Young Logano makes huge strides

LAS VEGAS -- There was nowhere to go but up this season for Joey Logano, who had a roller-coaster rookie season as the youngest driver at NASCAR's top level.

He bounced off the walls at Daytona and barrel-rolled his car at Dover. He struggled with setups, didn't understand the language his teammates used to describe their cars and often dreaded going to the track.

That he finished the year with one victory, seven top-10s and a 20th-place finish in the final standings was nothing short of a small miracle.

"There were a lot of weekends last year where we were in nothing more than survival mode," crew chief Greg Zipadelli said.

So Logano's solid start to his second season has not been lost on anyone. That 43rd-place finish in his inaugural Daytona 500 was improved to a 20th-place this year. And he was 26th last season at California, but upgraded that last week to fifth.

It took Logano 17 races last season to notch his first top-five.

Much of it is credited to just how much Logano, now 19, learned over that rocky first year. But there's also a new confidence that comes with the teenager getting comfortable in NASCAR.

"I feel more excited to come to the race tracks," he said. "Last year, oh boy, California, we stunk there. I didn't know if I wanted to go there. Now, you look at these places and you're excited to go back to the race track because you think you're going to have a good race car."

Logano came into Las Vegas Speedway ranked ninth in the Sprint Cup standings, higher than teammates Kyle Busch (13th) and Denny Hamlin (22nd).

"I think it's cool," Logano said. "I was excited, ninth in points. Last year I would have been happy with 20th in points at this point in the season. so ninth is cool. I was joking around because I wished they'd start the Chase now. But we still have a long ways to go."

First up is today's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Logano will start sixth. Kurt Busch, a Las Vegas native, will start from the pole as 18 drivers beat the qualifying track record.

Logano isn't thinking about a win for today. Those come every day, away from Victory Lane, in the gains he makes with his No. 20 team.

The hype surrounding him was at surreal levels long before he ever got to NASCAR, and by the time he made his 2008 debut with Joe Gibbs Racing just days after his 18th birthday, he'd already earned the moniker "Sliced Bread" as in "he's the next best thing since ... ."

But the plan was to ease him into the top level, give him a year or two in the Nationwide Series to adapt to stock cars and learn his way around the circuit. That was all fast-forwarded when two-time champion Tony Stewart opted out at JGR and the team had an open seat to fill.

It was a rough start for Logano. So rough that Zipadelli believes there were times Logano feared for his job security.

But that was then. Now, Logano's goal is to be in the hunt for a berth in the Chase for the Championship later this season.

With his fast start, that's a goal that's within reach.