Though it's premature to award Joey Logano the Raybestos Rookie of the Year title, the 19-year-old driver is the odds-on favourite to win the distinction, thanks in part to his victory at New Hampshire in June.

Logano leads Scott Speed 205-182 in the rookie points standings entering Sunday's race at Pocono, but the quirky 2.5-mile triangular track gave Logano fits during his Cup debut there June 7.

Logano finished 23rd but still felt he had a lot to learn.

"Turn one took me forever to figure out what I needed to do," Logano said. "That was probably the biggest thing. It's tough, and a little bit is a lot here. If you're three-tenths (of a second) off, you can pick that up pretty quick. That's pretty much one corner. If you screw up a little bit off of (turn) two or any corner, you have such a long straightaway for all that to go backwards, just like Indy.

"So you have to get off the corners good here to make it all the way down the straightway. It stinks if you screw up a little bit off the corner - you have the whole straightaway to think about how much you just screwed up. That's probably why it makes this place a little bit tougher."

by Reid Spencer/Sporting News