Waving the Checkers: New Hampshire
Rain always complicates a race weekend, and the threat of rain late in an event can occupy a driver's mind to the point that it can interfere with his ability to focus.
Why is this important?
Because 19-year-old Joey Logano won his first race under these circumstances Sunday in Loudon, N.H., and considering how inexperienced he is, I believe it is one heck of an accomplishment.
Logano is destined for more wins – many more in my opinion – but I expect those wins to come in a far more conventional fashion of out-running the second-place driver rather than out-distancing him on a tank of fuel.
In this case, the win was about following the command of your crew chief, trusting your engine specialist in calculating the mileage and depending on your fuel man to have delivered a full load of fuel on your last stop.
On top of this, Logano raced for the win on old tires, amongst cars on much fresher rubber (and much faster because of it), on a track where sliding out of the turns and into the outside retaining walls is commonplace.
This made it even more difficult for him to gauge how aggressively to work the accelerator on the slippery one-mile oval. Work it too hard and he could drift into the wall on corner exit; too little and you risk getting bumped from behind.
To say he had plenty of distraction would be an understatement. But even with all this going on, Joey Logano performed like a veteran.
If Joe Gibbs is correct in the assessment he gave following the race, that his hope is that the organization can ride the wave of this young man's talent "for 20 years," then it would be probable that Joey Logano will eventually win and lose races based on weather and fuel mileage, because both are significant elements of the sport.
There’s nothing wrong with winning a race this way, not even if it's your very first.
