Competing in his 14th full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Joey Logano is primed to achieve a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang will achieve career start No. 500 in NASCAR’s premier series.
A native of Middletown, Connecticut, Logano, who grew up competing in quarter midgets before working his way up through the stock car ladder and becoming a part-time Xfinity Series competitor for Joe Gibbs Racing, made his inaugural presence in NASCAR’s premier series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September 2008. By then, he had racked up one Xfinity career victory at Kentucky Speedway in July and was announced as the driver of the No. 20 JGR Toyota Camry for the 2009 Cup season, where he would be replacing two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart. Driving the No. 96 Hall of Fame Toyota Camry at New Hampshire, Logano started 40th and finished 32nd in his Cup debut. He returned to compete at Kansas Speedway in September with Hall of Fame Racing and at Texas Motor Speedway in November with JGR, where he finished 39th and 40th respectively.
Taking over the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry in 2009, Logano endured an up-and-down Daytona Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway in February. He finished fourth in the first of two Gatorade Duels, but settled in 43rd place, dead last, in his Daytona 500 debut after being involved in a midway accident. Eight races later, he notched his first top-10 career result in the Cup circuit by finishing ninth at Talladega Superspeedway in April. After finishing 19th during the following weekend at Richmond Raceway, Logano recorded back-to-back ninth-place results at Darlington Raceway and at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.
When NASCAR returned to New Hampshire in late June, Logano, who spun past the midpoint section of the event, utilized pit strategy to retain the lead ahead of Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch when NASCAR displayed the caution due to inclement weather with 35 laps remaining. Not long after, NASCAR declared the race official and Logano was awarded his first career victory in NASCAR’s premier series. At age 19 years, one month and four days old, Logano became the youngest winner in the Cup Series history. While he did not make the 2009 Cup Playoffs, the Connecticut rookie went on to record three additional top-10 results through the final 19 scheduled events, including a fifth-place result at Charlotte and a third-place result at Talladega in October, and finish in 20th place in the final standings as he captured the 2009 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title.
Finishing in 20th place in the 52nd running of the Daytona 500 in February 2010, Logano rebounded during the following two weekends at Auto Club Speedway and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by finishing fifth and sixth respectively. Two races later, he won his first career pole in the Cup circuit at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, where he finished 27th in the main event. He then finished in a season-best second place behind teammate Denny Hamlin at Martinsville Speedway the following weekend. Despite enduring run-ins with veterans Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman throughout the summer and not qualifying for the 2010 Cup Playoffs, Logano and the No. 20 JGR Toyota team earned a total of three top-five results and 10 top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular season stretch. They went on to record six top-10 results through the remaining 10 scheduled events before settling in 16th place in the final standings. While he went winless in 2010, Logano doubled his top-five and top-10 results from his rookie season and improved his average-finishing result in his sophomore Cup season from 20.0 to 16.8.
In comparison to his sophomore season, Logano endured a difficult junior Cup season. Despite achieving two poles, one at Sonoma Raceway in June and another at Pocono Raceway in August, he only achieved a total of four top-five results, six top-10 results and two season-best third-place results at Charlotte in May and at Daytona in July. Mired in inconsistent results, Logano fell back to 24th place in the final standings. By then, he managed to surpass 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.
Returning for a fourth full-time Cup season with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2012, Logano recorded back-to-back top-10 results during the first two scheduled events before finishing no higher than eighth during the following 11 events. Then at Pocono in June, the Connecticut native prevailed over a late battle against Mark Martin, his childhood hero, to emerge victorious for the second time in his Cup career and to become the first pole-winning race winner in 30 races. Compared to his first Cup victory at New Hampshire in 2009, which was shortened due to weather, Logano’s second win occurred after running all 400 miles, where he led a race-high 49 of 160 laps. Despite earning three additional top-10 results throughout the next 12 scheduled events, he did not make the Playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. Nonetheless, Logano managed to earn four additional top-10 results throughout the 10-race Playoff stretch and start on pole position for the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November before finishing in 17th place in the in the final standings.
