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Rookie Logano Gets a Taste of the Fast Lane in the Daytona 500

With 85 laps down and 115 to go, Joey Logano was out of the race. After a hard crash into an inner wall, Logano found himself on the sidelines of his debut Daytona 500. In his post-crash interview, you could tell he was disappointed, but not shaken up. There was something in his demeanor that told you if he had the option of a backup car, he’d be firing up the engine and jumping back on the track to chase down the leader.

At 18 (Logano won’t be 19 until May), Joey is the youngest driver to ever start the Daytona 500 and replacing Tony Stewart in the #20 car when Stewart decided to strike out on his own is no small matter. He has, so far, handled everything with grace and ease as if he was born to be on the NASCAR track.

After finishing in the top 10 in his first Nationwide race last May (just a week after turning 18, the legal age at which racers can compete in NASCAR races) Logano’s streak has only continued. Two weeks later, he won, becoming the youngest racer in the series’ history to do so.

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Having raced with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series, it only made sense that he joined Gibbs in the Sprint Cup as well. Even though he is not the typical driver that Home Depot has sponsored in the past, their television ads make it clear that he is being welcomed with open arms.

With Rookie of the Year for 2009 as a goal for the season (not to mention causing a sensation among the fans and the media) Logano has a long year ahead of him. But he seems poised and ready to do so. He’s a quiet kid and humble. He realizes he still has a lot to learn and the best way to learn it is on the track. He’s gracious when he needs to be and he’s an upbeat, optimistic kind of guy.

That’s what made the crash at the Daytona 500 so heartbreaking. On the verge of doing something great and after having such a solid race to that point the #20 car going into the wall was the last thing that many fans wanted to see. Even with the crowd on their feet for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. as he took the lead and clearly the crowd favorite, many fans are watching, if not cheering on out loud, the young rookie that has clear gratitude for his father as his biggest supporter. I, for one, am one of them.