FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – Joey Logano had dreams as a kid of racing his favorite driver Jeff Gordon to the checkered flag.
That was reality a year ago at Texas, when Logano made a last-lap pass of Gordon in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
“When your 6 years old – I remember that part, and having all of his gear, and all the (No.) 24 stuff,” Logano said. “It’s still cool, you’re racing against your childhood hero, and last year at Texas to be able to pass him for the win like that. That was a really cool moment.”
Logano was leading and about to take the white flag when a late caution came out instead. Gordon exited pit road first after the ensuing stop, but Logano recovered during NASCAR’s version of overtime for the first of five wins in a breakout year.
The Team Penske driver has carried that momentum into this season, starting with a win in the Daytona 500 and finishing in the top 10 in all six Sprint Cup races. Logano is second in points going into Saturday night’s Duck Commander 500 at Texas, after the series was off last weekend for Easter.