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Published: June 17, 2008
Logano, 18, on the fast track
■ Joey Logano's victory at Kentucky in Saturday's Nationwide race may put him on the fast track for a Cup ride with Joe Gibbs.
And Gibbs says he does plan to put Logano in a Sprint Cup car for three or four races this fall. Just which events "We haven't really defined," Gibbs said.
"Joey has tested 32 times for us in different cars getting ready for this. He's been in a Cup car a bunch, and every time he gets in he's extremely smooth and seems to handle everything real well.
"Denny changed my mind about guys (stepping up to Cup). Denny Hamlin came out of Late Models, and one year later we said we should put him in a Cup car. He jumped in the Cup car and took off, and the rest is history.
"Some young guys have that kind of talent. But they don't come along very often."
So is Gibbs now considering Logano as perhaps the man to replace Tony Stewart, if Stewart, as many now expect, leaves the Toyota camp to return to Chevrolet in 2009?
"I don't think we've gone in that direction yet," Gibbs said. "We're still hoping we get things worked out
Gibbs concedes he has been worried the past few weeks about putting too much pressure on Logano, who just turned 18.
"We knew all the talent he has, but I was worried about all the pressure that had been put on him," Gibbs said.
■ After NASCAR president Mike Helton chewed out the drivers Friday for complaining too much about the new car, drivers were unwilling to say much Sunday.
For example, when Tony Stewart was asked, after pulling off a fifth with an ill-handling car, how the car ran, he snapped, "Ask Mike Helton."
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