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Joey Logano top Raybestos Rookie in Kobalt Tools 500 Joey Logano made his first start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway completing the race in 30th position. The current leader in the competition for Raybestos Rookie of the Year, claimed top Raybestos Rookie honors for the third consecutive race. After four races on the season, he is currently in 33rd place in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series point standings. Logano started from the 42nd position and methodically worked his way through traffic. He was nearing a top-20 finish when he was bumped late in the race forcing him up against the wall. Although he was able to finish the race it caused damage to his fender and right front tire forcing him to settle for a 30th place finish. "On one of the restarts the 14 (Tony Stewart) had a run or so halfway down the straightway, I'm 100 percent sure it's not intentional, but just got in the back of us and turned me right into the wall going down the straightaway. And that knocked the fender into the tire and of course three or four laps later the right front goes and then you finish it off. It's a shame. We had a decent run going from what I picked up. It's a typical race, I think, for what we've been so far. Had a struggle in the beginning and then as I get the hang of it and know what I want in the car and then we get a better feel and then we start picking it up. That was good. I feel like I learned a lot coming to this racetrack for the first time and running decent like that. We got screwed up on the pit strategy one time and lost a lap there and probably lost a lap in the beginning of the race. Realistically we probably would have been one lap down if I was on my game in the beginning of the race and we didn't have that caution come out on us I think we would have had a decent run. It's just part of being a Raybestos Rookie." Logano now leads Scott Speed by two points (43-41) in the Raybestos Rookie standings. "I'm just working on talking to everybody," Joey continued, "talking to my teammates, talking to Mark Martin, [Mike] McLaughlin and all those guys watching tapes, talking to Zippy, it all keeps adding up and it keeps improving me as a driver and then when I go out I can put it to use. It's part of the game. Nothing is easy. You've got to work at it. It's been paying off; it just takes me a minute. You can't go out there and first lap on the racetrack expect to be golden. We were good when we did that in Vegas but this place is a beast of its own." SCOTT SPEED, No. 82 RED BULL TOYOTA: "Our car was junk all day. It was a mistake to start up front with people that have a ton more grip than us." Raybestos Rookies finished at Atlanta: Logano 30th Speed 35th UNOFFICIAL Raybestos Rookie standings Logano 43 Speed 41 |
Last Updated on 03/09/09
By George Campbell or Greg Fish
Email: neracing@neracing.com