Logano Named 2009 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year
November 22, 2009- 1. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- 2. Jeff Burton, No. 31 Chevrolet
- 3. Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Chevrolet
- 24. Joey Logano, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota
Homestead, Fla. (November 22, 2009) – The Home Depot driver Joey Logano was named the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year following the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Logano, who took the checkered flag in the 24th position, became the youngest driver at 19 years of age to win the Sprint Cup rookie title. The Home Depot team also finished 20th in the Sprint Cup Series standings.
"It’s really cool to get the Raybestos Rookie of the Year," said Logano. "It was obviously one of our big goals for the season. I’ve got to thank The Home Depot for standing behind me throughout the year. We had a real rough start and finished 20th in the points. In the beginning of the season if you had told me that’s where we were going to finish I’d have been ecstatic about it but now you always want better.
"The race didn’t go exactly as planned. We started plugging away to the front, we got to about 13th and the car wasn’t that bad and on our pit stop somehow the end plate on the wing got hit and knocked off. We had to come back in and replace that and go back out back in the pack and try and work our way back toward the front. It was tough, after about five or six laps everyone ran about the same lap times so it was hard to make your way back to the front. But we did what we had to do tonight. I just want to thank all my guys for sticking with me this season."
Logano started the Homestead 400 from the 35th position after getting tight in turns three and four on his qualifying lap on Friday. After solid practice sessions on Saturday, the green flag waved on Sunday for the 2009 season finale and Logano immediately began making his charge through the field. The driver of The Home Depot Toyota gained 10 positions by lap 27 and was running 23rd when he made a scheduled green-flag stop on 52.
The first yellow flag waved on lap 81when the No. 47 spun. Logano told crew chief Greg Zipadelli the car was loose off the exit. He drove the No. 20 car down pit road to the attention of The Home Depot crew for fresh tires and a wedge adjustment. Racing resumed on lap 84 with Logano in the 20th position. Over the next 30 laps, Logano complained the car was tight through the center and loose off the corner. He did continue to run in the top 20 when the caution waved again on lap 116.
The Home Depot team continued to adjust on the car and when racing resumed on lap 123 Logano took the green flag in the 22nd position. The changes on the last pit stop helped the rookie, as he began to work his way through the field. He moved into the top 15 on lap 133 and was 13th when the yellow flag again on lap 155. When the team pitted on lap 157, the crew discovered the left-side end plate was missing from the rear wing. Logano was forced to pit again to repair the wing and restarted the last car on the lead lap in the 33rd position.
Marred again in traffic, Logano was able to maneuver his way up to 21st on lap 189 before the No. 7 car spun bringing out the caution on lap193. The racing mid-pack was intense with plenty of two and three-wide racing. NASCAR discovered debris on the track and waved the yellow flag for the final time on lap 216. The Home Depot Team made final adjustments to the car on lap 218 with a chassis adjustment to tighten the car up. Unfortunately for Logano he was stuck on the high side for the restart and dropped back to 24th before the checkered flag waved on lap 267. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin captured his fourth win of the season, while Kyle Busch finished eighth.
The Home Depot Team finished the 2009 season 20th in points with one win, three top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Logano became The Home Depot’s second rookie of the year and third for Joe Gibbs Racing.
