Joey Logano, piloting the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse, approaches this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series elimination race at the Charlotte ROVAL positioned 13 points above the playoff cutoff. Ahead of today’s qualifying session, Logano addressed the media regarding his current standing and mindset as the playoffs intensify.
Behind the Scenes: Training on a Private Racetrack
When asked about his unconventional practice routines, Logano revealed that racing in his own backyard has become a rewarding part of his preparation.
“It’s kind of an every week occurrence. There are a lot of good perks with being a race car driver, but one of the coolest things if you do this long enough is you can afford to build your own racetrack and it’s pretty cool. It’s like the coolest thing in the world. It’s like as a child that’s all you wanted is to be able to walk out your front door and jump in your go-kart or your four-wheeler and go have some fun. It’s like every little boy’s dream, so I built a racetrack and it’s awesome. I don’t know if my neighbors love it or not, but I do and they all seem to be pretty cool about it. They haven’t really said anything, so that’s good. I love driving still. Nothing has changed for me since I was a little kid. That’s what I did everyday I got home from school is I’d jump on a go-kart or I’d jump on my quad and I’d go ride. I still do the same thing when I get home from work though, and the good thing is my oldest is becoming fast enough to race with dad and it’s becoming more fun again, so it’s pretty cool.”
– Joey Logano, NASCAR Driver
Strategic Mindset for Sunday’s Crucial Race
Logano emphasized the importance of situational awareness and data in navigating the high-pressure environment of playoff racing. He stated,
“Absolutely. I want to know it all. I want everything, all the information I can possibly get said to me. I think everybody knows you make better decisions when you have all the data and we’re asked to make decisions in the heat of the battle live. There’s no time to talk it through in a boardroom. We’ve got to make the decision at that moment, so the more prepared we can be the better, but also understanding what the situation is, what’s going on around me and what I have to do inside the race car.”
His focus clearly lies in analyzing real-time conditions to outmaneuver competitors amid the playoff’s intense atmosphere.
Reflecting on Last Year’s Emotional Rollercoaster
Looking back on the thrilling turn of events during last season’s playoffs, Logano recalled his mixed emotions upon initially thinking he was eliminated and then reinstated, which eventually led to winning the title. He remarked,
“No. I don’t ever feel like anything is owed to me. You just roll with whatever comes your way and it shows how unpredictable life is and sometimes you don’t need to be going up and down with every wave. I remember the emotions leaving the track. I was bummed. I was like, ‘Well, on one hand we did really good here last year,’ so I was proud of the effort that we gave. I was bummed that we were just a little short, but it is what it is. That’s how I am at the end of the race. It is what it is. I can’t change it now and you just have to keep looking out the windshield and we went home. We went home and had a fairly normal evening, and then I got a call and it was like, ‘Hey, honey, you ain’t gonna believe it. We’re back in.’ Obviously, the next seven days after that changed everything because we went from out to in to winning Vegas and in the Championship 4 and winning our third title, so just a quick turn of events, but that’s NASCAR racing for you. It’s unpredictable. Things can change really, really fast. You just have to keep rolling with it.”
His experience underscores the unpredictable nature and rapid momentum shifts inherent in NASCAR playoffs.
Maintaining Focus on the Immediate Challenge
When questioned about how he plans to replicate his previous Las Vegas success next week, Logano stressed the importance of concentrating on the current race.
“It’s one step at a time. We’ve got to get through this week first. This week right now is the most important race of the season for us. We’ve got to get through this one. Hopefully, we can continue to be in the championship race after this and at that point we’ll look at Vegas, but right now 100 percent of our focus is at the Roval.”
This refusal to look beyond the Charlotte event highlights the necessity of measured progress amid playoff pressure.
Balancing Competition and Team Dynamics Among Teammates
Logano offered insight into the complex relationships that arise when teammates race fiercely against each other, describing it as
“one of the most challenging relationships that you can ever go through.”
He explained,
“When you think about other team sports you’re on the same team. That team wins together. In this case, you’re on the same team, but only one of you get to win. It gets really confusing. One win is good for everybody and there’s truth to that. I’ve seen that over my years of driving, how your perspective changes over the years. When you first come in it’s me, me, me, me, me, and then you kind of eventually see the big picture if you do it long enough, how the whole ecosystem is really created and how it is good for everyone to see victory at Team Penske or whatever respective team that may be. So, with that said, it’s still challenging because only one driver gets the stat. Only one driver gets the points. Only one driver gets the paycheck. That’s true and there’s also the team aspect, where there’s everyone working on the cars at the shop of course, but then there’s also individual pit crews, there’s individual road crews, crew chiefs, engineers, so there is some separation there as well. It’s a very challenging relationship to navigate and it gets stressed a lot. It’s just unique. I have never seen anything like it in my time.”
This candid explanation sheds light on the intricate balance between cooperation and rivalry among drivers sharing resources.
