Joey Logano, the 18-year-old phenom who made history this year when he became the youngest NASCAR Nationwide Series winner ever, has the Aug. 22 Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway circled on his calendar.
While the Food City 250 will be Logano's first Nationwide start at the World's Fastest Half Mile, it will not be the first time he has taken on the .533-mile oval. Three years ago, Logano made his Bristol debut in a Hooters Pro Cup race. Despite, at 15, being younger than most of his competitors, he actually ran as high as third that day. Then, he found himself in trouble. Caught up in a wreck, the end result was hardly to Logano's liking.
"I was actually running well," he said. "And then just like that, I was in a wreck. It wasn't the best day so you can bet I'm coming back to redeem myself in August."
Logano, like most first-timers at the steeply banked concrete oval, was suitably impressed - and a bit in awe.
"The first time I went out (for practice), I ran four laps and I came back in huffing and puffing," he said with a laugh. "Know why? ‘Cause I was holding my breath the whole time.
"I plan on not only finishing the race in August but a big part of my plan also will include remembering to breathe."
Logano will have plenty of competition as he tries to conquer Bristol Motor Speedway. Not only will he have to contend with the rest of the Nationwide Series regulars but quite a few Sprint Cup drivers as well as they battle for the Food City 250 title. He looks forward to racing with the Cup drivers, though because he realizes racing with the best will make him a better driver.
"I love racing with those guys," he said. "Who wouldn't love the chance to race with all of them? I'm just so lucky I get to be out there with the best race car drivers in the world. Hopefully, I'm picking up some things from them as I go."
Already he has picked up the nickname "Sliced Bread," as in ‘the best thing since sliced bread.' He says, however, he pays little attention to all the hype focused on him this season. As for the expectations, he has no problem with that either.
"I look forward to it," he said. "The pressure isn't getting to me at all. I'm 100 percent fine with it; it's been that way most of my life. It's just that now it's on a bigger scale."
Mature for his age, Logano began racing quarter midgets as a six-year-old and from that early age his talent, not to mention determination, was evident. He has found success every step of the way, in quarter midgets, Bandoleros, Legends, late models, Hooters ProCup and in the Camping World East and West Series.
Now he is out to conquer the Nationwide Series. Then it's on to the Sprint Cup Series. The timetable for that likely will be sooner rather than later since Tony Stewart will not return to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2009. But Logano says he is not worrying about that; right now all he wants to do is race -- and win.
As to whether he was surprised to have won in only his third Nationwide start, Logano claims he had no specific time table for victories.
"I don't look at things like that," he said. "But I will say this: every single race I'm in I go out there thinking I'll win. If I'm in 18 races, I want to win 18. Running second, to me, is unacceptable. No, me and second don't get along too well."
Blessed with a gregarious personality and a mega-watt smile, Logano describes himself as pretty typical and a "goofy type of kid."
"Really, I'm just easy going," he said. "I'm happy most of the time - as long as I don't finish second. I'm pretty happy-go-lucky. But I can be pretty goofy too."
How goofy? Logano says his victory celebration goes a long way in proving just how different he can be.
"Well, since I was little, I would get out of the car, get on top of it and then give myself a high five," he laughed. "I don't mean to do it really and it looks stupid but it's just a habit. I guess I get up there and there's nobody else around so I just high-five myself and then I do a big burnout."
Celebrations aside, it is quite obvious that Logano is something special behind the wheel of a race car; a confident young man with talent to spare. But he says there is another key ingredient to success - development.
"There's natural talent but there's a lot of hard work too," he said. "You can have talent but if you don't develop it, what good is it?
"Anybody can be average but if you have any talent and you work at it, you'll get better and better. It's that way in any sport. Just look at Michael Jordan. He wasn't always such a great player but he had something and he worked at it and he practiced and he became great."
Logano hopes to put everything he has learned throughout his career and in the Nationwide Series to good use on Aug. 22 and net his very first win at the World's Fastest Half Mile.
"I am so looking forward to Bristol," he said. "You're in the throttle a lot there, there's not much of a break for you. It's a challenge, for sure. And the fans there, they love it. They know how awesome it is and to get to watch a race there is really cool.
"A win is a win no matter where you are but some are more cool to win. Bristol, obviously, would be a cool place to win. It's just neat, everybody talks about it and it's one of those places that it's just special if you can win."
Tickets for the Food City 250 are available and can be purchased on line at bristoltix.com or by calling the BMS ticket office at 423-989-6900. Ticket prices start at only $45.
