"I don't think people give people a fair chance these days," Logano said. "People talk about all this racing stuff and think they know what they're talking about, and I guess to some extent they do, but they don't realize what it's like to be in that seat and to not be able to test [at NASCAR sanctioned tracks]."
The 18-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver entered Cup racing saddled with wild, perhaps ridiculous, expectations. He and Scott Speed, NASCAR's other rookie-of-the-year candidate racing the full season, both found success at other levels and in other types of racing, and many expected early success in NASCAR's premiere series.
Seven races in, reality has hit both of them.
Logano, 18, and Speed, 26, have both struggled. Logano is in the top 35 of owners points at 35th place and Speed, who did not qualify for Texas, is 38th. Even 39-year-old Max Papis, who is scheduled for 18 races this season and eligible for rookie of the year, has finished 36th and 35th in his two races.
Now more than ever, with testing banned at NASCAR sanctioned tracks and a car that drives unlike any race car in any other series, patience is a must.
"I think we're seeing guys struggle that maybe you didn't expect to struggle, but it's not a knock against those guys' talent," said Regan Smith, the 2008 rookie of the year. "This car is just tough. It's very tough."
Logano spent Tuesday testing in Rockingham, N.C., after about six hours at Virginia International Raceway on Monday. Any extra time at tracks that resemble Cup tracks helps. He's also tested at New Smyrna Speedway.
A testing overhaul isn't Red Bull Racing's strategy.
Speed spent Tuesday hanging out at Sea World in Orlando, getting spit at by a Beluga whale.
The No. 82 Red Bull Toyota team, he said, hasn't done any testing at non-NASCAR sanctioned tracks, and doesn't think that would help. The tracks, he said, are much too different.
"I don't think it hurts me from going to learn the tracks, it hurts not having the time in the Cup car," Speed said. "Just not having the time to learn about different changes and having a good feel and gaining the experience for what does what on the car."
The Class of 2008 struggled similarly last season. Last year's rookies huffed and puffed their way through, with Smith finishing best in 34th. The Car of Tomorrow, then in its first full season, was even less familiar to teams, and drivers had little preparation for what they faced.
But at least they had testing at tracks where they would race.
Smith came close to a win in the fall at Talladega. He crossed the finish line first but was penalized for passing below the yellow line and wound up 18th.
Their struggles starkly contrasted previous rookie classes this decade.
The 2007 rookie of the year, Juan Pablo Montoya finished 20th overall and won a race. Denny Hamlin won the award in 2006 with two wins and a third-place series finish. A 20-year-old Kyle Busch won the award in 2005, also winning two races. Further back than that, in 2002 Jimmie Johnson, who finished second in ROY standings to Ryan Newman, finished fifth in series points standings.
"We've had some young drivers come in and have remarkable success in their first year," Jeff Burton said. "Those aren't normal things. The struggles that we're seeing happen now are normal."
It has made the season frustrating for Logano, whom Mark Martin once said could ultimately be one of the best in the sport.
And as he furiously seeks the right combination, Speed takes a lighter approach. He entered stock car racing in search of a new challenge instead of staying in Formula 1 as a test driver or going to an American open-wheel team.
The struggles, he said, are fun.
"For me it's not about being the best," Speed said. "I probably will never be as good as Jimmie Johnson or Kyle Busch and, honestly, I don't care to be. I'm just having fun learning to see how good I can get at the sport."
Orlando Sentinal.com
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