“A Tale of Two Duels”
By Gregg Leary
[Category: NASCAR:: Sprint Cup]]

Charles Dickens wrote, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” Very appropriate for the Dual/Duel qualifiers for the Daytona 500. Jubilation for some, heartbreak for many. For Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Joey Logano it was only “the best of times.” As I watched the trio perform on the racetrack…two wily veterans and an untested rookie, I had flashbacks to another time in another series.

When Al Unser, Junior was a raw rookie in the CART series he was asked how much help he was given by his father, the legendary Al Unser. “Little Al” quickly responded, “He taught me everything I know.” When pressed, Junior admitted, “But he didn’t teach me everything HE knows.” Wow, did that remind me of Tony Stewart and Joey Logano. I would love to have eavesdropped on the conversations between the pair when Tony was tutoring his replacement in the #20 Home Depot ride.

I’m sure Tony groomed his protege much as he humorously did in the “Home Depot” commercials before he “handed over the wheel” to young Logano. I’ll bet Tony taught Joey MUCH of what he knows. But I’ll wager he didn’t teach him EVERYTHING. Look at the results in Gatorade Duel 1: Tony Stewart: Second, Joey Logano: Fourth. Joey followed in Tony’s tiretracks during much of the Duel. Wisely, Logano did not get overly aggressive and overenthusiastically or awkwardly bump draft Stewart into the wall. Logano seemed to be a model student-which should serve him well. It reminded me of another Rookie, way back in 1993. His name was Jeff Gordon.

Jeff Gordon came to Daytona and won his Duel. It was only his second NASCAR Cup start. He was a raw Cup rookie who had cut his teeth on USAC open wheel bullrings, had an epiphany at the Buck Baker Stock Car Driving School, ran the Busch Series and came into Cup with Hendrick Motorsports. He had crashed out of his first Cup race in Atlanta in 1992. He came to Speedweeks 1993, won his Duel, started the Daytona 500 in third, led two laps and finished fifth. He has gone on to win 81 races, four Cup Championships (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001), three Daytona 500s (1997, 1999, 2005), three Daytona 400 milers (1995, 1998, 2004) five Duels (1993, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009), and two Shootouts (1994, 1997).

If Joey Logano can absorb some of the knowledge from two-time Cup Champion Tony Stewart and temper it with the example that Jeff Gordon has set, there should be an amazing future ahead for the new driver of the #20 Home Depot machine.