Middletown native Joey Logano, 17, will make his final in-state [CT] Busch East Series appearance of the season Saturday in the Mohegan Sun 200 at Lime Rock Park in Salisbury. And it might be the last chance fans get to see the Joe Gibbs Racing developmental driver compete in his home state. Logano turns 18 on May 24 and becomes eligible to compete in NASCAR’s three national touring divisions: the Nextel Cup Series, the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, said Wednesday there’s a chance Logano will spend much of next season competing in the Busch Series. Gibbs wouldn’t rule out the possibility Logano could be running for Nextel Cup rookie of the year honors in 2009 as a teammate to Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch in the Gibbs Nextel Cup stable. “I think the reality is he’s going to have every opportunity in the world to be successful with us,” Gibbs said. “If it’s the right time to do it and we think he’s ready, we might do it in 2009.”(Hartford Courant)(8-17-2007)
