What occurs when a long-standing custom collides with a contentious character and a split fan base? The ceremonial handshake between NASCAR and the presidents has long been a part of history and aesthetics. However, not all handshakes are acceptable. The first sitting president to attend a NASCAR race was President Ronald Reagan in 1984. He watched Richard Petty win his 200th race and gave the order to start the engines from Air Force One. It wasn’t an ordinary appearance as President Reagan even ate Kentucky Fried Chicken with Petty, Bobby Allison, and other drivers.

The occasion was a demonstration of solidarity between the core values of American patriotism and stock car racing. This became a tradition where future U.S. presidents would embrace and celebrate NASCAR icons. Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump hosted NASCAR champions on the White House grounds. Seldom did the appearances garner much attention. They weren’t declarations; they were festivities.

Presidents Obama and Trump have recognized NASCAR champions at the White House during the last ten years, combining motorsport with national recognition in a unique way. President Obama praised Tony Stewart’s stunning 2011 title when he visited in 2012. Additionally, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch were also hosted by President Obama in 2015 and 2016. This tradition of honoring and celebrating NASCAR drivers continued when Donald Trump took office for the first time. He invited Martin Truex Jr after his championship triumph in 2017, and this was followed by Joey Logano’s visit after his maiden title win in 2019.

Every visit demonstrated NASCAR’s cultural reach and the respect that its hardest-charging drivers receive. Very few drivers have the honor of being invited to the White House on multiple occasions, and Penske driver Logano is one of them. Well, this time, he was part of the Penske Racing contingent, but again, he was representing NASCAR in front of the whole world. He might not be NASCAR’s most popular driver like Chase Elliott, but he certainly finds himself in elite company time and again.

Let’s just say that NASCAR fans do not see Logano as the poster child of premier stock car racing series. If anything, they turned against him after last year’s championship run. Not only that, but his take on the fans ahead of the 2024 season further riles up the NASCAR community. “Our fans are spoiled. And I love our race fans, but think about other sports… When are you going to meet an NFL player? Can you access an NFL player, anytime, like three hours before the game? No!”

Well, Denny Hamlin indeed dons the title of NASCAR’s villain, but Logano stands a close second in these ratings. So when President Trump hosted and celebrated the 2024 camp, fans couldn’t help but share their true feelings on social media.

 Fans conflicted on whether or not Joey Logano represents the best of NASCAR

“Gross as hell,” a fan wrote in response to a thread shared on Reddit. Well, Logano isn’t known to be the most fan-favorite driver, especially after last year’s championship triumph. Fans even labeled him as an “underserving champ” after he won a fuel strategy race at Nashville Superspeedway and advanced deep in the playoffs, thanks to Alex Bowman’s suspension at Charlotte Roval. Fans are not over how the playoff format helped Logano find his way through his third championship.

Even those fans who despise Denny Hamlin were open to him winning the Bill France trophy over Logano after he visited the White House. “Alright, I’ve seen enough! This is disgusting! Now we have to do the only logical thing and give last year’s championship to Denny Hamlin!” The NASCAR community rallied together to bring about changes to the playoff format so that inconsistent drivers like Logano can’t play their cards right for championship glory. However, for the Penske star, this opinion didn’t make sense; after all, every other team has signed to compete in the same system. “So, for someone to say this isn’t real, that’s a bunch of bull —. In my opinion, that’s wrong.”

Not everyone was against Logano getting recognized for his contributions. “Not sure why, but reading this finally made it set in that Joey actually has 3 championships now lol. 3 out of the last 7 isn’t bad,” a fan replied. In this century, only Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart have clinched three or more NASCAR championships, and Logano is a part of an elite group. Even though his racing style has raised a few eyebrows, there’s no denying that he’s one of the decorated drivers in the modern era.

Even some of his haters turned a new leaf: “I hate the Orange Man, but being able to be recognized by the highest office in the land is pretty cool. I agree.” It’s not Logano’s fault that other teams and rival camps haven’t been able to crack the code to success in the Gen-7 car. Everyone signed up for the same deal, knowing that the races in the post-season are going to be vital. Team Penske has emerged on top three years in a row, and the onus is now on the competition to topple their dominant run.

Meanwhile, a user on Reddit highlighted that despite the recognition, the tariffs aren’t going to spare NASCAR owners.  The teams are dependent on 26 single-source third party suppliers that are spread in different parts of the globe. And if the tariffs come through, it would lead to an increase in the cost of operating a race team. “It’s gonna be hysterical to watch the excuses whenever the tariffs start driving prices for Gen 7 parts to the stratosphere.”

What did you make of Joey Logano’s second visit to the White House? Share your thoughts in the comments.