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Is Joey Logano's success a testament to skill, or is he just riding a wave of luck?

The two-time (2018, 2022) Cup Series champion Joey Logano is getting a shot at a third championship, thanks to Alex Bowman’s penalty after the Charlotte ROVAL race. After making it to round 8, the #48 car was disqualified for failing post-race weight inspection. This had Joey Logano reinstated in the top 8. And if given a second chance, Joey Logano rarely misses!

Hitting a bull’s eye in the opening race of the final round of the playoffs. Logano bagged a third win this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and became the first to make it to the championship 4. This would also be his 6th appearance in the finale race in his Cup career. Recently, the Penske driver opened up about his mentality and what keeps him grounded throughout the turmoils of NASCAR.

Joey Logano shares his secret to face the unknowns of NASCAR

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The #22 driver wasn’t having his best season this year. He ended the 2024 regular season with a single win, and only four top 5 finishes, his worst with Team Penske. However, Logano is known to perform when it is absolutely required. First, he won the Atlanta playoff race in round one, securing a spot in the next round. A little help from Bowman’s misfortune put him in the third and eventually, he hit it big at Vegas, now comfortably waiting for the Phoenix race to commence.

Joey Logano is currently the most successful driver of the grid. Firstly, he is the only multiple-time champion still in contention for a title this season. Secondly, his consistency has been impeccable, having qualified 6 times in the championship, the highest by any driver since the playoff format was introduced in 2014. And it hasn’t been all success for Logano either; he, too, has had his share of disappointments. Just last year, he finished the season with a single win in the 12th position. However, perhaps Logano’s consistency can be attributed to his unwavering attitude.

Joey Logano, after getting a spot in the final 4, opened up about the ups and downs, he said, “You’re going to go through some highs and lows and it’s going to happen week quick like week to week sometimes day to day. I mean, you could have qualified awful yesterday, and like, aw, and then you have a good race, you’re like, yay, you know, see, you ride these waves of emotions. I think there’s a few ways to handle that and it probably depends on who you are and how long you’ve been doing it. But I think a big thing to always remember is that there’s always something bigger right there’s stuff that matters more than sports.”

According to Logano, life is all about second chances. Further in the conversation, Logano said, “Our foundation is all about second chances because I believe that people with a second chance will act completely different when you have a second chance in your life or in your job or and your whatever. And maybe that’s all come in full circle right now.” 

And this ‘second chance’ mentality is a crucial aspect of Logano’s life. Likewise, The Joey Logano Foundation’s purpose is also to give a second chance to youths who have faced abuse or trauma, helping them rebuild and bounce back in life. Or even how Logano, after disappointing 4 seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing, got a second chance in the Cup when he joined Team Penske in 2013.

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Is Joey Logano's success a testament to skill, or is he just riding a wave of luck?

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And If given a second chance, Logano doesn’t disappoint. In the 11 seasons with Penske, the #22 has never been winless. Or even this year, when the season was heading to be his worst in Penske, it was overturned into a chance to bag a third title. And while a good deal of people might, Logano does not believe it has anything to do with luck.

Joey Logano opens up on the ‘luck’ factor

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Team Penske is in the finals, and it surely has little to do with luck. Now, whether it was Alex Bowman being unlucky or Joey Logano being lucky, cannot be determined. However, the #22 driver thinks otherwise. Further in the conversation, he said, “I don’t believe in luck so I know it’s not that but there must be something mindset somewhere within someone, somehow like us together something’s different but hey we’ll take it.” While luck was a big factor, Logano, too, deserves credit for keeping himself in a position where if something like this happens, he’s the first one to get a spot.

The #22 entered the ROVAL race in the elimination zone. Initially, Logano breached the cutline and was in a good position to qualify. However, Tyler Reddick’s exceptional run put him back under. Logano could only muster up a P8 finish and when a chance to move up in the 8 presented itself, he was the first one there. Many have called this lucky! Luck comes with skill, and since 2014, Logano has made it to the championship 4 on six occasions, but with all of those appearances coming in even years, the luck factor starts to creep in.

After the even-year magic worked for the sixth time, the non-believer seems to have had a change of heart. Logano, post the Vegas race, in an NBC interview said, “What an incredible turn of events here since last week… I don’t know what the deal is with the even-year thing, but maybe it’s real. I’m so blessed.” Luck or no luck, it’s just another instance of Joey doing Joey things. The Penske driver is en route, becoming the most successful Cup driver amongst the current active drivers.

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Do you think Joey Logano can win a third championship? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

 

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