Joey Logano
| Joseph Thomas Logano | |||||||
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| Born | May 24, 1990 Middletown, Connecticut, United States |
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| Achievements | 2007 NASCAR Busch East Series Champion | ||||||
| Awards | 2009 Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year | ||||||
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career | |||||||
| 112 race(s) run over 5 year(s) | |||||||
| Car no., team | No. 20 (Joe Gibbs Racing) | ||||||
| 2011 position | 24th | ||||||
| Best finish | 16th – 2010 | ||||||
| First race | 2008 Sylvania 300 (Loudon) | ||||||
| Last race | 2012 Daytona 500 (Daytona) | ||||||
| First win | 2009 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 (Loudon) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Nationwide Series career | |||||||
| 89 race(s) run over 5 year(s) | |||||||
| Car no., team | No. 18/20 (Joe Gibbs Racing) | ||||||
| 2011 position | 92nd | ||||||
| Best finish | 8th – 2010 | ||||||
| First race | 2008 Heluva Good! 200 (Dover) | ||||||
| Last race | 2012 DRIVE4COPD 300 (Daytona International Speedway) | ||||||
| First win | 2008 Meijer 300 (Kentucky) | ||||||
| Last win | 2011 Subway Jalapeño 250 (Daytona) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career | |||||||
| 1 race(s) run over 1 year(s) | |||||||
| Best finish | 91st – 2008 | ||||||
| First race | 2008 Mountain Dew 250 (Talladega) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of February 25, 2012. | |||||||
Joseph Thomas "Joey" Logano (born May 24, 1990), nicknamed "sliced bread" (as in the greatest thing since) by Randy LaJoie,[1] is an American stock car auto racing race car driver who currently drives the #20 Home Depot/Dollar General Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and the #20 GameStop/Sport Clips Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Logano's first major NASCAR win came during the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway in just his third start in the 2008 Nationwide Series. Logano made history becoming the youngest driver to win a Nationwide Series race at 18 years, 21 days old. The previous youngest was Casey Atwood in 1999 at 18 years, 313 days.[2] Logano became the youngest winner in Sprint Cup Series history when he won the 2009 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway at 19 years, 35 days. The previous youngest was teammate Kyle Busch in 2005 at 20 years, 125 days.[3] Logano is now the youngest winner in two of NASCAR'S three top divisions. Logano is also the first NASCAR driver to be born in the 1990s to compete in NASCAR's three major divisions.
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[edit] Racing career
[edit] Early racing career
Logano is the youngest child, born into a tight-knit Italian-American family.[4] He began his racing career in 1996 as a 6-year-old quarter midget racer living in Connecticut. In 1997 Logano won his first Eastern Grand National Championship in the Jr. Stock Car Division. He followed it up with a Jr. Honda Division Championship in 1998 and in early 1999 a Lt. Mod. Division Championship. Later in 1999 Logano won 3 New England Regional Championships in the Sr. Stock, Lt. Mod., Lt. B. divisions.
Logano's family then moved to Georgia. The transaction allowed Logano to win a Bandolero Bandits Series Championship. At age 10 he went on to racing Legend cars, where he set a 14-consecutive winning streak track record at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, along with a Lions National Championship. At age 12, Logano won the Southeast-based Pro Legends National championship. Afterwards he spent a couple years racing various forms of pavement Late Model racing.[5]
Veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin, who was driving for Jack Roush(Roush Fenway Racing) at the time, called Joey Logano "the real deal".[6] When Logano was 15, Martin said "I am high on Joey Logano because I am absolutely, 100-percent positive, without a doubt that he can be one of the greatest that ever raced in NASCAR. I'm positive. There's no doubt in mind."[7]
In 2005, he ran in 1 FASCAR Pro Truck Series race at the New Smyrna Speedway, started 1st and finished 2nd. He raced in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, competing seven times in the Northern Division, and winning once at Mansfield, two Southern Division races, and five Championship Series races.[6] The following season, he continued racing in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series. He raced in twelve Southern Division races, winning twice at South Georgia Motorsports Park and at USA International Speedway. He ran in one USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, Northern Division race and six Championship Series races.
In 2007, a new NASCAR rule allowed drivers 16 and up to race in the Grand National Division, allowing Logano to compete in the series. He finished the 2007 Grand National season with 13 starts in Camping World East Series, winning 5 races, 3 poles, 10 Top 5's, and 10 Top 10's, and winning the championship with wins at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Iowa Speedway, two wins at New Hampshire International Speedway, and Adirondack International Speedway. He also has made 1 NASCAR West Series start at Phoenix International Raceway, where he started 2nd and won in the #10 Joe Gibbs Driven Toyota. On October 20, 2007, Logano won the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway, leading 87 laps and held off Peyton Sellers for the win.
On May 4, 2008, Logano won the Carolina 500 during his ARCA RE/MAX Series debut with Venturini Motorsports in racing's return to Rockingham Speedway. Logano also made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut, at Talladega, in the Mountain Dew 250, starting 6th and finishing 26th. It has been his only start to date in the Truck Series. Logano attempted to defend his Toyota All-Star Showdown title he won in the 2007 season by driving in the January 2009 race (the 2008 season race), and was disqualified for crashing into Peyton Sellers in an unsportsmanlike manner on the final lap, in an attempt to win the race.
