CUP: Gibbs Courts Edwards, Committed To Logano

Sprint Cup

CUP: Gibbs Courts Edwards, Committed To Logano

J.D. Gibbs said Joey Logano will return next season...

Tom Jensen | Posted June 19, 2011 Brooklyn, MI

Could NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Joey Logano (Left) and Carl Edwards (Right) become teammates? (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs told SPEED.com Sunday morning that the team is interested in signing Carl Edwards but remains behind Joey Logano.

One of the “Silly Season” rumors making the rounds at Michigan International Speedway this weekend was that JGR would sign Edwards and move him into the No. 20 Home Depot-sponsored car next year. That would give JGR a top-level driver to compete with Jimmie Johnson, who is sponsored by Lowe’s, Home Depot’s archrival.

Gibbs said a more likely scenario would be to add a fourth car in 2012. But based on the team’s experience when it added the No. 11 car as the team’s third car in 2005, it takes an entire package, he said.

“The reality of it is, because we have the fourth car spot, each of the past four years, everyone that’s available, they come to us and say, ‘Is this going to work? Is this going to work? Y’all going to do this? You going after it?’” said Gibbs. “For us, we learned a lot going through the 11 car thing, all those pieces have to fit. You have to have the driver — Carl’s a great one, for sure. But you have to have a sponsor, you have to have the right team, you have to make it work together.

“We thought we had a lights-out deal (for a fourth car) back when we started with FedEx,” Gibbs said. “It was a painful process. We didn’t have all the parts right. So my thing is, we’re not going to force it. We’re in no hurry to do that. When it all comes together, great. It could be this year, it could be three years from now. It could be five years from now.”

But without question, Edwards is the prime star available, someone with a huge fan base and sponsor appeal.

“I think the whole garage would say, ‘Hey, Carl’s a good addition to any team.’ But because we’re one of the only ones with a spot available people are assuming that’s just going to fit,” said Gibbs. “But I think there’s a lot more that goes into it than, ‘Hey, we got a race-car driver.’”

As for Logano, who has had rotten luck and a miserable season, Gibbs said he and sponsor Home Depot are still behind him.

“When those guys (Home Depot) made that investment in him (Logano) years ago when Tony (Stewart) left, they could have gone a bunch of different ways,” Gibbs said. “They chose to go with him and kind of groom him. ... Joey’s been a great addition. Look forward to him doing great things in the future.”

Asked if that meant Logano would be back in No. 20 Home Depot car next year, Gibbs said, “Yeah. Yes.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.

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