Earlier this weekend, Joey Logano triumphed at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. In a way, this has put his championship defense back on track. After winning the 2022 Cup Series championship, the Team Penske driver had been hovering around the Top 10 so far. After winning at Atlanta, the 2-time champion spoke in the post-race press conference.
Among other subjects, he spoke about his idol, Tony Stewart.
Logano mentioned in the press conference, “Honestly just brings back a lot of memories. I remember coming here for Cup weekend. I’d walk around hoping to meet drivers, an owner, maybe they know my name, someday they’ll remember that they met me, maybe they’ll help me get a chance to drive a Cup car someday, right?”
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“That was a thought. That’s why it was always such a big deal. We raced on Cup weekend out there. You hoped that the big guys were watching you. A lot of times they were. That was always a special thing. Obviously, their race got rained out this weekend, unfortunately.”
What did Joey Logano say about Tony Stewart?
When he was a young boy, Logano was a big fan of 3-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart. He confessed that he was a bit bummed about not having the Cup drivers there to scout local talent. There was also an older incident with Tony Stewart, where the driver was in a bit of a bad mood. As a result, he blew off Logano and that moment changed his life.
Joey Logano, in the same press conference, continued, “The memories of talking to the kids, Hero cards, I got three Hero cards this weekend, they signed it for me. Someday I may be racing against them, right?”
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“It doesn’t take too long. It was 10 years before this I was trying to get Tony Stewart’s autograph, 10 years before I took his ride. I didn’t take his ride, but he left. I replaced him in his car. 10 years go by just like that.”
“I’ll be pretty old in 10 years, but at some point, there’s definitely a chance.”
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READ MORE: “That Moment Changed Me as an Adult Forever” – Joey Logano Reveals Brutal Tony Stewart Snub
For the moment, the driver is happy to just enjoy his first victory of the 2023 season. The triumph also means that he has booked his Playoff berth, so it will be a waiting game to see who will join him.