"I thought it was just going to be a little car that putt-putted around," she said, remembering the quarter-midget her husband, Tom, bought for his 5-year-old son, Joey. "The first time I saw him race in it he was going like 30 mph. I said, 'Oh goodness, this is a real race car!' "

Joey Logano is now a few months past his 18th birthday, and his newest race car is about as real as it gets. Logano was officially named Monday as Tony Stewart's replacement in the No. 20 Toyotas for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Logano, who debuted in NASCAR's Nationwide Series as soon as he could after his 18th birthday in May, will step up to the top-tier Sprint Cup Series beginning with selected races later this season. That will start in two weeks when he drives a No. 02 Toyota prepared by JGR at Richmond.

He also will run that car at Atlanta and will run an ARCA race at Talladega. He also is expected to run up to five additional races in the No. 96 Toyotas in a cooperative effort between the Gibbs team and Hall of Fame Racing later this year.

Logano then takes over full time in 2009 in the cars in which Stewart has won two Cup championships and 32 races in what will wind up being a 10-year stay with the team. Stewart is leaving to be a driver and co-owner at Stewart Haas Racing in 2009.

Logano has been in the JGR driver development program since he was 15. He was the national champion in the Legends pro division at 12. He was in Late Models at 13, the American Speed Association at 14 and the Hooters Pro Cup Series at 15.

Logano was barely 15 when NASCAR star Mark Martin started telling people that he had seen the future and Logano was it. He already has two poles and a race victory, along with seven top-10 finishes, in his first 10 Nationwide starts.

Now, he's got a Cup ride with one of the sport's best teams. He'll have Greg Zipadelli, a two-time champion with Stewart, as his crew chief. And The Home Depot, which has been on the 20 car for a decade, has signed a new long-term deal to remain there with Logano.

"It's a dream come true," Logano said.

Team owner Joe Gibbs and team president J.D. Gibbs said it wasn't hard for them to determine that when it came time to replace Stewart, Logano was the guy.

Zipadelli, who said the prospect of "starting over" with Logano has given him and his crew "a burst of energy" looking forward to next year, played a big role in that, Joe Gibbs said. After testing with Logano several times, Zipadelli strongly endorsed the young driver to his bosses.

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