Can’t Help But Feel Good About Logano’s Win
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Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR
I’ve never been a fan of rain-shortened races. Although I understand that NASCAR’s hands are tied when it comes to Mother Nature, I have to wonder if the end truly justifies the means, so to speak.
On the other hand, we have situations like Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Crew chief Greg Zipadelli used his typical savvy to get driver Joey Logano ahead of the pack with the rain coming, much like Pat Tryson got Kurt Busch at the front of the field in last year’s June race here.
Even though both Logano and Busch were practically driving on fumes, they had just enough fuel in their respective tanks to take them to victory lane each time.
I have to give Logano credit, because he couldn’t have written a better script for his first Sprint Cup victory, rain or shine. Even though he didn’t need to finish the final 28 scheduled laps due to the cloudburst, he still wound up winning at his favorite race track on the planet, a place where he has won several times in the past in other lower series, and did so in front of hundreds of friends and family from his home state of Connecticut.
For all the wins he’s had in other series, Logano displayed a deer in the headlights look after Sunday’s race was called and the outcome made official. He looked so nervous, so full of angst, wondering if a moment or two later that NASCAR was either going to restart the race or give the win to somebody else.
He couldn’t believe he was the winner. But that’s also part of Joey’s 19-year-old charm. While I’m still not convinced he’s going to be the superstar that so many people claim he will be, I do feel good for him. In fact, I got a vicarious thrill thinking what I might be feeling if I was him at that very moment.
Logano did what he had to do to get to the front of the field: he listened to Zippy, who earned two Cup championships with Tony Stewart. Let’s just hope Logano never gets a big head about him, or starts second-guessing Zipadelli’s calls. If anything, Logano should just keep listening to Zippy, because trust me, a veteran crew chief like that is going to wind up taking you places, kid, just like he took you to victory lane Sunday.
Congrats to Joey and Zippy and the rest of the #20 team. I look forward to seeing more of Joey in Victory Lane this year.
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