I’m not normally one for writing stuff about the same, tired, worn out topics that every other motorsports writer seems to focus on. I mean, when I get on Jayski’s story links page now, I do a quick scan and move on. Where is the creativity? There are enough Dale Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Economy stories to choke a freakin’ horse. But I’m going to break one of my pseudo-rules and throw in my two cents about Joey Logano.
“Sliced Bread” made his Nationwide Series debut last May, not too long after we opened TNI (The NASCAR Insiders). I even wrote a post about it. At the time, none of us knew that he would end up being Tony Stewart’s replacement in the #20 Home Depot Toyota. Looking back over that post, I had the same exact feelings then that I do now.
There has certainly been a ton of hype surrounding this kid from Connecticut. Early on, there were plenty of folks who jumped on the Logano bandwagon. And Joey didn’t disappoint. He won his first Nationwide race is only his third start.
But now that Logano has moved to the Cup Series, and has finishes of 43rd and 26th to start the year, some haters are starting to surface.
Let me just answer a few of you right now. No, he probably wasn’t ready to be thrown in a Cup car. Yes, he was rushed to the top. Yes, he is probably over-hyped. And yes, I’m going to give the kid a chance.
Keep in mind that he has now made a total of five Cup Series starts. And, he’s attempting to break into the sport in a car that even veterans have struggled to master. Through those first five races, Logano has an average finish of 36th.
Guess what other driver had an average finish in the mid 30′s after his first five Cup starts? Try his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Kyle Busch. Yup, that’s right. After his first five starts during the 2004 season, Busch had an average finish of 33.6.
To wrap this post up, I’m going to steal my own words from the previous post I wrote about Logano.
So, do I think the kid has talent? Yes. Do I think he has a lot of potential? Of course. Am I going to start comparing him to Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, or Dale Jr.? Not a chance… Logano needs seat time to learn just like any other young driver, and until he’s got some races under his belt, I’m going to reserve judgement.
What are your thoughts on Logano? Can we at least give him a chance? Are you rooting for him to succeed or fail? What are your predictions for his future?
Related posts:
- Kudos To Joey Logano
- “Sliced Bread” Logano comes to NASCAR…
- Logano Needs To Quit Talking And Just Get Payback
- Hey Yeley, Cool It!
- Logano Needs A Short Memory
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on Feb 27th, 2009 at 6:13 am
[...] Let’s Not Forget Logano is Rookie | The Nascar Insiders By TC I’m not normally one for writing stuff about the same, tired, worn out topics that every other motorsports writer seems to focus on. I mean, when I get on. http://www.thenascarinsiders.com/2009/02/26/lets-not-forget-logano-is-rookie/ [...]
on Feb 27th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Bottom line…there is no substitute for track time. Unfortunately, testing ban will come into play w/ JL. Hopefully Gibbs had the forsight to schedule plenty of off season testing at non-sanctioned tracks. Just hope it’s not another Casey Atwood situation. Good driver….just too soon!
I know it’s a different time now, but a driver who works on his own stuff and struggles w/ sub par equipment will pay dividends down the road. Today’s sponsors, owners and families don’t allow that maturing process to happen naturally. Money talks!
on Feb 27th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Oh he has talent. I think he was thrown to the wolves too early. He needed a full year in Nationwide Series to get himself ready and get more experience. Like Brad K. is doing is what they should have done for Joey. I feel sorry for him.
on Feb 27th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Logano’s definitely got talent & I think the consensus is that he was thrown to the wolves too early because of Tony’s leaving. That said, don’t hate the kid because he’s taking advantage of this opportunity. He admits that he needs all the seat time he can and when asked by an ex-driver on one of the Trackside shows if he thinks he’s made the jump to cup too early his answer was “if you were offered the #20 Joe Gibbs Home Depot Toyota, wouldn’t you take it?” That’s the right answer. I bet there’s 50 other cup drivers trying to make races this year that would jump at that ride.
I don’t think JGR racing is expecting this kid to contend for the chase this season or next. Hell Joey doesn’t even know what to look for in order to give feedback on the handling of the COT. Kyle had to jump in the car just to make sure that they weren’t missing something that Joey wouldn’t know if it were there or not. No testing this year is really hurting him.
If you’re going to look at it in the terms of does he “deserve” this ride, take a look at some other names out there. Menard & Gilliland come to mind. I think Logano has more business in a cup car than either of those two combined.
Don’t blame Joey for this. He’s not out there calling himself sliced bread. He’s not the one out there hyping himself. Blame that on the media. What’s he supposed to call DW up & say “ummmm do you think you can stop calling me sliced bread on air? I think you may be over exposing me.” Hell no.
Joey’s got to prove himself to the other drivers & he knows that. Every interview I see with him, almost the first thing he says is he’s trying to gain the other drivers’ trust & respect.