Two months prior to the conclusion of the 2012 season, Logano was revealed to be moving to Team Penske to pilot the No. 22 Ford Fusion for the 2013 season while the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry would be piloted by the 2003 Cup champion Matt Kenseth. After finishing no higher than 12th during his first three races as a Penske competitor, Logano settled in 17th place at Bristol in March after being involved in a late run-in with ex-teammate Denny Hamlin, where the latter spun the former and resulted with both confronting one another following the race. Then during the following event at Auto Club Speedway, Logano was battling Hamlin for the win on the final lap when he rubbed against Hamlin’s car entering the final turn, which sent both competitors against the outside wall. While Hamlin spun and pounded the inside wall head-on, Logano managed to crawl across the finish line in third place. Controversy, however, continued for Logano, who fought with Tony Stewart on pit road at the event’s conclusion as Stewart was left irritated over a late restart block by Logano that cost Stewart an opportunity to win.
Since his third-place result at Auto Club through Watkins Glen International in August, where he finished seventh, Logano had notched three top-five results and nine top-10 results as he came within reach of making the Playoff’s cutline. Then at Michigan International Speedway, Logano benefited from Mark Martin running out of fuel with four laps remaining to notch his third Cup career victory and first with Team Penske in the Irish Hills after leading a race-high 51 of 200 laps from pole position. The Michigan victory along with two consecutive top-five results during the following three events were enough for Logano to make the Playoffs for the first time in his career. Despite recording two third-place results along with a total of five top-10 results throughout the 10-race Playoff stretch, the Connecticut native could not stay within grasp of the championship front-runners as he capped off the season in eighth place in the final standings, which marked his first top-10 result in a Cup standings.
In 2014, Logano commenced his second season as a Penske competitor with an 11th-place result in the Daytona 500. Six races and three top-five results later, he executed a final lap pass on Jeff Gordon during a two-lap shootout to claim his first victory of the season and the fourth of his Cup career at Texas Motor Speedway in April. Another two races later, he prevailed over a late battle against Gordon, teammate Brad Keselowski and Kenseth to win at Richmond, thus claiming multiple Cup victories in a season for the first time. In August, Logano fended off teammate Keselowski and Kenseth to win at Bristol for his third victory of the season. The three victories along with a total of 10 top-five results and 15 top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular season stretch were more than enough for the Connecticut native to make his second consecutive Playoffs. By then, he also surpassed 200 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series. When the 2014 Cup Playoffs commenced, victories at New Hampshire in September and at Kansas Speedway in October enabled Logano and the No. 22 team to transfer from the Playoff’s Round of 16 to 8. Two results in the top six during the Round of 8 were enough for him to make the Championship 4 cutline and contend for his first Cup title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. During the finale, however, Logano suffered a slow pit stop in the closing laps after his jackman dropped the jack and the crew was needed to raise Logano’s car to have pit stop complete. The miscue relegated the driver of the No. 22 Ford to a 16th-place result on the track and in a career-best fourth place in the final standings.
Determined to make another championship run, Logano kicked off the 2015 Cup season on a high note when he fended off Kevin Harvick and the field at the moment of caution due to a multi-car wreck to win the 57th running of the Daytona 500 in February. By then, the 24-year-old Logano became the second-youngest Daytona 500 champion and the 36th overall competitor to win the Great American Race as he gave team owner Roger Penske his second 500 title. Twenty-one races later, Logano overtook Harvick on the final lap and the final turn to claim his second victory of the season at Watkins Glen International, thus completing a clean sweep of the weekend after winning the Xfinity event a day prior. Another two races later, he fended off Harvick to win at Bristol in August for a second consecutive season. The three victories along with 17 additional results in the top 10 throughout the 2015 regular season stretch enabled Logano to make his third consecutive Playoffs.