Approach to On-Track Conflicts and Pre-Race Planning
Regarding the understanding among teammates about racing aggression and boundaries, Logano shared,
“You’ve got to race. We try to run through as many scenarios as possible and a lot of what-ifs. The longer you work with a team, the better that becomes because everyone understands. But, at the same time, we’re supposed to race, so you’ve got to weigh that out, too, because that’s our jobs as our fans expect that out of us. There’s a lot of arguments that will argue the other side, so you try to find some happy medium and what is the rules of engagement. What is acceptable when we’re racing for a win? Basically, one of us better win. I think that’s the simplest way of looking at it. One of us better come out with the win. I don’t think there’s probably a more challenging situation that can possibly come up than what Ryan and I went through in Phoenix last year. That’s not just a win, that’s a championship and it’s coming down, mano a mano just the two of us within a car length of each other. It’s a tough situation for both of us to be in.”
His reflection on the 2023 Phoenix showdown with teammate Ryan highlights the intense stakes and delicate negotiations between champion contenders.
Handling Pressure from Competitors and Fan Expectations
When discussing the ongoing efforts of rivals to eliminate him and Ryan from the playoffs, Logano remained unshaken, responding,
“Cool. Good. I want to keep them there. That’s fine. We have a reputation of just grinding it out and sticking around and showing up when it matters, and so that’s been our reputation over the last 10 years plus because we continue to do that. Last week, obviously, didn’t go the way we wanted it to, getting caught up in that wreck, but we’re still in a good position this weekend. We’ll just focus on ourselves and what everyone else wants to say, they’ll say. You just focus on you.”
This calm attitude reinforces his experience in combating adversity and maintaining competitive consistency.
The Role of Mental Strength in Racing Success
Logano affirmed the importance of psychological edge in competition with a simple declaration: Absolutely.
The Challenge of Winning Amid Highly Competitive Fields
Asked to recall a race where he overcame obstacles to claim victory, Logano noted the difficulty of pinpointing one due to how demanding Cup racing has become. He commented,
“Gosh, I don’t know off the top of my head. You kind of caught me off guard there. There are a lot of races that come up that way. I mean, these days in Cup racing you could almost argue that every win is a championship performance because the cars are so close that you have to be perfect. You really can’t have a mistake these days and expect to recover and drive through the field. The cars are just too close in speed and passing is more challenging because of that, so I’d say you win these things these days it takes everything. The pit stops have to be perfect. The restarts have to be perfect. The car has to be really, really good. All of those things have to be lined up perfect to win one of these things these days, so it’s kind of hard to say any of them. I feel like it’s harder to win these days than it even used to be just because there are more cars that can.”
This insight highlights the razor-thin margin between success and failure in today’s NASCAR competition.
Inside NASCAR’s Latest Driver Meeting and Future Plans
Logano was part of a recent meeting with NASCAR officials focused on upcoming marketing and competition plans. While he remained discreet about specifics, he shared,
“I can’t say anything (laughing). No, it was fine. They just ran us through some marketing stuff, some plans for next year on what the sport is gonna look like, which is super exciting by the way. I’m not gonna spill the beans, but it’s super cool, and then just some competition stuff, some stuff along with the rules, how things are called, some safety stuff. They just kind of run through those categories with the drivers and see if the drivers have any comments on where we’re going as a sport or anything that’s concerning.”
When asked what excited him most, Logano added,
“To me, I think where we’re going from a marketing standpoint next year is really exciting.”
This offers a glimpse of NASCAR’s evolving vision and Logano’s engagement with the sport’s future direction.
Emotions of Securing Championship 4 Position at Vegas
Recollecting his fourth career victory in Las Vegas that earned him a place in the Championship 4, Logano described the intense blend of thrill and pressure:
“Just pure excitement because the goal when you start the season is to win the championship and it takes a lot of stepping stones to get to that place. One of the largest ones is just getting to the Championship 4. That’s the one closest to the championship, so getting to the Championship 4 is so hard to do, so when we won that race, you automatically know, ‘Gosh, we’re in it. We’ve got a chance.’ And then you know that you’ve got a couple weeks advantage on everybody. The excitement is real and then it goes straight back to the pressure automatically kicks in. Maybe 30 minutes after the race and the adrenaline starts to come down, you’re like, ‘We’ve got to start working on Phoenix now.’ It starts happening really fast because you’re that close. As great as it is to make the Championship 4, it equally sucks to not win it – to get that far and not accomplish the goal. That hurts so bad, so you just want to make sure you have everything ready.”
His words reveal the high stakes and relentless pursuit of excellence defining a championship season.
Intensity of Playoff Pressure Compared to Regular Season
Comparing the pressure of the fall race at Las Vegas to the spring event, Logano candidly confirmed,
“Oh, absolutely. Yeah, it’s way more stressful. It’s the playoffs. There’s more on the line. You’re getting close, so for the eight that are still in it, absolutely there’s more pressure.”
This underscores the mounting tension as drivers inch toward the championship finale.
