2014 Driver Reviews: No. 4 Joey Logano

After doing exit interviews for Sprint Cup Series drivers in 2013, we’re turning the tables. We want the drivers to sell themselves. So here are the resumés for all full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers in 2014. Then, at the end, we’ll provide a summation of the driver’s season in 150 words or less.

Name: Joey Logano

NASCAR Experience: Six full seasons in the Cup Series. Eight wins and 82 top-10 finishes.

Most recent team: Team Penske

Most recent season finish: 4th

2014 accomplishments: Five wins, 20 top-10 finishes. One of only four drivers all year to average a top-10 starting position.

Most memorable moment: Aside from the moment that title hopes disappeared at Homestead in the pits, it’s the four-wide battle for the lead and eventual win at Richmond.

Fine, fine, fine. Here’s the pit mistake too.

Strengths: Has wins on short, intermediate and 2.5 mile tracks. Fulfilling the potential that everyone saw a few years ago. And when you consider the next big things that haven’t made it in NASCAR, that’s a strength.

2015 goals: Yes, a championship is a goal, but it’s imperative to show that 2014 is part of an upwards trajectory and not a temporary spike.

FTM’s Take: The championship format runs the risk of making us only remember the most recent happening for the three drivers who missed out on the title at Homestead. And while Homestead was a positive outlier relative to season performance for Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin, only remembering the jack mishap is unfair to Logano.

Five of his eight career wins came in 2014. Over the past two seasons, he’s accrued half of his career top-10 finishes. And 60 percent of his career laps led happened over the previous season too.

Yes, it was a giant leap for Logano, and there’s no reason to think that it won’t continue. However, given the crowded nature of the top of the Cup heap and the random nature of the Chase format, a second-straight appearance in the final four is far from a guarantee; there’s got to be a Hendrick car in the final four in 2015, right?

Logano’s going to be in the Chase in 2015 and should be one of the best performers in the Cup Series again. It’s just that getting back to the last race may have more to do with luck than season performance.

Previous reviews: No. 5 Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Jeff Gordon, No. 7 Matt Kenseth, No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 9 Carl Edwards, No. 10 Kyle Busch, No. 11 Jimmie Johnson, No. 12 Kurt Busch, No. 13 AJ Allmendinger, No. 14 Greg Biffle, No. 15 Kasey Kahne, No. 16 Aric Almirola, No. 17 Kyle Larson, No. 18, Jamie McMurray, No. 19 Clint Bowyer, No. 20, Austin Dillon, No. 21 Paul Menard, No. 22 Brian Vickers, No. 23 Marcos Ambrose, No. 24 Martin Truex Jr., No. 25 Tony Stewart, No. 26 Casey Mears, No. 27 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 28, Danica Patrick, No. 29, Justin Allgaier, No. 30, David Gilliland, No. 31 Cole Whitt, No. 32 David Ragan, No. 33 Michael Annett, No. 34 Reed Sorenson, No. 35 Alex Bowman