Before the year wraps up, let us reflect on the enthralling Cup Series season. Joey Logano crawled out of the jaws of defeat to clinch his third Cup Series title. He won a quintuple overtime race in Nashville via fuel mileage skills and got inside the playoffs 15th in points. Logano was even ousted from the Round of 8 before Alex Bowman’s penalty threw him back into the mix. Yet what he achieved may be more than meets the eye.

Joey Logano is the only driver to have won three titles in the elimination playoff format era. Most notably, the last person to fetch more than two championships was Jimmie Johnson. Yes, the 7-time champion has more in common with Logano than what appears, despite the doubts about Logano’s title run.

Joey Logano carries Johnson’s baton

Well, Joey Logano’s third championship was mired in controversy. He was a little more than an afterthought at the beginning of the 2024 season, with his teammate Ryan Blaney being the only force on the Ford bandwagon. Then a multitude of seemingly improbable events occurred to retain him in the championship story – almost like it was meant to be. Some people remarked that Logano’s strong bid came since it was an even year – previously he won in 2018 and 2022 and he has also made the championship 4 in every even year since the playoff format in 2014. However, there are more peculiarities that Reddit fans dug out recently, that give an eerie shade to this Cup season.

We know already that Joey Logano joined an elite group of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, David Pearson, and Richard Petty. Each of them won their third title under the age of 35. Yet what is more mind-boggling is the similarity with Johnson’s title bid in 2008. A NASCAR fan pointed out an uncanny connection on Reddit: “I don’t think this hasn’t been mentioned at all this year, but Joey Logano this year became the first driver to win the Daytona 500 pole & the Cup Series championship in the same season since Jimmie Johnson in 2008. Also noticed how each fire suit matched the color from one driver to the other in those two photos 🔵🟡”

This makes us wonder – did the universe conspire to hand Joey Logano the championship? Well, if you believe in those things, there are yet more facts that point to Logano’s bond with Johnson. When Jimmie Johnson came back to NASCAR and bought Richard Petty’s team in 2022, Logano became a two-time champion. Then Logano was the only driver to hold the Cup Series champion’s journal twice since Johnson started the tradition in 2016. According to the ritual, the outgoing champion leaves a message to the newest title-holder. Besides, Logano’s resilience is a surefire resemblance to the Cup Series veteran. The Team Penske driver said after his third title: “It’s been my whole career, like from the very beginning. It’s just what it is. I’ve got thick skin. Bring it on.”

However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Fans uncovered more baffling similarities between the two drivers.

NASCAR community dissects the connection

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Upon hearing of this interesting topic, the Reddit community did what it does best – dig deeper. And the details they found were astounding. Although they hail from different teams, Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano’s delivery of their third Cup titles happened under the same circumstances. One fan wrote, “When Jimmie Johnson won the 2008 Daytona 500 pole, Hendrick Motorsports wound up winning their 3rd straight championship as would Team Penske in 2024. Jimmie Johnson won his third championship in 2008 just like Joey Logano this year.”

To add to the connection, the Daytona 500 from the 2008 and 2024 seasons showed eerie similarities as pointed out by this fan. “Also in the years these photos were taken, a team finished 1-2 in the 500, Penske in ‘08 and Hendrick in ‘24,” said one fan. In 2008, Penske Racing duo Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch finished 1-2 at the Daytona 500, with Jimmie Johnson (HMS) winning the pole. Fast forward to 2024, Joey Logano from Team Penske won the pole at Daytona while William Byron and Alex Bowman (HMS) finished 1-2. Noticing the pole position connection, a fan replied saying, “Ironic that Johnson (a Hendrick driver) won the pole when Penske went 1-2 and Logano (a Penske driver) won the pole when Hendrick went 1-2.”

Hold on, the plot becomes thicker. The spotlight now shifts from Johnson and Joey Logano to their rivals at Daytona 500. While they secured the poles, Michael Waltrip and Michael McDowell occupied the runner-up spots. One fan wrote, “And they’re both standing next to a Michael who got his first win in the Daytona 500 in a year ending with a 1.” The driver next to Logano, Michael McDowell, won his first Daytona 500 in 2021, while beside Jimmie Johnson stands Michael Waltrip who won the race in 2001.

To elevate the eerie factor of the topic. Somebody else wrote, “Both Michael’s were in their mid-late thirties at the time of their first career win, and both had a lot of starts before that first career win.” This tie-up between the past and the present was enough to dazzle some fans, as someone aptly pointed out. “What’s old is new again it seems like 🤪”

So were unknown forces at work for Logano to win? Who knows? – all we know is the remarkable brilliance the Team Penske driver displayed.