At just 15 years of age, Joey Logano was called "the real deal" by respected NASCAR veteran Mark Martin. Now 18, Logano will join Martin in the elite NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in February at Daytona as the new driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Of course for Logano it's not about the accolades or nicknames that come with having displayed amazing talent at such a young age, but rather, it’s simply about getting behind the wheel and driving the car as fast it proves able.
With a win in just his third career NASCAR Nationwide Series start June 14 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta since turning 18 on May 24 – the minimum age required to compete in NASCAR's top-three series – Logano became the youngest winner in Nationwide Series history at 18 years, 21 days. The fact that he won from the pole made the achievement even more impressive.
That victory, along with his three poles, five top-fives and 14 top-10s in only 19 career Nationwide Series starts, made Joe Gibbs Racing's (JGR) decision an easier one on Aug. 25, 2008 when they announced Logano to replace Tony Stewart behind the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota beginning in 2009. His success over those final 19 races also helped the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing entry claim the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship.
While incredibly quick, Logano's ascent up the racing ladder has been equally natural, for the Middletown, Conn., native has won in every division he's raced in before moving up to faster, more competitive series. The only roadblock that has ever stood in Logano's way has been age.
After winning the 2007 NASCAR Camping World Series East championship as a rookie, Logano had to wait an agonizing eight months before turning 18 and advancing to the Nationwide Series.
What did he do in between? Only dominate in his first career ARCA/REMAX Series race May 4 at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway, where he won the pole and then led five times for a race-high 257 laps in the 312-lap Carolina 500. Logano's display of dominance that day segued from a yearlong display of dominance.
By simply starting last year's season-ending Sunoco 150 Camping World Series East race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on Sept. 21, Logano clinched the 2007 Camping World East championship. And he did it in what has become familiar style, leading three times for a race-high 79 laps before finishing second in the 150-lap race.
"We set a goal at the beginning of the year to win the championship," said Logano, who became the series' first rookie champion since the inception of the division in 1989. "Whether we're rookies or not, we went into every race thinking we could win, and that's what you have to do to win races and a championship. It was our goal all year, and it's what we expected out of ourselves."
Logano's ninth podium finish capped a season that saw him take seven checkered flags – five in Camping World East, one in the NASCAR Camping World Series West where Logano made his JGR debut at Phoenix International Raceway, and at the Oct. 20 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway, which is billed as the "Daytona 500 of Short Track Racing."
His win at Phoenix, where JGR teammate and fellow development driver Marc Davis finished second, sparked Logano's Camping World East campaign. Logano never went more than two consecutive races without a victory, as Logano won the Camping World East season-opener at Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway April 28, Iowa Speedway in Newton May 20, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon June 29, Adirondack Speedway in Beaver Falls, N.Y., July 29 and New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sept. 14.
Logano's championship was the fourth for JGR, with the company's three previous titles coming in the Sprint Cup ranks via Bobby Labonte in 2000 and Stewart in 2002 and 2005.
Logano's rise to Camping World Series East champion and Nationwide Series winner and soon-to-be Sprint Cup regular began at age six when he started his racing career in quarter-midgets. By age seven, he'd picked up his first Eastern Grand National championship in the Junior Stock quarter-midget division. He followed that first title up with Eastern Grand National championships in 1998 and 1999 in the Stock and Modified divisions, respectively.
By age nine, Logano was racing Bandoleros, winning the Summer Shootouts at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., to earn another national championship.
From there, it was onto Legend cars, where a 12-year-old Logano set a track record of 14 consecutive wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway, along with winning the Young Lions National championship in 2002. Logano also won the Pro National championship in 2002, making him the youngest champion in Legends history.
After conquering his opponents in Legends, Logano made a successful transition to Late Model stock cars. At 13, Logano competed in the Georgia Late Model Series and the Southern All-Stars, winning three times.
Winning meant another step up the racing ladder. In 2004, Logano participated in the American Speed Association (ASA) and the ASA Late Model Series, where he earned five top-five and eight top-10 finishes.
Logano's rapid drive toward a career in NASCAR got a boost when JGR signed the youngster to its driver development program in 2005. Just days after turning 15, Logano made his debut in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series. Less than a month later on June 11, Logano scored his first Hooters Pro Cup win at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Speedway.
The 2006 season saw continued success in Hooters Pro Cup, with Logano winning two races and a pole en route to a solid fifth-place finish in the Southern Division point standings.
It was a precursor of the success Logano would attain in Camping World East in 2007 and the Nationwide Series in 2008, and one can expect, Sprint Cup in 2009.
