If you look at how he has performed on the dirt version of Bristol Motor Speedway since the venue was added to the NASCAR National Series schedule in 2021, you would think Joey Logano was a driver well-versed in dirt racing.
However, in actuality, Logano is closer to being a novice on dirt, experience-wise than he is an expert. But the novice continues to show prodigal skill on the dirt in Tennessee as he scored the victory in Saturday night's Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt.
And it should come as no surprise as the now 32-year-old veteran made his mark in the sport by showcasing prodigal skill on his path to the NASCAR Cup Series.
It's almost like talented racers always rise to the occasion.
On Saturday night, Logano most certainly did just that as he won both Stages 1 and 2, and scored the overall race win after leading 138 of the 150 laps in the event.
Down the stretch, Logano, the two-time and defending NASCAR Cup Series champion, held off his ThorSport Racing teammate Ty Majeski, and NASCAR Cup Series rival William Byron at bay for the race win, on a night where the longest green flag run was a mere 11 laps.
After the dominant performance on Saturday, Logano's focus now shifts to Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race at Bristol, where he will roll from the grid from the 12th starting position.
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However, due to the lack of sustained green flag runs on Saturday night, Logano isn't sure what can be translated into Sunday's action.
“I’m not sure I learned anything for tomorrow because I didn’t get to race a whole bunch, but it was fun leading all the laps,” Logano said in a post-race interview. “I had a great spotter up there in [Ryan] Blaney, he was up there spotting for me, and he kept it entertaining and light-hearted, and a little bit of fun too.”
While Logano down-played what Saturday's race meant to his psyche heading into Sunday's big show, if his confidence wasn't already sky-high, it had to have reached another level after the Truck Series race.
Logano, of course, won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series Dirt Race at Bristol in 2021, and he finished third in the event a season ago.
In four total starts on the Bristol Dirt combined between the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Logano has recorded just one finish outside of the top five, which was a sixth-place effort in the Truck Series race last year.
Logano shocked everyone by scoring the win in the first NASCAR dirt race at Bristol in 2021. Two years later, Logano will not be shocking anyone. He's now a favorite and is expected to be in contention for the win in the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol.
Photo Credit: Will Bellamy / Racing America