[edit] Nationwide Series career
Logano made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at the Dover International Speedway in the 2008 Heluva Good! 200.[8]
Logano became the youngest winner in Nationwide history by winning his first major NASCAR series race at the 2008 Meijer 300 in only his third start, previous holder of the achievement was Casey Atwood[9] On July 10, 2009, Logano won the Dollar General 300 by deciding not to pit unlike his teammate Kyle Busch who took four tires with twelve laps to go. By leading the pack, the clean air made it easy to beat Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch by five car lengths making it the first time he won at the racetrack in Chicago. He took his fifth series victory at the Kansas Speedway after a late race pass over teammate Kyle Busch. He earned his sixth Nationwide series victory at the Auto Club Speedway. In April 2009 Joey won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Nashville. On July 1, 2011, he won the Subway Jalapeño 250 at Daytona International Speedway, avoiding a last second crash.
[edit] Sprint Cup Series career
On August 25, 2008, Joe Gibbs Racing called a press conference to announce that Logano would drive the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the 2009 Sprint Cup Series.[10] Logano replaced Tony Stewart who left JGR to drive for his own team, Stewart-Haas Racing. Logano was also a candidate for the 2008 Rookie of the Year award, and was scheduled to make his first Sprint Cup start in the #20 Home Depot car part-time throughout the rest of the 2008 season, starting at the Richmond.[10]
On August 28, Hall of Fame Racing announced that Logano would drive five races in their #96 car during the 2008 Sprint Cup Series.[11] His official debut was in New Hampshire on September 14, by starting that race, he became the first NASCAR driver to run a cup race that was born in the 90s. On September 5, Joey Logano made his first appearance in a Sprint Cup car at Richmond International Raceway in the two hour long Friday practice for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Due to Tropical Storm Hanna, qualifying was rained out. A NASCAR rule states that when qualifying is rained out, the top 43 drivers in owners points are then set for the race. Logano was not in the top 43 in owners points, so he did not get to debut.
Logano is the youngest post-modern-era driver to compete full time in NASCAR's top division (Records show drivers as young as 15 competing in NASCAR. A 2002 rule change mandated that drivers had to be 18 to compete in a national touring series; 16-year-olds can compete in regional divisions such as the Camping World East and a 2010 adjustment allowed 14-year-olds to compete in the Whelen All-American Series).
In 2009, Logano finished 4th in his first Gatorade Duel, and would become the youngest driver to ever start in the Daytona 500, however, he would crash midway through the race.[12] Logano's first three starts in the Sprint Cup Series saw three finishes of 30th place or worse. Las Vegas was his sixth start in the Sprint Cup Series, he finished 13th. In April, Logano finished ninth for his first top-ten finish at Talladega; later that month at Darlington, he led 19 laps late in the race and finished ninth. Logano was the fan vote for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, and finished in 8th place.
On June 28, 2009, Logano won the rain-shortened Lenox Tools 301 at Loudon, New Hampshire, beating 4-time cup champion Jeff Gordon and former Home Depot #20 driver Tony Stewart, becoming the youngest winner ever in NASCAR's top racing series at the age of only nineteen years, one month and four days old.
On November 22, 2009 Logano was crowned the official 2009 Sprint Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of The Year, having beat out other rookies Scott Speed and Max Papis.[13]
Logano won his first Coors Light Pole Award on March 19, 2010 for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Crew chief Greg Zipadelli left the #20 team at the end of the 2011 season to become the competition director at Stewart-Haas Racing. Jason Ratcliff was named Logano's new crew chief beginning with the 2012 season.
[edit] References
- ^ SceneDaily.com: Young phenom Joey Logano ready for Nationwide Series
- ^ Logano makes history as youngest Nationwide Series winner
- ^ NASCAR.COM: Logano wins first as rain shortens New Hampshire
- ^ http://www.jeffspeer.com/Logano/Logano_May_09.pdf
- ^ Joey Logano early racing career records
- ^ a b JoeyLoganoRacing.com: Biography
- ^ "The next big thing"; October 23, 2007; Jay Hart; Yahoo Sports; Retrieved October 25, 2007
- ^ Bernstien, Viv. "Logano, 18, to Make Nationwide Debut ", New York Times, May 25, 2008, accessed June 26, 2009.
- ^ Associated Press "SPORTS BRIEFING | AUTO RACING; 18-Year-Old Wins ", The New York Times, June 15, 2008, accessed June 26, 2009.
- ^ a b Logano was named to replace Stewart in No. 20
- ^ Logano to drive five Cup races for Hall of Fame team
- ^ Joey Logano to become youngest Daytona 500 starter
- ^ Logano named 2009 ROTY
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Joey Logano at Racing Reference
- Joey Logano at Joe Gibbs Racing
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by Mike Olsen |
NASCAR Busch East Series champion 2007 |
Succeeded by Matt Kobyluck |
| Achievements | ||
| Preceded by Regan Smith |
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year 2009 |
Succeeded by Kevin Conway |
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