Logano likes leader’s role

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 09: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Pennzoil Platinum Ford, looks on in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 9, 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 09:  Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Pennzoil Platinum Ford, looks on in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 9, 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC – OCTOBER 09: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Pennzoil Platinum Ford, looks on in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 9, 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

CONCORD, N.C.—Joey Logano won his fifth race of the season last week at Kansas, but from his perspective he also accomplished an important “first” that went beyond earning a guaranteed spot in the eliminator round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

With points reset after the first round of the Chase, Logano’s win last week put the 24-year-old Team Penske driver on top of the standings of NASCAR’s premier division for the first time in his career.

Not that he wouldn’t have been there anyway. With two victories and two fourth-place finishes in the first four Chase races, Logano boasts an average finish of 2.5, best in the series.

“I’m enjoying the fact of being in the point lead for the first time and seeing some of the results of the hard work that you’ve put in over the last few years—to see that,” Logano said. “That part is really nice, but I guess I’m never where I want to be.”

Despite his youth, Logano already has learned that resting on success is the quickest way to lose ground.

“If you ever feel like you’re there, it’s only going to be a couple weeks until somebody passes you, so you’ve always got to be looking ahead, and I think that’s the attitude that I’ve had my whole life,” Logano said.

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.