Logano To Hit 600 Marker At Dover
Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 10, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
By Dennis Krause
Initially, Joey Logano thought the number 600 was just another statistic. But then, the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion thought about it a bit more and what the number, 600 career starts in NASCAR’s premier division, really meant. And what he found was that the number 600 was more than just a statistic.
“At first glance, I said, ‘Well, it just starts.’ But then when you start thinking about it, to be able to be around in a sport as an athlete competing at a top level for 16-plus years, and hitting 600 starts, it’s pretty incredible to have a career that long. It’s something that I take some pride in. I’m proud of that, to be able to hit this marker. It’s a lot of starts.
“I remember my 300th start and I think it was (Matt) Kenseth at the time, maybe it was (Martin) Truex (Jr.) as well, that weren’t too far from 600 and I thought, ‘Geez, that’s double the amount of races as me. That’s crazy.’ But here I am, so it went by pretty quick. It’s been a heck of a ride. This sport has been awesome to me and my family and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Logano will become the 34th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to make 600 career starts when he takes the green flag on Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway.
As a rookie in 2009, Logano drove the #20 Home Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR
It doesn’t seem that long ago that Logano was seen as the next best thing since “sliced bread”. In fact, the term became a derogatory nickname for Logano, courtesy of driver Randy LaJoie. But veteran Mark Martin, who was driving for team owner Jack Roush at the time, saw the raw talent and desire that Logano had and called him the “real deal”. While Martin was convinced that Logano would go on to be one of the greatest to ever race in NASCAR, Logano admits it wasn’t always a smooth ride living up to that prediction.
“I grew up in front of everybody. All of us change over the years as you grow up. Life comes at you and you evolve and keep going with it. Everybody, when you were 18 years old to 35 years old are some of the biggest changes in your life happen in that period of time. Getting married, having kids – that’s the biggest change you can ever have in your life, I think – but I did all of this in front of everybody. Everybody went for the ride with me in ways, and not to mention the lessons learned on the racetrack and how I’ve changed as a race car driver, too, over that period of time, where I was a young, cocky kid coming in to getting my humble pie and learning how to become a champion and learning a lot of lessons in front of everybody.
“It’s kind of neat that race fans have been around that long and they see the evolution, if you will, of myself and it’s interesting to publicly grow up in front of people, but it’s part of what sports are and being in the limelight, but it’s been a heck of a ride, for sure.”
Now age 35, a time when some begin to consider how much longer they want to stay behind the wheel, the driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske has given no indication of wanting to move out of the fast lane.
“I always say as long as I can win. I really feel like that’s the standard for me. I love racing, but I really love winning a lot more. If I can go race other things and win, I’ll go and do that, but my dream has always been to be a NASCAR driver, be a NASCAR champion and if I can win and be a help to my team, then I want to stick around.
“As soon as I feel like I’m a drag on the team and I’m not bringing anything to the table anymore, whether that’s on the racetrack or off the racetrack, that’s when I need to get out of the way at that point. I want to see Roger Penske and his race team and the people that are there be successful. I care about them a lot, so I want to be a way to contribute to that. That’s what I want out of myself.
“If I was Roger Penske, I would expect that out of an employee, especially for as long as I’ve been there. That, to me, is gonna be the deciding factor when that is. I don’t want to stick around and be one of those guys where people say, ‘Man, he went a few years too long.’ You don’t want to be that guy.
“I think whenever that happens, that happens. I don’t know when that is. I would be an idiot to think you can be competing at the top level into your fifties. What athlete has ever done that? Something changes at some point, but, right now, I still feel as fresh as ever. I feel as sharp as ever. I’m driven as much as ever. I still care. I still get emotional about things, so that shows me I care a lot. With those factors still there when the end is, I don’t know yet. I don’t know.”
Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, poses for a photo after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 10, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Logano has won just about everything there is to win in NASCAR’s Cup Series with the exception of the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“That’s the one that definitely stands out to me,” said Logano. “That is the number one race on the list to want to win just because it’s Indy. The history. How iconic that speedway is. The dream of kissing the bricks is a real thing. That’s the real thing for me. I would love to be in that position some day. We’ve been close many times.
“Obviously, Roger Penske now owning the racetrack and being my boss adds more to it, but it was there before that. Like, that racetrack holds enough prestige that it doesn’t matter who you are and who you drive for you want to win that race. You want to go in the history books as an Indianapolis winner in anything, so that one would be special.”
Despite not having that Brickyard 400 win, Logano is proud of what he has accomplished in 599 races - to a point.
“I guess I’ve always had high expectations for myself. I’ve always expected to win championships and win races and, to be honest with you, I’ve not met my expectations, so I’ve always felt like I haven’t done enough or done good enough.
“At the same time, probably what makes me great is because I always have the feeling that I haven’t done enough. I haven’t prepared enough. I haven’t won enough. I haven’t done anything enough yet, and I think that’s probably a good thing.
“It’s not the most enjoyable experience when you think that way, but it’s that lack of complacency that I think has led to some success. Am I proud of what we’ve accomplished? Absolutely, I just really felt like there would have been more because that’s what I expect out of myself.”
Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.