Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed that Joey Logano, 18 will take the wheel of the #20 Home Depot Toyota for the 2009 season.
Logano has been hailed as ‘Sliced Bread’ since he joined JGR as a development driver. Who could have known that his development would go this fast?
At age 17, he took the pole and won the Carolina 500 ARCA Series event at Rockingham Speedway. he had to wait until his 18th Birthday before he was eligible to compete in any of the 3 top NA$CAR series. In the cup light series, he scored his first win at Kentucky Speedway in just his 3rd start. Mark Martin considers him to be one of the best drivers he (Martin) has ever seen. That is high praise coming from a man who seldom offers opinions about such things.
Meanwhile, over at Richard Childress Racing, an announcement was made at Bristol concerning the driver lineup at RCR for the ‘09 season. Casey Mears was introduced as the new driver to take the wheel of the #07 Jack Daniels Chevy. Clint Bowyer will move to the new #33 team with sponsor, General Mills. No decisions or announcements were made about crew chiefs and such. There is a question concerning the owner points earned by the #07 this season. Bowyer would likely want those points to go with him to the #33. NA$CAR may not allow such a move.
Another issue is the Crew Chief, Gil Martin and his team. Martin and his crew have worked with Bowyer and are doing well as a team. Can they now be asked to stay at the #07 and new driver, Mears? All good questions. Richard Childress has been a successful car owner for a number of years. At the end of the day, (or season) Grumpy thinks RC will make some good decisions for all concerned.
At this moment, all 3 Childress cars will be in the Chase. The #07 is still on the bubble. With only two event to go before the Chase begins, Gil Martin and team will be working hard to keep the #07 in the top 12.
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