Joseph "Joey" Logano (born May 24, 1990, in Middletown, Connecticut) nicknamed "Sliced Bread" from Randy LaJoie,[1] is an American race car driver, competing full-time in NASCAR's Monster Energy Cup Series and part-time in the Xfinity Series.
Logano's first major NASCAR win came during the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway in just his third start in the 2008 Nationwide Series. Logano made history becoming the youngest driver to win a Nationwide Series race at 18 years, 21 days old, since Casey Atwood in 1999 at 18 years, 10 months, 9 days.[2]
Logano moved to the Cup Series in 2008 and has since won the 2015 Daytona 500 and is the 2018, 2022, 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion. This puts his tied for fifth for most Cup championships, behind the King, Intimidator, Seven-time, and Jeff Gordon.
He currently drives the #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford for Penske Racing.
Racing career[]
Early racing career[]
Logano began his racing career in 1996 as a 6-year-old quarter midget racer living in Connecticut. In 1997 Logano won his first Eastern Grand National Championship in the Jr. Stock Car Division. He followed it up with a Jr. Honda Division Championship in 1998 and in early 1999 a Lt. Mod. Division Championship. Later in 1999, Logano won 3 New England Regional Championships in the Sr. Stock, Lt. Mod., Lt. B. divisions.
Logano's family was then relocated to Georgia, to help better his sister's figure skating career. The transaction allowed Logano to win a Bandolero Bandits Series Championship. At age 10 he went on to racing Legend cars, where he set a 14-consecutive winning streak track record at Atlanta Motor Speedway, along with a Lions National Championship. At age 12, Logano won the Southeast-based Pro Legends National championship. Afterward, he spent a couple of years racing various forms of pavement Late Model racing.[3]
Veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin, who was driving for Roush at the time, called Joey Logano "the real deal". [4] When Logano was 15, Martin said "I am high on Joey Logano because I am absolutely 100-percent positive, without a doubt that he can be one of the greatest that ever raced in NASCAR. I'm positive. There's no doubt in mind."[5]
In 2005, he ran in 1 NASCAR Pro Truck Series race at New Smyrna, started 1st and finished 2nd. He raced in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, competing in seven races in the Northern Division, and winning once at Mansfield, two Southern Division races, and five Championship Series races.[4] The following season, he continued racing in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series. He raced in twelve Southern Division races, winning twice at South Georgia Motorsports Park and at USA International Speedway. He ran in one USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, Northern Division race and six Championship Series races.
In 2007, a new NASCAR rule allowed drivers 16 and up to race in the Grand National Division, allowing Logano to compete in the series. He finished the 2007 Grand National season with 13 starts in Camping World East Series, winning 5 races, 3 poles, 10 Top 5's, and 10 Top 10's, and winning the championship with wins at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Iowa Speedway, two wins at New Hampshire International Speedway, and Adirondack International Speedway. He also has made 1 NASCAR West Series start, started 2nd and won. On October 20, 2007, Logano won the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway, leading 87 laps and held off Peyton Sellers for the win.
On May 4, 2008, Logano won the Carolina 500 during his ARCA RE/MAX Series debut with Venturini Motorsports in racing's return to Rockingham Speedway.
Nationwide Series career[]
Logano's 18th birthday on May 24, 2008, made him eligible to compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He made his Nationwide debut at Dover International Speedway in the 2008 Heluva Good! 200 with a 6th place finish.
In his first three races in the Nationwide Series, Logano won the pole position, at Nashville and Kentucky.
On June 14, 2008, Logano won the 2008 Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway. It was his first Nationwide Series win in only his third start, becoming the youngest winner in Nationwide history beating the record that was then held by Casey Atwood by 9 months.
Logano had to sit out a few races due to sponsorship commitments from his team that required them running Tony Stewart in the #20 car. Also because NASCAR had to authorize the 18-year-old to compete on the big ovals such as Daytona International Speedway. Logano returned to the #20 for the Gateway Nationwide Series event.[6]The NASCAR season is officially over, Joey Logano is maybe the first ever champion to wear glasses during races, and the entire finale was run under absolutely awful conditions.
And I’m not talking about the weather.
Less than two hours before the final green flag of the 2022 season, news began to circulate about the death of Coy Gibbs, the son of longtime owner Joe Gibbs and father of Ty Gibbs.
Ty, of course, won the Xfinity Series championship less than 24 hours earlier.
Coy Gibbs, a co-owner and executive at JGR, was 49. As of today, all we know is that he died in his sleep.
There’s no sugar-coating it, and no way to say it that doesn’t sound crass, so I’ll just go ahead and go for it: the news cast a giant pall over the entire race. The garage was stunned, the NBC crew was stunned, the pre-race ceremony felt pointless.
The actual race was fine – and we’ll get to it in a minute – but it would be silly to try and do this without addressing a really, really dark day for NASCAR.
This picture was taken hours before Gibbs died.
It’s a terrible situation for everyone involved. Ty Gibbs obviously didn’t race yesterday. Joe Gibbs, meanwhile, has now lost not one, but two sons.
I can’t even imagine, and I never want to.
But, like Sunday’s championship race, the show must go on. So, for the final time during the NASCAR season, let’s take one more trip down pit road.
Four tires, a splash of that (expensive) Sunoco fuel, a little wedge adjustment and maybe some water, because we have A LOT to discuss.
Monday Morning Pit-Stop is a GO!
Have to start with our now two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, right?
Joey Logano dominated the weekend from start to finish – literally. He started on the pole, led pretty much every lap, never really trailed any of the three other championship contenders, and locked up his second Cup title.
Logano was probably the most consistent driver all season, and we probably should’ve all known this was how it was gonna end. After all, Joey did open the year waaaaaaaaaaay back in February by winning the Busch Clash in LA.
That’s probably as good a sign as any, right?
“Everything went perfect today,” Logano correctly said after taking the checkers. “I told the guys we were the favorite from Daytona, and we truly believed it, and that’s the difference.”
As is always the case in this race, there was some drama. For one Joey Logano, it came during a tense final 15 laps in Stage 2 where he had to delicately save fuel to try and make it to the end.
At one point, he clearly had ENOUGH of the mind-games from his crew chief and asked to know EXACTLY how close they were on fuel.
Logano eventually saved just enough gas to finish the stage, and, despite a slow pit stop on the back end, managed to pretty easily get back to the front.
He was far and away the best car all weekend, and didn’t really make any mistakes on Sunday.
It’s a pretty good formula for winning a championship, I reckon!
Ross Chastain wrecks Chase Elliott (not really)[]
Logano was flawless, and regular season champ Chase Elliott was anything but.
Elliott started fifth and hung around in the top-10 most of the day, but he never really had a great car. Sorry, folks. He didn’t. He was never gonna win, and I think Chase even knew that.
But, we’ve seen the slowest championship car win this race before (hello, Jimmie Johnson!), so Elliott was never out of it …
Until Ross the Boss punted him into next season!
OK, you’ve seen both angles now …
Thoughts?
I’ve been pretty hard on Chastain this season, and he was absolutely in the wrong over the summer when he was on his weird rampage against Denny Hamlin.
But this one ain’t on Ross, folks. Not even kinda.
Could Chastain have lifted? Sure. He could’ve absolutely given Chase the spot and it probably wouldn’t have made a difference that early in the race.
But it was Chastain’s spot. He was already there, and Elliott cut down in front of him when he wasn’t clear. Don’t know if that’s on Chase or his spotter, but it’s definitely not on Ross Chastain.
Classic Chase Elliott move right here, too. Love the pause before answering the question by completely ignoring the question.
“Thought we had a shot at it all the way up until we didn’t,” he added after the race. “That’s unfortunately the way it goes sometimes.”
Elliott was clearly pissed, and that’s fine. I love an angry Chase. But that was fair game.
Brad Keselowski catching fire perfectly sums up new NASCAR car[]
On our way out, let’s make sure we get a nice video of one last driver catching fire and nearly frying to death this NASCAR season.
Any takers?
Brad, you’re up!
Perfect. There is NOTHING that sums up the safety concerns with the Next Gen car quite like another driver catching fire.
It happened to Kevin Harvick earlier this year (twice, I think), I believe it happened to Chase Elliott a few months back, and it’s been a major concern for the second half of the season.
I mean, drivers hate this new car so much that Martin Truex Jr. literally flipped his off last month.
My guess is NASCAR is already in the garage trying to iron out the details before we get to Daytona.
Head on a swivel, fellas!
Jimmie Johnson pulls a Tom Brady, will run Daytona 500[]
On our way out, Part 2!
In case you missed it last week, Jimmie Johnson – yes, that Jimmie Johnson – is now a co-owner of Petty GMS Racing and will run a part-time schedule next season … including the Daytona 500!
His “retirement” lasted quite a bit longer than Tom Brady’s, and clearly he’s willing to gamble that his un-retirement goes better than Tom’s … at least at home.
“Let’s go racing,” said Johnson, who will now look to add to his 83 career Cup wins. “(I’ll) do everything that I can to get in that Daytona 500.”
If I know NASCAR – and I think I do – my guess is you’ll have no problem getting into the sport’s biggest, most-watched race of the season.
Just a hunch!
And, just like that, our watch has ended.
As my good friend Larry Mac says, only 104 days until Daytona, baby!
Can’t wait.
CHASE ELLIOTTCOY GIBBSJOE GIBBSJOEY LOGANONASCARROSS CHASTAIN
References[]
- ↑ SceneDaily.com: Young phenom Joey Logano ready for Nationwide Series
- ↑ Logano makes history as youngest Nationwide Series winner
- ↑ Joey Logano early racing career records
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 JoeyLoganoRacing.com: Biography
- ↑ "The next big thing"; October 23, 2007; Jay Hart; Yahoo Sports; Retrieved October 25, 2007
- ↑ Logano to skip a few Nationwide races