Quality, Not Quantity

Only two drivers will battle for the title of 2009 Raybestos Rookie of the Year. One is Red Bull Racing Team’s Scott Speed, a former Formula One driver who’s been thrust into NASCAR. The other is Joe Gibbs Racing’s Joey Logano, an 18-year-old who’s been groomed to be nothing but a Sprint Cup star.

“We’re rookies for such different reasons,” Speed said. “Having come from such a big form of racing, I’ve gone through all the hype and dealing with the pressure and all that, and the pressure I have on me is for sure 100th of what he has. Then again, (Logano) has so much more stock car experience and probably handles himself better in racing circumstances.
“It’s really going to be interesting. We’re both going to be learning a lot, but we’re going to be learning in different areas.”

From Daytona: The No. 82 team spent Friday preparing Speed's backup car, while Brian Vickers' No. 83 was 21st in practice. Only one practice session remains (10:30 a.m. ET Saturday) before Sunday's Daytona 500.