After rough start, Logano figuring things out
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(David Allio/Icon SMI)
Joey Logano finished a solid 12th in Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard after starting last.
INDIANAPOLIS -- Seven races into the 2009 season, it looked as though young Joey Logano was in way over his head.
Had Joe Gibbs Racing made a mistake? Did JGR move a teenager up too soon, forcing him to compete where he didn't belong?
Those questions were being asked, and most people were answering yes.
So what do you think now?
Logano started last in Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, a place where it isn't easy to work your way to the front. He finished 12th in the No. 20 Toyota, showing the patience and poise of someone much older than 19.
"I thought we had a good car and could get up there," Logano said. "Not many cars wrecked, so there wasn't any spots given to you. You pretty much had to work for every one of them."
Logano is showing signs of becoming the driver Mark Martin predicted he would be: "Joey Logano is going to be the next big star in this sport. No doubt about it."
And Martin said that four years ago when Logano was 15.
Martin is having one of his best seasons at age 50. Logano won't be 50 until 2040. But he looked like an old pro as he worked his way forward, never taking overaggressive chances but making his moves when the opportunity presented itself.
The team made an engine change before the race, forcing Logano to give up his 10th-row starting spot and move to the back of the grid.
Carl Edwards had a similar task Sunday when he started 41st. Edwards also did well to move up, but Logano finished three spots ahead of him.
Logano earned his first Cup victory last month at New Hampshire, but his showing at Indy probably was a better performance.
Logano was in the right place at the right time when the rain came at New Hampshire. But he moved up the old-fashioned way Sunday, outracing guys on one of the toughest tracks in Cup.
Logano now is 19th in the standings, 16 spots better than he was after the Texas race in April. Clearly, he is figuring things out.
"I think it's a lot better than the beginning of the year, that's for sure," Logano said. "I think we're getting close.
"I always want to be better. I think that's what's gotten me this far. The motivating part is I'm getting better every week."
Logano isn't making as many mistakes as he did early in the year. He has finished on the lead lap in 11 of the past 12 races.
The learning curve is steep for Logano, but he is improving with every lap he makes.
"This was my first time here," Logano said of Indy. "We'll come back next time and I'll be a lot better."
Nationwide Series: Edwards strikes again at O'Reilly Raceway Park
Carl Edwards wasn't able to win the Allstate 400 after starting near the back Sunday, but he did visit Victory Lane on Saturday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park.
Edwards won the Kroger 200 Nationwide race, passing points leader Kyle Busch with 22 laps to go.
The rain-delayed schedule Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway meant Edwards wasn't able to qualify the No. 60 Ford at ORP, so Roush Fenway Racing teammate Colin Braun made a couple of safe but meaningless laps for the 42nd spot.
Busch started in the back after Johnny Sauter qualified the No. 18 Toyota for him.
Clearly, the cream rose to the top -- in this case, the two bully Sprint Cup drivers competing for the Nationwide title.
Saturday was the second Nationwide win this year for Edwards, but Busch still holds a comfortable 192-point lead over Edwards in the standings.
Camping World Truck Series: Hornaday makes it four in a row
When it comes to winning in the over-50 category this season, Ron Hornaday Jr. has Mark Martin beat.
Martin has a series-best four victories in Sprint Cup this season, but Hornaday now has five in the Camping World Truck Series, including a series-record four in a row.
Hornaday, 51, held off Mike Skinner (another plus-50 driver) to win the AAA Insurance 200 Friday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park.
Hornaday is trying to win his fourth Truck title, but a championship this year would be his first since he crossed the half-century mark. So NASCAR could have two AARP-eligible champions this season.
Terry Blount covers motorsports for ESPN.com. His book, "The Blount Report: NASCAR's Most Overrated and Underrated Drivers, Cars, Teams, and Tracks," was published by Triumph Books and is available in bookstores. Click here to order a copy. Blount can be reached at terry@blountspeak.com.
Ryan McGee has his finger on the pulse of NASCAR, and he will stop to answer your questions. Don't agree with his Power Rankings? Have a burning question? McGee will be here every Monday to mix it up with SportsNation at 2 p.m. ET.
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Racing Resources Says …
Sprint Cup Series
Johnson
- Jimmie Johnson won the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Johnson scored his third victory at Indy, second only to Jeff Gordon and his four wins. Johnson became the first driver to score back-to-back Indy victories. Johnson's third Indy win came in his eighth race there.
