LOUDON, N.H. • Joey Logano didn't realize how much his first Sprint Cup Series victory meant when it happened.

Just more than two years later, he still doesn't.

The simple reason is Logano can't be certain he can fully appreciate that moment until he has the chance to experience another.

And while he burst into NASCAR with enormous expectations, his Cup series career has provided many highs and lows but — so far — not another win.

He'll try to change that during Sunday's Lenox Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where he will line up 16th at the site of his series win.

"I think the fact that I was that young, I didn't know better. I think I didn't realize it," said Logano, who turned 21 on May 24. "Now that I'm older and learned a lot more since then, I realize how difficult it was.

"I always wanted to do better than everyone expected me to do. I put more pressure on myself than anyone else around me could possibly put on me."

While Logano has been trying to establish himself in the Cup series, he has been surrounded by former and current drivers at Joe Gibbs Racing who sometimes make winning look easy.

When Logano moved to JGR's No. 20 Toyota team to start the 2009 season, he replaced one of the organization's best in two-time series champion Tony Stewart.

His current teammates field their own impressive credentials. Denny Hamlin won eight Cup races last season and finished as runner-up in the championship battle to Jimmie Johnson. Kyle Busch, only 26, has 100 wins in NASCAR's three national series — Cup, Nationwide and Truck.

"They are definitely two real good teammates for me and they are willing to help a lot," Logano said. "I think we all have three way different personalities, but we all find a way to work together to make our cars as good as possible."

Logano's tenure in Cup can best be described as streaky — he has put several strong weeks together at times but fallen prey to a series of bad performances as well.

He has seen all sides of the spectrum, from being considered a Chase contender to facing rumors this season of the departure of his crew chief, or worse, himself from JGR.

"As long as we keep working hard, you have to be proud of what you've done and be happy about it. I'm sure that if something did happen, I will be able to find something else and be able to race for sure," Logano said.

"You never know what life will bring you. There is always a positive in something and you just have to find it."

Logano also has struggled with trying to find his voice as a driver, particularly with fellow competitors.

Rookies in NASCAR generally don't receive a positive response when they voice displeasure over incidents on the track . Logano's age at the time of his Cup debut (18) only added to his problems.

When he has publicly faced off in track disputes with other drivers — Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick are the most recent — he has been criticized for standing up to competitors without having performance credentials to match.

"For me, being young and coming into the sport like this and working with a team that's been around for a long time, it's hard to figure out where your place is," he said. "How much can you say and get away with? How much can you stand up for yourself?

"There's a balance there that's hard to find."

That's not to say Logano hasn't learned from his experiences.

He spends far more time now doing things between races to better prepare himself.

Logano not only has sought advice from teammates but also from drivers like Max Papis, who have participated in many forms of motor sports. He is putting more emphasis into mental preparation as much as physical and learning there is far more to being a Cup driver than holding a steering wheel.

The result has been another swing in fortune.

During the past seven races, he has moved from 27th to 20th in points. If Logano can secure a win or two before the Sept. 10 race at Richmond (Va.), he would be eligible for one of the two wild-card spots in the Chase.

It won't be easy.

Logano knows that from experience.

"As I have come through this," he said, "if I didn't race the rest of my life, I don't think there would be anything ever that is as hard as what I'm doing right now."