So I don’t hate Joey…… yet. I’ll give him three years before I decide if he’s worthy of hate. Most likely it will turn out to be indifference.
on Feb 27th, 2009 at 9:24 am
To Neon & Bad Bev. I wrote my comment before yours were posted. Sorry about the track time & thrown to the wolves repetition.
on Feb 27th, 2009 at 9:48 am
I agree with Bad Bev. I think that he was pushed into Cup too soon. His quick success in the NW series last year had a lot to do with the car that he was stepping into.* I’m not questioning his talent, because it is there. He needs more time to develop, mature, and become accustomed to running a national series. I hope that this wasn’t sponsor-driven – meaning that the sponsor didn’t want to invest the money in marketing a driver for only 1 year since it seemed to be a forgone conclusion that Logano would have been in Cup in 2010.
People need to lay off that Joey hasn’t been able to test. He was JGR’s test driver last year, so he did get a feel for what they car did. Maybe not at places like Daytona and the 2 mile tracks, but he was in the car.
*I had compared the 2007 and 2008 results from a car competing in the NW series. While both years saw Cup drivers in the car, the results were similar even though in 2008 the car was driven by a few “Names” and in 2007, it was driven by a lesser known Cup regular.
on Feb 27th, 2009 at 9:54 am
It’s a bit early to hit the “panic button” about Joey Logano.
However, if the #20 team gets to the 6th race and is out of the Top 35 in points, then maybe Gibbs might call up Terry Labonte to help them out of the points jam, just like he did for the #11 Fedex team a few years ago.
OBTW, the #88 team with you-know-who at the wheel, might be in the same predicament by race 6! But that is topic for another time.
on Feb 27th, 2009 at 10:19 am
He seems to be such a nice kid and very young to have to deal with unrealistic expectations from fans and the press. I have admired his grace under the hot lights of multiple interviews, some surely unfair. I agree with you completely and hope he continues to have support while he learns. I also hope Gibbs can help him navigate a healthy relationship with his teammates, who are both very, very strong personalities.
on Feb 27th, 2009 at 10:36 am
If you think back to 2001 there was another driver hailed as “the next superstar”. Casey Atwood was thrown into the deep end with great equipment and 2,000 metric tons on media hype.
Fast forward to 2009, that same “superstar” was hanging out in the truck garage last week. I get so ticked off about these kids getting rides they have not earned. I hope Logano saves some of that money he’s making. I’m betting the truck series won’t pay alot in 2017.
on Feb 27th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Nice post about Joey. He is not “sliced bread”. He will have to learn just like Gordon and all the rest of them. And if he applies himself, which he seems to be doing, he will someday be a really good driver. Hope it all works for him.
Guess what. I don’t even compare Dale Jr. to Gordon, Stewart, and Kyle let alone Logano. Jr. is a great guy and popular as heck, but given his opportunities and equipment, the jury is out on whether he will ever even win a championship. I said from the time Hendrick fired Kyle that the reason was that Rick wanted someone to fit the mold, not a better driver. Looks like that’s panning out.
on Feb 27th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Logano is a good driver. Like Neon said,let’s hope He has better luck than Atwood did.
He’s not even 19 yet!!
Maybe He wasn’t necessarily ready for the 20 car.
on Feb 27th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Talk about pressure, this kid had more than his fair share. Not only was he placed in Tony Stewart’s car but the Media built up so much hype there was no way any one could live up to the fanasty they created. Given time he will turn out to be a fine driver if he doesn’t let them get to him. IMO that is what Kyle has done and it has worked. He has ignored the Media & the fans with their negative attitudes and look what he has done.
on Feb 27th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I hate to start every comment about Jr. w/ “he’s a great guy, but”. Although here I go again……Jr better get his act together quickly as JT said above. 35th after 2. Ouch, but considering not that many good cars behind him in pts so he should be fine and could always rely on speed w/o a lock-in.
Just imagine, if you will, a day in which Jr. is forced to sit out a Sunday. Now imagine that was Talladega! Double ouch and fan riots in Degaville. Rest easy Jr. fans, with the pts system in place it’s possible, but not probable. Not making the Chase, however, is more probable and hiding in the shadows w/ every misstep!
on Feb 27th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Yeah, Lagano is just a baby! Is there a contest to see how young we can go? I can’t help but think there are a few”older” drivers with a lot more experience out there hoping for a break.
Gosh! How about we get rid of the Nationwide series and keep Sprint and the trucks. Now there are enought quality drivers and sponsers to go around!
Let Lagano cut his teeth a few more years.
on Feb 28th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Neon, you don’t think Jr. would ever really sit out a race do you? If the situation ever comes up I think we can count on seeing another on the spot rule change from Nascar. Or more likely another car being deemed an illegal entry then what do you know, Jr. will be in the race.
on Feb 28th, 2009 at 11:11 am
JGR has brought this kid into the cup series way too early, Joey when offered the ride made the best desision to take the ride. I think eveyone agrees about that. JGR should be running this kid in every possible series right now, CWTS,Nationwide, ARCA. Plus this kid should be behind the wheel several time a week during the week. None of this is the kids fault, he is a very talented driver who was dumped into the Cup series way too soon. JGR will need to have this kid on a five year plan inorder for him to be successful. I don’t think the #20 will stay in the top 35 this year due to lack of experence, this is why JGR needs to keep him testing and driving in every series possible. Joey will be successful, it;s just how long will it take. This is the perfect example why NASCAR should require hese kids to run a year or two in the truck or nationwide series before allowing them to drive in cup.