THURSDAY THUNDER: WEEK 3
It started one night in the kitchen of a home in Portland, Conn.
Little Joey Logano saw race cars circling on television. He grabbed his father Tom Logano's attention and pointed to the tube.
"I said, 'I want to try that.'" Joey said.
Now at the ripe old age of 10, the 4-foot-10 driver from Alpharetta is one of the top young talents in the southeast.
In his first Thursday Thunder race this season at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Joey led the Yours` Lions division before spinning out, finishing ninth. Last week, he cruised to victors: in the Bandolero Bandits division.
"He definitely knows how is handle a race car," said Lovejoy's Doug Stevens, who helps the Loganos set up their car. "He's real mature for his age.'`
Joey showed that maturity Tuesday night. After wrecking in a race at Charlotte, he kept his poise and battled back to finish fifth.
In two appearances at Lanier National Speedway in Chestnut Mountain this season, he's won twice in the Chargers division, both by considerable margins.
"It's pretty embarrassing when your 10-year-old son kicks your butt," Tom said with a laugh.
Joey raced quarter-midgets before jumping into the Legends and Bandolero series this season. He's adjusted well, setting the AMS track record April 27 for Bandits with a qualifying lap of 17.55 seconds.
"The legends are faster than quarter‑midgets," Joey said. "In the legends. you have to let off the gas and hit the brakes. You have to shift (gears)."
But this is not a story of father passing the wheel To the next generation. Tom admits he knows little about racing.
"I played baseball! and basketball," he said. "I tried to introduce him to as many sports as I could. But he didn't want to know anything about baseball or basketball. he wanted to do something I knew nothing about."
Joey's other favorite sport? Hockey.
"Hockey and racing," Tom said. "I can't skate. I can't drive."
But his son can. Ken Ragan of Legends of Georgia thinks Joey's racing future is bright.
"When that kid gels another couple, three years of driving experience, experience working on the car behind him, he'll be set." said Ragan, who once raced on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit. "You can put him in anything you want to put him in."
A fan of NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt and Mark Martin, the younger Logano said it's a thrill to race at Charlotte and Atlanta, tracks that play host to NASCAR events.
He likes AMS, saying its racing surface is smoother than Charlotte's.
"There's more competition in Atlanta than Charlotte," he said.
But the competition is not Joey's draw to the sport. Tony points out his son's goal is to enjoy himself first, then worry about a career behind the wheel later. "You're only a child for a little portion of time. The No. 1 objective, have fun with it."