Joey Logano to drive in 7 Sprint Cup races

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Joey Logano will drive in seven Sprint Cup races this fall as a tuneup before the 18-year-old star begins his full-time ride at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Logano, who will replace two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart in the No. 20 Toyota in 2009, will make his Sprint Cup debut Sept. 6 at Richmond International Raceway in the No. 02 Toyota prepared by Gibbs. JGR will also field a car for Logano at Atlanta in October.

Hall of Fame Racing announced Wednesday that Logano will then drive in the No. 96 Toyota in five more races: at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 14, at Kansas Speedway on Sept. 28, at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Oct. 11, at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 18 and at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 2.

Hall of Fame Racing gets its engines and chassis from Gibbs' race team.

"We appreciate Hall of Fame Racing helping us get Joey ready for 2009," said president J.D. Gibbs. "They came to us with the idea before the August Michigan race and we think it's a great win-win for all of us."

Logano has three top-five finishes in nine races in the second-tier Nationwide Series since he turned 18 in May. A development driver with Gibbs since he was 15, Logano was selected to replace Stewart, who will leave at the end of the season to become a driver-owner for what is now called Haas-CNC Racing.