“You’d be lying to yourself”: Joey Logano shares serious take on what makes one a NASCAR champion 

Never before had a driver finished as low as 15th on points and yet managed to bag the ultimate honor of the year. But Joey Logano did it. He won his third NASCAR Cup Series title, holding off his teammate and reigning champion Ryan Blaney. Needless to say, it didn’t come easy.

While speaking to reporters at the NASCAR Awards ceremony in Charlotte, the Team Penske driver shared his take on what one would call the champion mentality: a mentality that is unwavering in the face of adversity and yet shrouded with the fear of failure.

There are several ways life puts pressure on a man. It can be financial, family, or health. However, nothing matches the pressure to win the coveted Championship 4. Explaining the same, Logano said,

“The mental side of racing for a championship or competing for a championship is something that I don't think everyone can understand. We all have the pressure of life, right? It hits you different ways and it could be different things like financials, it could be family...it could be health, like those type of pressures but you have time to think those out a little bit. But this is all coming down to all day. You have the opportunity to make history, to impact so many families that are counting on you to do it. And it's gonna come down to a split decision, right? A quick decision. You know that's gonna happen.”

“You also have the fear of losing. That pressure. We got this far, and we didn't capitalize or a mistake that you made...I mean, you'd be lying to yourself if you didn't think about that stuff,” he added.

It ended well for Logano, but not for the other three championship contenders. When one races for the championship, lack of effort is rare and sometimes it comes down to luck.

Billy Scott, crew chief of Tyler Reddick (another championship contender) reflected on the same during a post-race interview at Phoenix Raceway when he said:

“Some days, you get beat. This sport is tough. You certainly lose a lot more than you win. Those Penske cars have been tough here for a while, and that’s what happened today. We just got beat, but it was not for lack of preparation or lack of effort.”

Joey Logano reveals what he’s most proud of amid NASCAR’s “goofy” business

Joey Logano delivered a special message at the NASCAR Awards ceremony yesterday. The gala event, which was held in Nashville from 2019 until 2023, was hosted at the Charlotte Convention Center this year.

“When I think about what we do on the racetrack sometimes, it’s kind of pointless, right?” the 34-year-old said (via NBC). “We drive around in circles just to end up in the same place at the end of day. You kind of think about it, that’s kind of goofy.”

However, what Logano felt is special about NASCAR is the way it gives back to the community. Recalling the aftermath of the fearsome Hurricane Helen and how people from NASCAR have been helping in the relief process, the Ford pilot took pride in being a part of the sport.

“When you think about (the flooding) in Western North Carolina, I’d say probably at least one person at each table around here probably made a huge impact at some point for the Hurricane Helene victims. I saw a lot of too people up there helping out and that, to me, is probably something that I’m most proud of this industry, being a part of that,” Logano added.

As per reports, Joey Logano’s foundation provided $250,000 “to support the recovery efforts in the weeks after Helene made landfall.” The man flew to Western Carolina to deliver supplies and assist recovery efforts.

Not long after, Team Penske and Shell USA joined forces with The Joey Logano Foundation to further assist in rescuing the calamity's survivors. Logano’s No. 22 ride during the Xfinity 500 back at Martinsville carried a special paint scheme that read “Partners Powering Hurricane Recovery" as a symbol of their joint venture.