Joey Logano has another fast No. 22 Ford Mustang for the Daytona 500. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As Joey Logano enters the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season as the reigning champion, it is almost as if he has a blank slate ahead of Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Perhaps Logano, 32, has a bit of a New England native’s mentality of wanting more despite achieving a lot in such short time.
Then again, the pride of Middletown, Connecticut understandably has a unique perspective about his two-time Cup champion status.
“It’s cool. I still look at it and say it should say four,” Logano said during Wednesday’s Daytona 500 Media Day availability. “That’s the way I look at it, which may just be the way I think through things. I mean, it’s nice, don’t get me wrong. It’s a cool accomplishment to have, but I also feel like it was last year and it’s over. The championship stuff is over to me. In my mind, it’s over.”
For a driver who won four times and turned up the wick during last year’s Playoffs, it is a new season in which it is not about what he did in a sparkling 2022 campaign.
Instead, it is about the here and now and doing better than 2022 for the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang team.
Logano does not rest on his laurels as a tenacious, two-time Cup champion. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)
“It’s nice to run out the season as you can say a reigning champion or previous champion, whatever it is, but it’s over in my mind,” he said. “We had our moment to enjoy it, to celebrate and now it’s back to work.
“We’ve got to do it again. The goal is the same again this year. We can’t do the same things. We’ve got to find more. We’ve got to adjust again, so nothing changes.”
After a puzzling showing in the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Logano reaffirmed his place as a legitimate, serious Daytona 500 contender.
Logano won Thursday night’s first Bluegreen Vacation Duels race at Daytona, boosting his “Great American Race” starting position from fifth to third.
Although it was the preamble to Sunday’s season opener, Logano soaked in his Duel victory.
“Anytime you can win at Daytona, this is the coolest victory lane to pull into,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what race it is, if it’s a Duel, if it’s a tricycle race on the front straightaway, it doesn’t matter. Daytona is where you want to win. It’s special every time. It’s even more special Sunday, so this is a good start, for sure.”
The 16-year Cup veteran likes his chances for the 200-lap race with his Team Penske crew preparing another solid frontrunning car.
“It’s fast. We figured out that it’s fast,” Logano said. “There’s always work to do. It’s never perfect, but not a bad race car. We’ll have something for the 500 obviously.”
While it has been eight years since Logano pulled into Daytona’s Victory Lane for a points paying race, he has a strong case to snap his dryspell.
Likewise, it may take an attitude of not being content to win the Daytona 500 and the 2023 Cup title.
Needless to say, Logano would love to win another Harley J. Earl Trophy on Sunday afternoon. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)
“You’re a product of your environment,” he said. “You are who you hang out with and I’ve been there for a while now, a majority of my career. I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it. He doesn’t tell me this. Roger doesn’t go and tell me anything.
“You kind of just know, and I don’t know how much of that was just inside of me already because I can’t really say I’d seen success before I worked for Roger, so it’s hard for me to say what that means, but I will say being around him I’m sure isn’t a bad thing to have that mindset as well.”
