Rookie Joey Logano, 18, the youngest driver to ever start the Daytona 500, was one of the first ones out of the race.
Logano, the rookie from Middlwtown, wrecked his No. 20 Toyota on lap 80 on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.
"It's incredible to think that an 18-year-old, especially from this area, was able to make the Daytona 500," said Scott Tapley, a friend of Logano.
The Daytona 500 is the Superbowl of racing where 43 of the best drivers compete for the Daytona 500 trophy and bragging rights. The race proved to be a challenge for the Logano, who felt the pressure.
"He had a hard week there. He crashed in practice," Tapley said.
Fellow rookie Scott Speed nudged Logano from the side coming off turn four, then Greg Biffle tapped Logano from behind, sending him sliding into the inside wall.
It ended a wild week for Logano. He wrecked early in the exhibition Budweiser Shootout, hit the wall during practice Wednesday, then came back to finish fourth in a 150-mile qualifying race the next day. But he had to step aside during practice Friday as teammate Kyle Busch got in and helped fine-tune his car.
On Saturday, Logano acknowledged, "It's just not that easy."
"He was trying to jockey for position and a guy knocked in the wall and then into him and he got put into the wall," said Tapley who watched the race from his home in Waterford.
The crash relegated Logano to 20th place, 19 spots from where he feels the most comfortable. He came in first during the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway in 2008.
"In my opinion he will win a Daytona 500 one day. He will, there's no question about it," Tapley said.
Logano’s Web page has a posting saying he is disappointed he didn't win in Daytona but is already looking forward to his next race in California.
