Smack: The crystal ball is blurry regarding Newman (cont'd)

2. Joey Logano is back in a Nationwide car this weekend at Madison, Ill. Would promoting him to Sprint Cup next season be too much, too soon?

Joe Menzer: Nope. And you can count on it happening. I see no scenario involving the No. 20 car where it would make more sense to put somebody else in there.

Raygan Swan: JGR likes to promote from within the company, and everyone has a relationship with Logano now. He's going in that No. 20 car, and he'll get ready even if it may be a bit soon. He'll make it happen.

David Caraviello: I wonder about that. I mean, NASCAR has its fair share of Casey Atwoods, can't-miss kids who get great rides early and never put it together. But JGR has no choice here. They almost have to put him in the No. 20, or risk losing him.

Raygan Swan: Good point David, and I think Hamlin and Kyle need to give up the Nationwide seat a little to give Logano some more racing experience. He has plenty of experience testing the JGR Cup cars.

You're up Logano

With Tony Stewart departing Joe Gibbs Racing, all eyes turn to 18-year-old Joey Logano as the possible heir apparent in the 20 car.

• Complete story, click here
• Life after Stewart at JGR

Joe Menzer: Hamlin is a perfect example of how it's done at JGR. He protested that he wasn't ready to make the jump to Cup a few years back -- and they said, tough, learn on the job.

David Caraviello: Yeah, Raygan, I would like to see him getting a little more seat time at the national level. I mean, if he is the heir apparent in the No. 20 Cup car, he needs more races in the Nationwide Series this season.

Raygan Swan: Maybe when JGR makes a decision, we'll see him on the track more. Logano seems to go crazy when he's not racing. Don't blame him, he's been doing it for 13 years.

David Caraviello: I mean, the guy's on the cusp of getting a Sprint Cup ride, and he has all of four Nationwide starts. Four! I understand he only recently turned 18, but are four starts enough to know he's ready for the big time?

Raygan Swan: No, and that's why Hamlin and Busch need to step out of the Nationwide car and let Logano take it from here. Not just stand alone events, those won't give him the racing experience he needs.

David Caraviello: Tony Stewart's getting some starts in that Nationwide car as well. I think who drives when is sponsor-related, and those guys don't like to budge.

Raygan Swan: While we are planning the kid's future, who is his sponsor going to be for 2009? Home Depot?

David Caraviello: I believe they have one year left on their deal with JGR, but beyond that nothing is certain. This housing market isn't helping their bottom line.

Joe Menzer: Well, I know times are tough. But you can't tell me that JGR won't be able to find a sponsor for Joey Logano and that No. 20 car beyond 2009 -- even if Home Depot backs out a little, or even a lot.

David Caraviello: As we learned with Dario Franchitti, sponsors aren't always keen on backing a relative unknown. And despite the results Joey has shown in four starts, he's still something of an unknown. Now, the kid goes out and wins three more Nationwide races this year, things change.

Joe Menzer: You bring up a good point there, except I would argue that Logano is less of an unknown in stock cars than Franchitti was when he came on with Ganassi. Plus, Ganassi's track record, well maybe it's been (up to now) great in selling sponsorships, has never been all that great on the track -- at least in NASCAR.

David Caraviello: And the Gibbs team isn't going to be able to wait before they name a successor in that No. 20 Sprint Cup car. If they want to keep people from trying to poach Joey, they need to give him some guarantees he'll be in that car soon.

Raygan Swan: Logano has a lot of selling factors that other drivers don't, like youth and his ability to reach other markets.

Joe Menzer: This is Joe Gibbs Racing, man. They're winning all the races right now. Joey Logano is the Next Big Thing not just at JGR but in NASCAR. It's entirely different.

David Caraviello: Yeah, I know. I just don't want to see the kid put in there before he's ready. But of course, the only way to find out if he's ready is to just put him in there.

Joe Menzer: I know, I know. And you mentioned Atwood. Reed Sorenson, speaking of Ganassi, might be another you could throw in there. But from all accounts I've heard -- and you've got to put a lot of trust into Coach Gibbs and J.D. on this one, which I do -- Joey and his family are very well-grounded and that will help him.

Raygan Swan: Can you imagine the microscope he's under right now? I know he handles pressure well, but this is unreal, the hype that has surrounded him this season.

David Caraviello: And it's only beginning. (Continued)