Logano - AKA 'Sliced Bread'

Call it the Danica Effect. That can be the only explanation for the fact NASCAR is hyping the imminent arrival of an 18-year-old kid under the nickname 'Sliced Bread' (as in, he's the greatest thing since...)

Joey Logano is the name of the teenager in question, a truly precocious, supremely talented and, despite his tender years, a proven winner of a driver.

NASCAR is currently considering raising the age limit for drivers to 21, but sources insist Logano would be 'grandfathered in' even if that happens. (grandfathered? At 18? Am I in some kind of weird time-warp here?)

Several drivers insist 'Sliced Bread' was ready to go three YEARS ago (kind of like how Mike Atherton was labelled FEC or 'Future England captain' before he had even established himself in the team).

It is a massive spotlight on a kid who turned 18 only last Saturday and who doesn't even shave every day yet, especially in the rough, blue-collar world of American stock car racing.

Yet no-one in the sport was remotely even blinking at the prospect of Logano's debut in the Nationwide series - the 'warm-up' event for the main Sprint Cup series - last Saturday night.

Because motorsport is now acutely aware of the 'Danica Effect,' and even the down-home, traditional die-hards of NASCAR are savvy enough to realise they need a boost from beyond their normal experience.

Patrick - the waif-like Sports Illustrated pin-up - has certainly done that for the Indy Racing League. The attention riveted on her in the recent Indy 500 was nothing short of amazing for a driver with one win to their name.

Next best thing

And, while NASCAR is probably several light years away from having its own women drivers, with speculation of Patrick being tempted to the Sprint Cup world is WAY off base, they think they have the next best thing in Logano.

The rhetoric over this Hovis-on-wheels is truly astonishing, with writers, drivers and pundits seemingly falling over themselves in a rush to anoint kid Joey as potentially 'The Greatest'.

The fact all the advance headlines for this weekend's racing were about the teen sensation in the warm-up race, rather than the battle between Kyle Busch and the rest of the field in the Best Buy 400, tells you everything you need to know about how the 'something new' factor is sport's current Holy Grail.

Find the latest 'phenomenon' and you will find the key to untold sponsorship riches!

Certainly NASCAR needs those riches (which also come in the form of TV viewing figures) as much as anyone else. Their ratings were largely stagnant in 2007 and track bosses are currently worried about lower attendances in places this year.

This latter may be partly due to spiraling fuel costs - stock car fans typically drive thousands of miles to follow their sport.

And, if you thought UK petrol prices were outrageous enough at £8 a gallon, that's nothing to the near apoplexy of American drivers at the prospect of 'gas' prices breaking the $4 barrier, and climbing.

But, whatever the economic factors at work, the powers-that-be know they need their own Danica Effect. And fast.

So, come what may, the microscope of media attention was trained firmly on the 18-year-old in the No. 20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend (sorry, Kyle, despite three wins, nine top 10 finishes in 12 races and a 94-point lead in the standings, you are officially on the undercard this time).

It is worth noting JGR were shrewd enough to sign Logano to a contract almost three years ago about the same time NASCAR veteran Mark Martin insisted the then 15-year-old was good enough to replace him "right now".

Formidable resources

And he has won in just about everything four-wheeled since the age of six, usually against competitors much older. So it's not too much of a stretch to see him being at least competitive in the 'grown-up' world, especially with the formidable resources and backing of his employers.

But, at the same time as you can see some of the established Indy drivers bridling slightly at the amount of exposure devoted to Patrick (even though they are well aware of the overall beneficial effect).

You wonder if their stock car brethren will be as enlightened when it comes to embracing a teenager as a potential 'saviour.'

Logano himself seems to be as level-headed as any high-speed 18-year-old with massive expectations on his shoulders could be. You do wonder, though, how the likes of Kyle Busch will react to finding No. 20 in his way at any stage, not to mention the effect it might have on the highly combustible Tony Stewart.

The ultimate irony is Logano could actually find himself replacing Stewart at JGR next season if the driver follows through with his rumoured bid to be released from his contract a year early. And if 'Sliced Bread' really IS as good as everyone says he is, itt should certainly add extra spice to a season which is already bubbling up nicely.