For the third time in seven seasons, Joey Logano has the honor of being the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion.
At 34 years old, Logano is a wily veteran who has had the chance to represent the sport as a leading voice twice before. Full-time in NASCAR’s top series since 2009 — now 16 years ago — the Connecticut native better understands the magnitude of responsibility that comes with being the drivers’ top representative.
“I guess I’m more comfortable in this position and understand the opportunity that awaits us as champion,” Logano said Nov. 22 ahead of the 2024 NASCAR Awards. “There’s a lot of opportunity to seize, whether with the media, to develop our sport, to develop our racing team. …But you don’t want to just waste this opportunity because you don’t know if you’ll ever have it again, do you? And they’re really hard to find. So being the current champion comes with a lot of responsibility, and you don’t want to waste it.
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Logano has long taken this position. As a young prodigy rising through the racing ranks, future NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin sang Logano’s praises. Logano raced against many NASCAR legends – among them four-time champion Jeff Gordon and three-time title winner Tony Stewart – and eventually began beating them regularly. But it’s the examples these drivers set off the track that Logano admires most, crediting them with his drive to be a leader in the sport today.
“I’m only like that because other drivers were like that to me,” Logano said. “And to me, that’s what a true champion is, it’s someone who understands that we’re here because of the people before us – the media before you, the other drivers before me, the crew chiefs before these team leaders, the owners before them, all these legends grew the industry that we all reap the benefits of today. But if we don’t do the same for the next generation, our sport will die. makes me really sad to think that this is even possible, but it does. You can’t just sit back and expect everything to continue as it was. You have to keep working at it.
“So I look forward to the opportunity to take on this role and help where I can.” I’ve already asked a lot of questions and a lot of things to say: “Well, can we do this or can we do that?” Or, you know, “We could do this a little better next time.” » It is important to give your opinion, but also to seek to do more.
Such responsibility is a reward after overcoming the intensity of a championship against three other elite competitors, this year a trio including Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Tyler Reddick. Logano thrives in these pressure-filled situations – so much so that he intentionally adds more during the playoffs.
“It makes me better for some reason,” Logano said. “That’s why I always add pressure when we approach Championship 4. I always say the big things. I want more pressure on me. I want more on my team. I want this feeling. This makes things more uncomfortable. It’s rubbish. But it makes us better. And so I always play in that direction, but it’s difficult. I mean, it’s harder than anything. It’s uncomfortable. You don’t sleep much at all. You’re just thinking, aren’t you? You are stressed. I have been sick since the day before the race. I got sick. I’m still sick. …I mean, it’s a lot. There’s a lot going on in your body. It’s a big deal.
That, Logano said, is a byproduct of the detrimental consequences that taking on the title challenge will have on a competitor’s brain. A 10-week playoff series quickly boils down to a race where everything a driver has worked for is on the line.
“I would say the mental aspect of competing for championships is something I don’t think everyone can understand,” Logano said. “We all have the pressures of life, don’t we, which hit you in different ways. And it could be different things, right? It could be financial, family, it could be health, those kinds of pressures. But you have time to think about it a little. But it all comes down to one day. You have the opportunity to make history, to impact so many families who are counting on you to do so. And it’s going to come down to a shared decision, that’s right, a quick decision. Flipping under these guys on restart to win the championship. It’s going to come down to a moment like this. You know it’s going to happen. There will be a moment.
“And then you also have the fear of losing, this pressure. We’ve come this far, and we haven’t capitalized, nor is it a mistake you made. I mean, you’d be lying to yourself if you didn’t think that about it, right? Everyone does it. And it’s how you handle that that makes the difference, that makes you a real threat once you get there.
Of course, with 16 seasons and multiple Cup championships under his belt, Logano has some highlights under his belt as well.
His 2024 title elevated him to the rank of 10th driver in NASCAR history to win at least three championships, joining, among others, Stewart in those ranks. Logano’s introduction to the Cup Series came in 2009, when he was just 18 years old, replacing Stewart in the No. 20 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing, a race he held for four seasons and in which he collected two victories before an eventual ouster.
“Yeah, there’s a little bit of pride because it didn’t go as well as I wanted it to,” Logano said of his time at JGR. “And there are a lot of difficulties there to be able to run (again). So yes, there is a lot of pride there.
Their relationship has evolved over the years to a place of good humor, but Stewart’s nickname for Logano early on, there was “Silver Spoon”, referring to Logano’s rapid rise in NASCAR and the financial assistance Logano’s father was able to provide. The two men sometimes had a fierce rivalry on the track, most notably at California Speedway. in 2013 when Stewart opposed a block made by Logano on a late race restart.
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Stewart finished his Cup Series career in 2016 with 49 wins and three championships in 618 starts over 18 seasons. In 579 starts over 17 seasons, Logano matched Stewart’s title total and earned 36 victories.
“I then made a joke to my dad because the Silver Spoon comment – that always pissed me off, that’s what he was trying to do. He did a good job,” Logano laughed. “But it’s pretty cool that the Silver Spoon won three championships like he does now.”