After earning three consecutive top-10 results to transfer from the Playoff’s Round of 16 to 12, Logano transferred to the Round of 8 after sweeping the round’s three events at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kansas and at Talladega Superspeedway. In the midst of his three consecutive victories, he encountered a late run-in with Kenseth, whom he spun at Kansas in the closing laps prior to his victory. Then at Martinsville Speedway in November, Logano dominated until he was intentionally wrecked by Kenseth under the final 50 laps, an incident that jeopardized the Connecticut native’s 2015 title hopes as he finished 37th. The situation went from bad to worse during the following weekend at Texas when he cut a tire early in the end and settled in 40th place. He rallied during the following event at Phoenix by finishing in third place, but the damage was done as he was far behind in the points and failed to transfer to the Championship Round at Homestead. While he did not win the 2015 title and ended up sixth in the final standings, the season stands as Logano’s best to date, where he notched a career-high six victories, six poles, 22 top-five results, 28 top-10 results, 1,431 laps led and an average-finishing result of 9.2.
Making another bid for his first title in 2016, Logano commenced the season with six top-10 results through the season’s first 12 scheduled events until he accomplished his first All-Star Race victory at Charlotte in May following a late battle with Kyle Larson. Four weeks later, he fended off rookie Chase Elliott to grab his first points victory at Michigan in June. A total of 18 top-10 results throughout the 2016 regular season stretch, including his victory at Michigan, were enough for Logano to qualify for his fourth consecutive appearance in the Playoffs.
In the Round of 16 in the Playoffs, Logano finished no lower than 11th on the track as he transferred to the Round of 12. At Charlotte in October, he finished 36th after smacking the wall twice separately due to two right-front tire failures. After finishing third at Kansas during the following weekend, Logano earned a one-way ticket to the Round of 8 after winning at Talladega. He then went on to finish ninth and second at the start of the Round of 8 before capitalizing on a late restart at Phoenix in November to win and clinch a Championship 4 spot for Homestead. During the finale, however, Logano restarted behind championship rival Carl Edwards during a restart with 10 laps remaining and was involved in a late multi-car wreck that saw Edwards turning himself across Logano’s front nose and pounding the inside wall head-on while Logano sustained minimal damage to his No. 22 Ford. Despite continuing, Logano could only run as high as fourth place on the track as he settled in a career-best second place in the final standings behind seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson.
In comparison to his previous three seasons at Team Penske, where he contended for the championship, the 2017 Cup season ended up being a difficult season for Logano, who commenced the season with a victory in the non-points Clash at Daytona in February followed by back-to-back sixth-place results. After finishing no lower than sixth during all but one of the first eight scheduled events, he notched his first victory of the season at Richmond in April. By then, he became the sixth competitor to win in career start No. 300. The win, however, was overshadowed with disappointment when it was discovered that Logano’s No. 22 Ford encountered an issue with a rear suspension during the post-race inspection process. The issue made NASCAR declared Logano’s victory “encumbered” as his win would not count towards him making the Playoffs. From there, Logano endured an inconsistent, regular season stretch with three additional top-10 results, but 10 results outside of the top 20 during the next 16 events. Despite finishing second at Richmond in September, he was unable to make the Playoffs for the first time since 2012. From there, he managed five top-10 results during the 10-race Playoff stretch before concluding the season in 17th place in the final standings.
Determined to return as a championship-caliber competitor for himself and his team, Logano opened the 2018 season with a fourth-place result in the Daytona 500. Nine races and seven additional top-10 results later, he fended off Kurt Busch and the field to win at Talladega in May. Logano then went on to post nine more top-10 results before qualifying for the 2018 Cup Playoffs. Finishing no worse than 14th during the first six Playoff events, Logano was able to transfer from the Round of 16 to 8 by late October. Then during the first Round of 8 event at Martinsville, Logano rubbed and overtook reigning Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. on the final lap to win and clinch a spot in the Championship event at Homestead. Three races later during the finale at Homestead, Logano overtook Truex and led the final 12 laps before streaking to his third victory of the season and winning his first championship in the NASCAR Cup Series. With his first title occurring in his 10th full-time season in the Cup Series, Logano became the 33rd different competitor to achieve a championship in NASCAR’s premier series as he also recorded the second Cup title for Team Penske. Overall, Logano capped off his first championship season with three victories, a pole, 13 top-five results, 26 top-10 results, 934 laps led and an average-finishing result of 10.7.
