Joe Gibbs Racing scored an impressive 10 Sprint Cup Series wins in 2008.
Never mind that eight of those belonged to Kyle Busch.
But as the team readies for 2009, last season is ancient history.
Things are much different for the three-car stable this year, which for the first time since 1999 will be without Tony Stewart in its lineup.
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| 'I'm with a great team, but where I lack is having that seat time,' Joey Logano says. (Getty Images) |
And ready or not, that job has fallen to 18-year-old phenom Joey Logano, who will be thrust into one of the most pressure-filled rides in recent NASCAR history.
Logano has been touted as a future superstar since he first climbed behind the wheel of a go-kart. He has steadily risen through the stock car ranks, finally landing with Gibbs, which created a program of Camping World Series development tour racing and spot Nationwide Series starts together for him last season.
The plan was to move Logano into a full-time Nationwide seat in 2008 to continue the seasoning process.
But Stewart's bolt put things on a fast track to the Cup Series, and Logano was suddenly thrust into the role of Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year contender in 2009.
"Obviously, it's something that is kind of a process the way it happened and everything and we kind of went all the way through that," said team owner Joe Gibbs. "I'm excited. I've been pretty much focused on our guys. If you stop and think about it, we're pretty young, so this is going to be a different kind of trip for us."
Logano isn't worried about being in over his head by any means and has already set his sights on at least one accomplishment in the coming year.
"I think Rookie of the Year is a realistic goal for us going into this season," said Logano, who missed several opportunities to run in the Cup Series at the tail end of last season thanks to a deluge of qualifying rainouts. "From there, I don't know what everyone expects out of me. I just want to do the best I can. I'm with a great team, but where I lack is having that seat time. We'll figure it out one way or another."
Logano will have veteran crew chief Greg Zipadelli to help him figure things out. For the first time in his career, the man called Zippy will be working with someone other than Stewart and will have to take on the role of being Logano's professional father figure.
"I think he's a really smart guy and a really good guy," Logano said. "I think he's perfect for me, coming into the series as the young kid and having that coach figure at the same time. That helps me out a lot.
"He's pretty patient. He lets you go do your own deal when we test. That's how it's been working right now. In the few tests we've done, so far so good."
Zipadelli is impressed with his new driver and says they will develop chemistry over time. He shrugs off much of the criticism aimed at Logano as being too raw and overly aggressive, as many believed after last week's last-lap crash in the Toyota All-Star Showdown Camping World race in California, and says his star pupil will be fine.
"[Joey] wants to do this," Zipadelli said. "I don't see a lot of the bullstuff. We're all going to have bad days, but his biggest struggle is going to be figuring out why he didn't run good. Is it him not being able to tell us, or is it me not figuring out what he was saying? That's where our bad days are going to come from. Part of that is time. He just doesn't have a lot of time in these cars. We don't have any time working together."
NASCAR's testing ban hasn't allowed Logano and Zipadelli much time to learn about work with each other and the duo can't wait to get to Daytona next week for some actual track time.
"Yeah, to say I'm champing at the bit to get down there is an understatement,' Logano said.
Zipadelli isn't the only person within the organization Logano can lean on for support and knowledge. Teammates Busch and Denny Hamlin, who suddenly becomes the elder statesman of the trio at the tender age of 28, are also resources in the learning process.
That will be a major advantage for Logano, Zipadelli says.
"From that aspect he'll be able to go and speak to two different drivers who do different things," he said. "To me, that's the greatest. I'll probably have to spend more time with him on all the stuff we don't want to deal with."
Spoken like a true father.
