Logano’s dad deserves praise

This should be dubbed NASCAR’s Year of the Father, and it has nothing to do with Go Daddy sponsoring Danica Patrick.

Carl Edwards and Elliott Sadler became pops for the first time.

Jeff Gordon is expecting his second child this summer.

Jimmie Johnson will be prepared to leave the racetrack when his wife, Chani, goes into labor in about four weeks with their first child. He’s lined up a backup driver if it happens during a race weekend.

“My guys are all so excited for Chani and I to experience this, and for me to be there and be a part of the birth and enjoy all those moments that come with it, that it’s been really cool, especially from Chad’s standpoint,” Johnson says.

Even crew chief Chad Knaus has his priorities in order.

“(Knaus) said, ‘There is no way you’re missing the birth of your daughter. You will be there. I don’t care what it costs, or what it takes, or if we don’t get points or whatever the situation is, you’re going to be there,’ ” Johnson says.

It’s rewarding to know that some in the sport realize there are more important things than winning.

Fatherhood and racing can be impossible to separate. The list of second- and third-generation racers grows each year.

A week ago many of us took Tom Logano to task over his penchant for standing up too much for son Joey. Nearly two weeks ago, Father Tom was in the middle of a brouhaha between 20-year-old Joey and Kevin Harvick.

Last season the elder Logano confronted Greg Biffle after a Nationwide Series event because he didn’t like how aggressively Biffle raced his son.

I criticized him for fighting his son’s battles. But upon further review, Tom Logano is my NASCAR Father of the Year.

No tongue in cheek. No wink, wink.

Tom was wrong for being too protective. I’m sure he understands that now. But seeing Joey’s mom on pit road Sunday instead of his dad didn’t seem right, especially a week before Father’s Day.

Were Joey ill-mannered and arrogant, it would be easier to knock his father for not rearing him properly. But that’s not the case.

I spent an hour with Joey in December before he was presented the Rookie of the Year award during NASCAR Champion’s Week in Las Vegas.

He was a nice kid. Articulate and humble. His smile and friendly demeanor surprised those he met when he visited the offices of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He toured our newsroom and printing plant, where he asked questions about how the presses work.

He was genuinely interested and personable.

That’s why his dad should be praised instead of ostracized.

Tom Logano sold a large waste-management business in Connecticut. He first used the proceeds to help his daughter’s pursuit of ice-skating fame and then to fund Joey’s racing development.

Joey began racing in NASCAR’s top-tier series when he was 18, an age when no one can be prepared to survive such a circus.

His parents made his life their lives.

I hope Tom Logano is back on pit road for Sunday’s race in Sonoma, Calif. I doubt he’ll do anything to overshadow his son again.

I know they will have a great Father’s Day, win or lose.

Jeff Wolf’s motor sports column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247. Visit Wolf’s motor sports blog at lvrj.com/blogs/heavypedal/ throughout the week.