"It's harder than when I did it": Joey Logano makes honest admission about challenges young drivers face breaking into NASCAR

Joey Logano, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, recently shared his thoughts on the increasing difficulty young drivers face when trying to set themselves in NASCAR. Speaking on the Youth Inc. podcast, the three-time Cup Series champion talked about the lack of development programs and the financial barriers that have made breaking into professional racing much harder compared to when he started.

The discussion started with Logano talking about his journey in racing starting from the age of seven in quarter midgets and later signing with Joe Gibbs at 15. When asked about the current situation for young drivers who want to make it far in the sport, he talked about how at the time he joined racing, there were personal development programs for young talent, without needing substantial financial investment. He also talked about how such programs are no longer in existence, leading him to say how it was now harder for young drivers than it was back then. Along with this, he also hinted at how it was hard for him to point out what the right path was now.

"It's harder than it was when I did it " [10:39]

"So it's hard for me to say what is the correct path now. Right? A lot of it is like the relationships that you build along the way. What you do off the racetrack as a race car driver is almost as important as what you do on the racetrack because you have these sponsors."

During the podcast, Joey Logano also talked about how his father was the one who financially supported him in making his career in NASCAR.

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"I’ve never lost before and I failed"- Joey Logano about his early years in NASCAR

Joey Logano, during the same interview, also talked about the early years of his NASCAR Cup Series career. His Cup Series debut in 2009 put a lot of pressure on him owing to the fact that he replaced Tony Stewart in the No. 20 car at Joe Gibbs Racing.

At just 18-years-old, with limited experience at the top level, he also had competition from well-established teammates like Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. For the first three races of the season, Joey Logano wasn’t able to perform very well and finished in the 30th position or lower. About this, which was also his debut season as a full-time racer in the NASCAR Cup Series, he said:

“At a young age... I didn’t lose much. I’d show up and win... until I got to the Cup level... and I failed.”

His first top 10 finish came in Talladega, where he finished ninth, and later led the race at Darlington, before again ending ninth. He also won the fan vote in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint All-Star after finishing eighth in the race, The highlight of his career at the time was that at just 18, he became the youngest driver to have competed in the Daytona 500.