- Chevrolet scored its seventh straight victory at the Brickyard, extending a streak that began in 2003. It marked Chevy's 11th win in 16 races at Indy.
- Johnson scored his 43rd career victory in his 275th start. Johnson has scored top-10 finishes in the past five races, extending a streak that began at Infineon. He is one of five drivers to score multiple victories in 2009.
- This marked the 183rd Cup victory for Hendrick Motorsports and its seventh win at Indy.
- Johnson has led at least one lap in 16 of the 20 races in 2009. Johnson led once for the final 24 laps of the race.
- Juan Pablo Montoya led three times for 116 laps, the most of all drivers.
- Chevrolet scored its 11th win in 2009. Toyota has five, while Dodge and Ford each have two wins this season.
- Mark Martin (second) posted his second runner-up finish at Indy. His other came in 1998. He has finished 11th or better in his past five races at Indy.
- Tony Stewart (third) has scored top-10 finishes in the past eight races, extending a streak that began at Dover.
- Greg Biffle (fourth) scored his best Indy finish in seven races there.
- Brian Vickers (fifth) posted his third straight top-10 finish, extending a streak that began at Daytona.
- Kevin Harvick (sixth) scored his 200th career lead-lap finish. It was his first top-10 finish in 16 races.
- Jeff Gordon (ninth) scored his 350th career top-10 finish.
- Montoya (11th) has scored top-15 finishes in the past seven races, extending a streak that began at Pocono.
- Joey Logano (12th) was the highest-finishing rookie of the year contender.
- Jeff Burton (25th) has finished 16th or worse in the past six races.
- Kyle Busch (38th) has scored just one top-10 finish in the past eight races. Busch dropped from 10th to 14th in points, ending a 17-race run of ranking among the top 12. Busch is 82 points behind 12th-place Matt Kenseth.
- Stewart and Elliott Sadler (40th) each have been running at the finish in the past 43 races, the longest current streak.
- The top 10 consisted of five Chevrolets, two Fords, two Toyotas and one Dodge.
Edwards
- Carl Edwards won the Kroger 200 at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. It was his 22nd series win in his 161st start. It was his first win at ORP in his fifth start; Edwards won the Truck race at ORP in 2003.
- Edwards scored his second win of 2009; his last win came at Milwaukee in June. He started in the rear due to a driver change in both wins. It was the 16th different track Edwards has won on in the Nationwide Series.
- Roush Fenway Racing scored its second win at ORP and sixth overall of 2009.
- Edwards led two times for a race-high 72 laps, including the final 22. He had led only one lap at ORP in his previous four starts there.
- Kyle Busch (second) has finished first or second in the past eight races (12th time this season). He has a 192-point lead over Edwards in the standings.
- Matt Kenseth (third) posted his sixth top-10 in eight races this season.
- Brad Keselowski (fourth) posted his 10th top-5 of 2009 and 14th top-10.
- Steve Wallace (fifth) matched his career-best finish.
- Pole winner Trevor Bayne finished seventh, his best finish in seven starts.
- Kenny Wallace (10th) scored his first top-10 since Memphis in 2008.
- Brendan Gaughan (12th) was the best of the nine rookie of the year contenders.
- The top three finishers started at the rear because of driver changes.
- The top 10 consisted of two Fords, five Chevrolets and three Toyotas.
Hornaday
- Ron Hornaday Jr. won the AAA Insurance 200 at O'Reilly Raceway Park. It was Hornaday's fourth consecutive victory, a series record. Hornaday scored his series-leading 44th Truck victory in his 238th start. It was his third win in 10 starts at ORP, most of all drivers, and his series-best fifth win of 2009.
- This is the 23rd career win for Kevin Harvick Inc., and the sixth win this season.
- Hornaday led twice for 67 laps, including the last 32. He now has led at least one lap in 12 of the 13 races in 2009, including the past 11.
- Hornaday leads the Truck standings by 174 points.
- Mike Skinner (second) took over second in the point standings.
- Matt Crafton (16th) came into the race second in points but dropped to third, 176 behind Hornaday.
- Aric Almirola (third) scored his best career finish.
- James Buescher was the best-finishing of the five rookie of the year contenders in the race.
- The top 10 consisted of two Chevrolets, six Toyotas and two Fords.