Logano now full throttle with Cup future decided

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. -- Joe Gibbs recently took two of his grandchildren to a place called The Pit, where go-kart racing is all the rage.

As they stood in line waiting for their rides, Gibbs noticed two young men on the track.

Joe Gibbs Racing

2008 Cup stats

Driver	W	T-5	T-10
Tony Stewart	0	8	12
Denny Hamlin	1	7	12
Kyle Busch	8	15	16
Totals	9	30	40

2008 Nationwide stats

Driver	W	T-5	T-10
Tony Stewart	5	6	8
Denny Hamlin	3	5	5
Kyle Busch	5	8	9
Joey Logano	1	3	7
Totals	14	22	29

"Watch that one," he told one of his grandchildren, gesturing at a lanky teenager folded up into one of the small but quick machines. "He's pretty good."

A few minutes later, the go-kart pulled up in front of them and stopped. Out climbed the youngster who had drawn the attention of the man they call Coach, and off came his helmet.

Gibbs smiled at the young man, who returned the favor. Turns out they knew each other pretty well, and will be getting to know each other even better in the years to come.

The young go-kart driver was Joey Logano, who on Monday was officially named the future full-time driver of the No. 20 Toyota fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. Beginning next season, when current driver Tony Stewart moves on to his own new racing endeavors at Stewart-Haas Racing, Logano will move into the hotseat of the car that will continue to be sponsored by Home Depot.

Coach Gibbs acknowledged that young Joey might not know "how to saw or swing a hammer." But he did have some simple advice. With Frank Bifulco, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Home Depot sitting directly to his left, Gibbs turned to Logano at Monday's news conference, laughed and added, "Get started with that, will you?"

High expectations

Logano is ready to get started -- racing at the Cup level, that is. But at only 18 years of age, despite a rich resume, what everyone is aching to know is if he really is ready to go Cup racing.

Does he have the experience to be successful on the track? Is he mature enough to handle all that transpires off it, including the demands of a high-dollar sponsor such as Home Depot?

Those who appear to be in the know say yes to all of the above.

As for the first question, the man who will be his crew chief, Greg Zipadelli, reminded everyone that when he first arrived on the Cup scene with Stewart in 1999, no one was sure what the two of them would be able to accomplish. They won three races that year and 32 over the next 10, while claiming points championships in 2002 and 2005.

He said he expects Logano's first year in Cup to be similar to the one Stewart pulled off in 1999. And he's serious. Zipadelli even mentioned the possibility that Logano could be one of the 12 Cup drivers who qualify for the Chase next season -- as a rookie.

"Tony obviously came in with a lot more racing experience in a lot of different series," Zipadelli said. "But you go back and look at how much Joey has done, and it's kind of amazing that he can have the amount of experience that he has for someone who's only 18.

"I know this is crazy, but there is no reason in my mind why we can't go out and put ourselves in position to win a couple of races next year. ... Whether we can close the deal and all that, well, you know how hard it is in this sport. But obviously we're going to set our goals, and one of them will be to make the Chase. That's what this sport is all about; it's about being consistent. If we can do that week in and week out and make the least amount of mistakes, I think we'll be able to overcome some of the learning curve for Joey and myself and have a successful season."

To which Logano, sitting next to Zipadelli, quickly added: "He's the boss. That sounds like a good plan, so we'll stick with that."

That comment in itself was a sign of the young man being mature beyond his years, but then that comes as no surprise to his father, Tom.

"He's mature for his age, when he wants to be," said Dad, smiling broadly. "He's a happy-go-lucky kid. I'm sure there will be some bumps and bruises along the way, but he's always been able to deal with that.

"Different people mature at different rates. He just stepped to the plate, as he has all his life, ahead of schedule." (Continued)