Joey Logano: 'Sliced Bread' Going Stale?

He was supposed to be the next big thing, the next superstar driver.

Even his nickname, 'sliced bread' as in the best thing since, gave the impression that he would be taking the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series by storm.

But so far, his on-track performance hasn’t seemed to match the off-track hype.

Joey Logano enjoyed a meteoric rise through the racing ranks. He began winning national championships at the age of seven and by the times he reached 12 had won a total of eight racing titles.

In 2005, at the age of 15, Joe Gibbs Racing signed Logano as a development driver. Soon after, he won a Hooters USAR Pro Cup Series race making him the youngest driver to ever do so.

In 2007, a 17-year-old Logano became the youngest ever champion of the NASCAR Busch Series East and was named Rookie of the Year.

Logano was forced to wait until his 18th birthday before taking the next step in his career.

Moving up to the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2008, Logano won his first race in just his third start. But the path of Logano's career took an unexpected turn when JGR driver and two-time champion Tony Stewart announced that he would leave the organization to become co-owner of his own team at the end of the season. On August 25th Logano was introduced as the fulltime driver of the No. 20 Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for 2009.

Despite all his previous success, however, Logano's first races in NASCAR’s top touring series have been less than memorable.

Logano was the youngest driver to ever start the Daytona 500, and after crashing several times during the week leading up to the race, Logano was the first out after a hard crash on lap 79. He finished last.

In the five races since Daytona, Logano’s best finish has been 13th, that coming at Vegas. He finished 26th, 30th, 38th and 32nd at the other events.

Not exactly the start many had predicted.

By comparison, the driver Logano replaced, Tony Stewart, finished 28th in the 1999 Daytona 500 in his rookie season. Stewart would go on to finish 12th, 36th, 11th and 6th twice in his first six races that season.

Denny Hamlin, Logano's teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, finished 30th in his first Daytona 500 in 2005. Hamlin finished 12th, 10th, 31st, 14th and 37th in the next five races.

Both Stewart and Hamlin also won two races in their rookie seasons.

Team owner Joe Gibbs believes Logano’s struggles can be traded to NASCAR's ban on testing, along with just plain bad luck.

"A lot of things happened to us this year when we charted our course here," Gibbs said. "We got testing taken away from us. I think probably everybody would say it probably hurts the young guy a lot more than a vet, a guy that's been around. I think that was a tough deal for us. Really you pretty much have to show up at a racetrack.

"Many times Joey has been at someplace where he's never had a lap in a Cup car, the Car of Tomorrow. I think it's been a struggle for us," Gibbs added. "He's had two wrecks. Other people caused them. Then we blow a motor. It's been disheartening."

Things could be looking up for Logano, however, as he, the No. 20 team and the rest of the NASCAR Sprint Sup Series head to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend.

While nothing can be done about racing luck, Logano will finally have something this week he hasn't had yet this season.

"This will be the first track I've gone back to in a Cup car," Logano said. "Even though we didn't have a great race last year, (he finished 40th, seven laps down) I will be able to take some of the stuff that I learned and use it this weekend. Plus, the teamwork is getting better every week with Zippy (crew chief Greg Zipadelli) and the guys."

Stewart still expects big things from Logano.

"It's just a matter of time before Joey hits his stride. He's got a lot of talent. That's why he's in that car. It's just a matter of getting used to it," said Tony Stewart. "You know, I've been over there, so I know there's nothing wrong with that organization, there's nothing wrong with that team. It's just a matter of them getting Joey some more seat time and getting him used to being in a Cup car full-time.

"He's more than capable of doing it," Stewart added. "He's going to hit his stride soon. You can see his confidence building every week."

Fast Facts

Race: Samsung 500
Date: Sunday, April 5
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Distance: 501 miles/334 laps
TV: FOX , 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN and Sirius Satellite
2008 Polesitter: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2008 Winner: Carl Edwards
Schedule: Friday -- Practice, 12-1:30 p.m. Qualifying, 3:40 p.m.; Saturday -- 11-11:45 a.m. and 12:20-1:20 p.m. (all times CT/local)