Joey Logano has been through it all. The Team Penske racer has experienced all the highs and lows that NASCAR offers, taking it all in his stride. No driver in the Next-Gen era has been as successful as the 34-year-old, but that isn’t making Logano complacent. Recognizing that there will come a time when he rides into the sunset, the Connecticut native is eager to be mentally prepared for the fateful day, even though his insatiable love for motorsports remains strong.

The 2024 championship winner recently revealed how his wife Brittany Baca helps him retain his mental sanity during a hectic Cup Series campaign. Has her presence been instrumental in Joey Logano’s immense success on the racetrack?

Joey Logano hopes to avoid mental pitfalls

To say that motorsports is a demanding industry would be an understatement. From a very young age, drivers dedicate their entire lives to the pursuit of success, basing their self-worth on the results from the racetrack. While this level of dedication makes them some of the most skilled professionals in the world, the single-minded focus also stunts their development outside their areas of interest. Drivers can be heroes one week, and villains in another, with social media playing an important role in shaping the media narrative, depending on events during the race.

Taking these factors into account, Joey Logano has revealed how Brittany Baca helps him deal with the mental demands of his profession on Kenny Conversations. The Team Penske driver said, “My wife has these conversations with me that help me understand a little bit more of what’s life all about because you get so consumed sometimes in your job, right? I still get that way don’t get me wrong, like during the season my fuse is a little shorter, even at home. Like, distress is real. But I guess I’ve watched other drivers retire and go into a state of depression and I don’t want that.”

Revealing that he’s also exploring a life beyond the racetrack, Logano said, “Like, as much as anything, I love racing. I don’t want to stop anytime soon. Don’t get me wrong on this, but I want to be happy when I’m done. Like, I don’t want to miss it because that’s all I got.” At the age of 34, the racing driver isn’t what one might describe as ‘young’ in the motorsport world. Developing coping mechanisms to help him deal with the mental rigors of Cup Series racing will not only benefit the Team Penske driver after retirement but also improve his longevity in the sport. All things considered, he has his wife to thank for escaping the dark consequences of NASCAR.

Joey Logano has come under plenty of scrutiny recently. Despite winning the 2024 Cup Series, the third of his illustrious career, many drivers and fans believe that the 34-year-old was undeserving of the accolade because of his underwhelming season. The No. 22 Ford Mustang driver seems to have mastered the playoff format by securing clutch results, succeeding on the racetrack even though other drivers such as Kyle Larson or Christopher Bell have shown more consistency.

Logano defends championship triumph amidst social media criticism

Joey Logano has been subjected to plenty of social media backlash. Despite proving his racing prowess time and again, the 34-year-old has had to constantly defend his 2024 Cup Series win even though he lifted the Bill France trophy after a non-controversial win at Phoenix Raceway. The racing driver was eliminated from the playoffs after the Round of 12, only to be dramatically reinstated after Alex Bowman was disqualified at the Charlotte Roval after failing a weight inspection post-race. Meanwhile, four wins in 36 races haven’t done enough to convince his critics, even though the Team Penske driver entered Victory Lane more times than any other driver except Kyle Larson, and more than anyone else during the playoffs (3 times).

Defending his second championship in three years, Joey Logano said, “Now, we got a system which I think is like freaking awesome. I love it. As a race fan, it is intense, it is pressure-packed, it is do or die, people are willing to do the craziest things to try to win and we’re gonna complain about that now too? C’mon guys. I don’t really know how to explain how frustrated I get when I hear some of the stuff. I’m on social media, I see it, not a true champion, Mickey Mouse all this stuff, the bottom line is we won three of the last 10 races. Pretty solid.”

Known as ‘Even-Year-Logano’, the Team Penske driver’s Championship 4 appearance was his sixth in the last 10 years. While critics will always voice their opinion, the Team Penske driver can rest easy, knowing that he’s only the 10th driver in history to have won three or more Cup Series titles at NASCAR’s highest level. Ultimately, the future Hall of Famer has earned his place as one of the sport’s all-time greats, and prioritizing his mental health will go a long way in continuing to achieve success on the racetrack.