Series, became the first two-time winner of the event, thanks to NASCAR's decision.

The All-Star Showdown has been run since 2003 in various formats as a way to celebrate successes of drivers in NASCAR's lower levels, but in 2008, the 250-lap race featured champions from the Camping World East and West, Canadian Tire, Whelen Modified, All-American National, Corona and Southern Modifed Series among nearly 60 entrants into the 40-car non-points money-only event.

Some other notable names who participated Saturday night included Ron Hornaday Jr., Steve Park, Austin Dillon, Matt Crafton and Marc Davis.

But as for Logano, the young driver appeared to the entire incident and punishment in stride during a post-race interview in which he admitted to the mistake but also questioned NASCAR's call without sounding too over-the-top. In other words, the kid appears to be just another version of the oh-so-loved three-time Sprint Cup champ Jimmie Johnson. (You know, that guy with a beard.)

David Poole, over at ThatsRacin, made some interesting points about the whole situation and wondered how NASCAR would apply such a rule to, say, Dale Earnhardt Jr. taking out Tony Stewart on the last lap of this year's Sprint All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May.

After all, it's really the same concept and in a perfect world, NASCAR would apply rules without a hint of any gray area across its entire spectrum of racing series.

But then again, racing is as predictable as a ball or strike call in baseball with its rulebook, and because of that, the word "precedent" doesn't exactly apply to most things in NASCAR racing.

Anywho, here's a look at the last seven laps of the 250-lap race and be sure to watch for Logano's bold move on the final lap at about 2:25 on the video. And, as a perk for those of you with one of those fancy high-speed connections, there's even a high-quality version available on Youtube (just click the video twice). Enjoy.

NASCAR DQ's Logano at All-Star Race originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stories for '09: Joey Logano's Hype

Holly Cain — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:29:00 EST

Filed under: Joey Logano

Here's what everyone will be talking about as the NASCAR haulers roll into Daytona International Speedway next month for the start of one the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.

Even if you've already been anointed the next coming off Jeff Gordon, it's a tough year to be a rookie. And 18-year-old racing American Idol Joey Logano is about to find that out.

If anyone will be affected by the testing restrictions, it's the rookie class, led by the Joe Gibbs Racing prodigy Logano. He'll be learning the tracks and a new car by the seat of his pants unless NASCAR makes some extra provisions such as a short rookie-only practice each weekend.

It's hard to feel sorry for a teenager earning a six-figure paycheck competing in the most elite levels of racing, but surely Logano shouldn't be compared to recent Rookies of the Year who had exponentially more seat time in the Cup cars than Logano will have.

The comparison to Gordon is actually more accurate because Gordon endured a learning curve his first season too. And frankly, less was expected of him than Logano.

"It's part of the mystery as we move forward to see how this all works out,'' Toyota Racing Development President Lee White said of the young Toyota driver.

"I do think that one of the negatives of the test ban is the fact that it's probably going to take some additional time to develop a rookie.

"That means you're going to have to have a very strong team and a very patient sponsor to be able to ride that and to get him where he needs to be.''

Stories for '09: Joey Logano's Hype originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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