Contract extension 'a dream come true' for Logano

That win, along with teammate Brad Keselowski's victory the previous week at Chicagoland Speedway, guaranteed the two Penske drivers an appearance in the Contender Round of this year's Chase, which begins next week at Kansas Speedway.

In a little more than two seasons, the youngster from Middletown, Connecticut, has gone from the kid with a questionable future in the sport to a legitimate championship threat.

"It's really nice, because I've been through kind of the down parts of the sport and now we've obviously won a few races this year and it's been a lot of fun," Logano said Friday morning at Dover International Speedway. "To be able to extend my relationship with Team Penske is a dream come true. ... I feel like I've found myself a home over there."

Two years ago, he was jettisoned from Joe Gibbs Racing in favor of 2003 Sprint Cup champ Matt Kenseth. Four full seasons at JGR had produced a couple of wins and a best points finish of 16th.

While initial expectations were tempered by his lack of experience, it was hoped that pairing Logano with a championship-proven team would offset his lack of track time.

He continued to run the majority of the races in NASCAR's Nationwide Series, winning 18 times during that span. But by the close of 2012, his time at JGR had come to an end.

"Only a couple of years ago I really didn't have a job," Logano said. "It was like, 'Oh boy, what am I going to do? Am I going to race the rest of my life? What's plan B?' "

In the meantime, Team Penske found itself with an opening after then-driver AJ Allmendinger was suspended for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy. Although Sam Hornish Jr. finished the season in the No. 22, Logano's upside and backing from Keselowski swung the position in Logano's favor.

Two years later, it appears it was the right decision for both parties.

"All of a sudden I'm sitting in a good position," Logano said. "I've got a multi-year deal that I'm going to be racing for awhile. I'm winning races. We've got a lot of top-fives. If you would have told me all of this was going to happen a couple of years ago, I would have said 'Yeah, that's nice. I don't know if that will happen, but it sounds really good.'"

The experiences, both good and bad, have helped shape Logano as a driver and as an adult. "So I'm proud that I went through all of it," he said.

"Did I think I'd be sitting here a couple of years ago saying what I'm saying right now? Probably not. But I'm going to enjoy the ride while I can, that's for sure."

When asked if he got a raise for his efforts in his first two seasons at Team Penske, Logano laughed. "It was good," he said.

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