Joey Logano

The 2018 champion was the hottest driver down the stretch of last season, and he would claim the rewards walking away the crown at Homestead. Logano grabbed two of his three victories during the 10-race Chase, including the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was quite an accomplishment winning his first championship. On a larger level, it was the Penske Racing star's fourth season in the last five with at least three wins and 22 Top-10 finishes. In a lot of ways Logano has surpassed teammate, Brad Keselowski, as the top gun at Penske Racing. Now with NASCAR's top achievement in tow, and returning the No. 22 Ford team in its entirety, Logano will set out to defend his title in 2019. Crew chief Todd Gordon and Logano are at the top of their game, but it will still be a tall order given the competitiveness of the series and the newness of the Ford Mustang.

After averaging nearly five victories per season over the previous three years, 2017 must have felt like a train wreck to Logano and the No. 22 team. They managed only one win, and it was encumbered by a rules violation. The result was that Logano missed the Chase for the Cup for the first time in five years. He'll look to erase those concerns with a strong 2018 campaign. For all his inconsistencies the Penske Racing star still managed 17 Top-10 finishes, which were a five-season low. He's poised to rebound in a major way this season. Todd Gordon returns atop the tool box to call the shots and get Logano back into championship contending form. We should look at last season as more of a blip on the radar screen, and possibly a draft day devaluation in fantasy leagues this year. That means most could get Logano on the cheap and reap the rewards.

Over the past three seasons you would be challenged to find a more dominant driver than Logano in NASCAR's top division. He's combined to win 14 races and average 25 Top-10 finishes per season during this three-year span. The Penske Racing star has been a serious threat to win the championship in each of those campaigns, but as a function of the Chase format, he's not been rewarded yet for this excellence. Logano came the closest to winning the championship yet last season. He was within the final 10 laps at Homestead before his fortunes turned sour. From a fantasy racing standpoint, Logano has eclipsed Kevin Harvick as the top stat-grabbing driver in NASCAR. It's just a matter of time before the driver of the No. 22 Ford hoists the championship trophy.

If you thought Logano's 2014 season was great, you had to be really impressed with his 2015 campaign. The Penske Racing star claimed career-highs with six wins, 22 top-5 and 28 top-10 finishes. He was relevant in the Chase picture right up until Phoenix where he was eliminated. Just a couple seasons ago Logano was a young second-tier driver in terms of fantasy racing, but he's taken his game to an all-new level. Penske has given him the equipment and brain-trust to succeed, and he's doing it every weekend of the season. Logano will once again pair with crew chief Todd Gordon and keep this No. 22 team pointed towards their first championship. If the breaks fall Logano's way it could easily happen in the upcoming season.

At times it’s difficult to remember that Logano is just 22-years-old. After five years of unrealized potential at Joe Gibbs Racing he was released at the end of last season. During his time at JGR he only won two victories in 147 Sprint Cup Series starts. Logano can be much better than this, and the change of scenery could help in that regard. He moves to championship stable Penske Racing and the No. 22 Ford team. Logano will be paired with crew chief Todd Gordon. The 14-year veteran crew chief should be a stabilizing presence for the young Logano. While we don’t expect the No. 22 team to take off immediately, Logano and Gordon should start to work on the chemistry needed to one day be a multi-race winner and championship contending driver. We should certainly see some glimpses of this potential in the upcoming season.