LAS VEGAS — There was nowhere to go but up this season for Joey Logano, who had a roller-coaster rookie season as the youngest driver at NASCAR’s top level.
He bounced off the walls at Daytona and barrel-rolled his car at Dover. He struggled with setups, didn’t understand the language his teammates used to describe their cars and often dreaded going to the track.
That he finished the year with one victory, seven top-10s and a 20th-place finish in the final standings was nothing short of a small miracle.
“There were a lot of weekends last year where we were in nothing more than survival mode,” crew chief Greg Zip- adelli said.
So Logano’s solid start to his second season has not been lost on anyone. That 43rd- place finish in his inaugural Daytona 500 was improved to a 20th-place this year. And he was 26th last season at California, but upgraded that last week to fifth.
It took Logano 17 races last season to notch his first top-five.
Much of it is credited to just how much Logano, now 19, learned over that rocky first year. But there’s also a new confidence that comes with the teenager getting comfortable in NASCAR.
“I feel more excited to come to the race tracks,” he said. “Now you’re excited to go back to the race track because you think you’re going to have a good race car. We’re going to be good.”
Logano will start sixth in today’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kurt Busch, a Las Vegas native, will start from the pole as 18 drivers beat the qualifying track record.
Harvick wins Nationwide race.
Kevin Harvick overcame two horrendous pit stops Saturday to win the Nationwide Series race in Las Vegas.
Harvick led 83 of the 200 laps but had to rally after his crew cost him several spots on pit road.
Harvick had to methodically work his way back through the field, and found himself trailing leader Denny Hamlin late in the race.
Once past Hamlin, Harvick coasted to his 35th win in the Nationwide Series.
Danica Patrick finished 36th in her third and final NASCAR race before she takes a four-month hiatus to return to IndyCar racing.
Rosberg tops F1 testing
BARCELONA, Spain — Nico Rosberg gave Mercedes GP’s Formula One fortunes a lift by setting the fastest lap on the next-to-last day of preseason testing.
The German driver’s time of 1 minute, 20.686 seconds from a session-high 129 laps was more than seven-tenths of a second faster than Sebastien Buemi of Toro Rosso.
The Associated Press
Today’s race
NASCAR SPRINT CUP Shelby American
Site: Las Vegas.
TV: Fox, noon
Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).
Race distance: 400.5 miles, 267 laps.
Driver standings
1. Kevin Harvick 331
2. Clint Bowyer 312
3. Greg Biffle 304
4. Jamie McMurray 302
5. Jeff Burton 300
6. Mark Martin 297
7. Matt Kenseth 288
8. David Reutimann 273
9. Joey Logano 263
10. Carl Edwards 262
11. Kurt Busch 254
12. Jimmie Johnson 253
13. Kyle Busch 252
14. Brian Vickers 250
15. Scott Speed 246
16. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 242
17. Tony Stewart 235
18. Paul Menard 233
19. David Ragan 214
20. Martin Truex Jr. 201
Next race: Kobalt Tools 500 March 7, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Ga.
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