Keselowski, Logano take lessons learned as youths into new pact at the track.

The initial meeting between Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano came four years ago, and it involved hard feelings and raised middle digits. At Dover International Speedway, an 18-year-old Logano pulled onto the track for the first practice of his first Nationwide Series race weekend — and did so right in front of Keselowski, cutting the Penske driver off. “I didn’t know what I was doing,” Logano admits now with a smile, though that didn’t prevent him from catching a glimpse of a certain kind of birdie on the back straightaway.

It wouldn’t be the only run-in between two drivers who were both young, both ambitious, both fighting for the same position on the race track, and both in line for bigger things. “We didn’t like each other at first,” Logano said.

“I would say that we probably got off to a rocky start,” Keselowski added. “And we were both fighting for the same position in the sport. It was kind of an alpha male thing, for sure.”

What a difference a few years can make. Earlier this week, Logano was announced as the new driver of Penske Racing’s No. 22 car, signing a multi-year contract with the organization that will become his new home after he steps out of Joe Gibbs Racing equipment for the final time. The move will make him a teammate to Keselowski, who was far from a bystander in the process — the driver of the No. 2 car encouraged his younger colleague to go after the job, got Logano the audience with owner Roger Penske and lobbied his team to make it all happen.

Click here to continue reading article written by David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM.