For the third time in seven seasons, Joey Logano bears the honor of being the defending champion of the NASCAR Cup Series.
At age 34, Logano is a wily veteran who has been fortunate enough to represent the sport as its leading voice twice prior. Full-time in NASCAR’s top series since 2009 — now 16 years ago — the Connecticut native has a better comprehension of the magnitude of the responsibility that comes with being the drivers’ top representative.
“I guess I’m more comfortable in the position and understand the opportunity that’s ahead of us as the champion,”
Logano said Nov. 22 ahead of the 2024 NASCAR Awards. “There’s a lot of opportunity to take advantage of, whether it’s with the media, growing our sport, growing our race team. … But you don’t want to just waste the opportunity because you don’t know if you’ll ever have it again, right? And they’re really hard to come by. So being the current champion comes with a lot of responsibility, and you don’t want to waste that.”
Logano has long embraced that position. As a young prodigy storming his way up the racing ladder, eventual NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Mark Martin sang Logano’s praises. Logano raced against many NASCAR legends — four-time champion Jeff Gordon and three-time title winner Tony Stewart among them — and eventually started beating them regularly. But it was the examples set by those drivers away from the track that Logano admires most, crediting them for his willingness to be a leader for the sport today.
“I’m only like that because other drivers were like that for me,” Logano said. “And to me, that’s what a true champion is, is somebody that understands that we are here because of the people before us — the media members before you guys, the other drivers before me, the crew chiefs before those crew chiefs, owners before them.
All those legends grew the industry that we all reap the benefits of today. But if we don’t do the same thing for the next generation, then our sport will die. That makes me really sad to think that’s even possible, but it is. You can’t just get comfortable and expect everything to keep going the way it is. You’ve got to keep working at it.
“So I look forward to the opportunity to take on that role and help where I can. There’s a lot of questions I’ve asked already, 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’s important to give the feedback back but also be looking to do more as well.”
Such responsibility is a reward after overcoming the intensity of a championship run against three other elite competitors, this year a trio that included Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Tyler Reddick. Logano thrives in those pressure-filled situations — so much so that he intentionally adds more during the playoff run.
“It makes me better for whatever reason,” Logano said.
“That’s why I always add the pressure when we go into the Championship 4. I always say the big things. I want more pressure on me. I want more on my team. I want that feeling.
It makes it more uncomfortable. It sucks. But it makes us better. And so I always play it that direction, but it’s hard. I mean, it’s harder than anything. It’s uncomfortable.
You don’t sleep much at all. You’re just thinking, right? You’re stressed out. I’ve 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 that goes on in your body. It’s a big deal.”
That, Logano said, is a byproduct of the toll that going through the title gauntlet will do to a competitor’s brain.
A 10-week postseason quickly whittles down to one race where everything a driver has ever worked for is on the line.
“I’d say the mental side of competing for championships is something that I don’t think everyone can understand,”
Logano said. “We all have the pressure of life, right, that hits you in different ways. And it could be different things, right? Could be financial, family, it could be health, those type of pressures. But you have time to think those out a little bit. But this is all coming down to one day. You have an opportunity to make history, to impact so many families that are counting on you to do it. And it’s going to come down to a split decision, right, a quick decision. Turning underneath those guys on the restart to win the championship. It’s going to come down to a moment like that. You know that’s going to happen.
There’s going to be a moment.
–Zach Sturniolo/NASCAR