Early on in the season it was looking like Joey Logano would make the Chase. Strong runs heading into Talladega in the spring had him sitting 12th in the points.
The middle months of the season were not so kind to Logano. He struggled both with the handling of his car and with competitors on the track.
Run-in’s with Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman saw Logano in the news for things other than racing.
He dropped to as low as 21st and missed the Chase in his sophomore year.
Logano and his team though did not give up even with the Chase out of reach. In the last six races they have scored the most points as a non chaser with 921.
With finishes of seventh, sixth, fifth, fourth and third-Logano is on the verge of a win.
He has also scored the fourth most points behind Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Harvick.
He and crew chief Greg Zipadeli are clicking on all levels right now. Their recent run of 5 straight top 10 finishes both credit to their relationship getting better as the year has worn on.
"Maybe we found out what makes each other run, basically," Logano said. "He's a lot different person than I am, and we clashed for a while, to be honest with you. Now we understand what makes each others' wheels turn. For me, it's a lot different than what he would do. We have different personalities. It was a struggle. Now I feel like we get along great. Even off the track, our friendship is better, and I feel like that's a key thing."
Logano has seven top fives and 16 top 10 finishes. That is one more top five than Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth who have six, respectively.
That mid summer stretch while those guys were racking up solid top 15’s and even top 10 runs; Logano was finishing outside the top 20. Those runs were the difference in him missing the Chase and those drivers making it.
Now as they head to Homestead Miami Speedway, Logano looks to end his sophomore year on a high note.
He has done a very good job throughout the season telling Zipadeli exactly what he needs in his car. He is proving with every strong run and finish that he is getting closer and closer to not only victory lane but to making the Chase.
Logano and his team will be looking to make it six top 10’s in a row.
This will be only his second time he has run at HMS; he started 35th and finished 24th. It’s hard to gauge just how well he will do at this track on only his second visit.
On intermediate tracks in his short Sprint Cup career he has six top fives and 16 top 10’s. Logano has done overall a good job of keeping his car in one piece and a contender.
With the off season just 400 miles away, Logano and his team will be looking to cap off 2010 with a win and carry all the momentum into 2011.
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