Entering the 2019 season as the reigning Cup champion, Logano commenced the season by winning the second of two Daytona Duel events before finishing in fourth place in the Daytona 500. Two races later, he fended off teammate Brad Keselowski to notch his first victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. Another 12 races later, he beat Kurt Busch during an overtime attempt to win at Michigan in June. To go along with his two regular season victories, he notched a total of 15 top-10 results during the regular season stretch as he made his sixth career appearance in the Playoffs. During the Playoff’s Round of 16, Logano finished no lower than 11th as he transferred to the Round of 12. Despite finishing no higher than 11th during the Round of 12, he was able to transfer to the Round of 8 while teammate Keselowski missed the cutoff by three points. During the first Round of 8 event at Martinsville in October, Logano was involved in a post-race skirmish with Denny Hamlin after Hamlin made contact with Logano late in the event that caused Logano to cut a tire and spin. Despite finishing eighth at Martinsville before proceeding to finish fourth and ninth at Texas and Phoenix respectively, he failed to reach the Championship Round at Homestead and was unable to defend his title. With his hopes of winning back-to-back titles evaporated, Logano finished in fifth place in the final standings.
Following a disappointing conclusion to the 2019 season, Logano notched two victories through the first four scheduled events of the 2020 season: Las Vegas and Phoenix in March. By then, he surpassed 400 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series. When all NASCAR activities were suspended in March before returning in May during the COVID-19 pandemic, he managed to earn 12 top-10 results before making his seventh appearance in the Playoffs. After transferring all the way from the Round of 16 to 8 on the strength of three top-three results, Logano earned a one-way ticket to the Championship Round at Phoenix after winning the Round of 8’s opening event at Kansas in October. During the finale, however, Logano settled in third place on the track and in the final standings behind Chase Elliott and teammate Keselowski.
At the start of the 2021 Cup season, Logano was in position to win his second Daytona 500 title while leading on the final lap when he was turned by teammate Brad Keselowski with two corners remaining. The collision between both Penske teammates ignited a fiery multi-car wreck that left both with demolished race cars with Logano settling in 12th place. The incident marked Logano’s second consecutive DNF in the Daytona 500. He rebounded by finishing in second place during the Daytona Road Course event after being overtaken by Christopher Bell on the penultimate lap. Five races later, Logano fended off Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Denny Hamlin during an overtime shootout to win the inaugural Cup event at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course, which marked his 27th career win in NASCAR’s premier series. Despite enduring a wild airborne wreck at Talladega in April, he earned a total of 13 top-10 results throughout the regular season stretch before making his eighth appearance in the Playoffs. Finishing no higher than 11th place during the first half of the 2021 Cup Playoffs, Logano was able to transfer from the Round of 16 to 8. An engine issue during the first Round of 8 event at Texas, however, affected his hopes of winning the title and ultimately, he was unable to transfer out of the Round of 8 despite notching back-to-back top-10 results for the remainder of the event. Capping off the season with an 11th-place result during the finale at Phoenix, Logano ended up in eighth place in the final standings behind teammates Keselowski and Ryan Blaney.
Logano commenced the 2022 NASCAR season on a high note by winning the non-points Busch Light Clash in the sport’s inaugural exhibition event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in February. After achieving five top-10 results through the first 11-scheduled events, he claimed his first Cup points victory of the season at Darlington Raceway in May. The Darlington victory occurred after Logano pulled a “bump-and-run” move on William Byron prior to the final lap that knocked Byron out of contention. Another three races later, Logano prevailed in an overtime battle against Kyle Busch to win the inaugural Cup event at World Wide Technology Raceway in June. The victories at Darlington and Gateway along with a total of seven top-five results, 12 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 14.0 throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch were enough to earn a one-way ticket to the Playoffs for the ninth time in his career. Coming off runs of fourth and 17th through the first two events in the Round of 16, he is currently ranked in fourth place in the Playoff standings and 40 points above the top-12 cutline to advance to the Round of 12.
Through 499 previous Cup starts, Logano has achieved one championship, 29 victories, 24 poles, 146 top-five results, 253 top-10 results, 7,911 laps led and an average-finishing result of 13.9.
Logano is scheduled to make his 500th Cup Series career start at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, September 17. The event’s coverage is slated to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
