Penske star Joey Logano will hit a significant profession milestone this weekend as he makes his 600th begin within the NASCAR Cup Collection at Dover Motor Speedway
Logano stepped as much as the Cup Collection in 2009 with Joe Gibbs Racing and has been a staple of the grid ever since, with 2024 marking his third title within the championship.
Though he first joined NASCAR’s premier nationwide collection with JGR, it was his transfer to Crew Penske in 2013 that propelled him to his present stardom.
Logano hasn’t had the very best season up to now, having made only one journey to the victory lane within the opening 20 rounds.
However the Connecticut native is relishing the prospect to have fun a private landmark on the “Monster Mile.”
“Iconic weekend with having the ability to hit that 600th begin,” he stated. “That’s a fairly particular one as nicely, so it’s a busy week for positive – a brief one as a result of we’ll be touring quite a bit, however it’s all good.”
Requested how he’s processing his feelings going into the weekend, he added: “I suppose in two alternative ways. At first look, I stated, ‘Effectively, it simply begins.’
“However then, if you begin fascinated about it, to have the ability to be round in a sport as an athlete competing at a high degree for 16-plus years, and hitting 600 begins, it’s fairly unbelievable to have a profession that lengthy. It’s one thing that I take some delight in. I’m happy with that, to have the ability to hit this marker.
“It’s loads of begins. I bear in mind my three hundredth begin, and I believe it was [Matt] Kenseth on the time, possibly it was [Martin] Truex as nicely, that weren’t too removed from 600 and I assumed, ‘Geez, that’s double the quantity of races as me. That’s loopy.’ However right here I’m, so it glided by fairly fast.
“It’s been a heck of a experience. This sport has been superior to me and my household and I’m proud to be part of it.”
At 35 years of age, Logano is in no temper to decelerate and hold up his helmet.
The Penske driver clarified that retirement is out of the query till he nonetheless feels aggressive and may battle close to the sharp finish of the pack.
Nonetheless, as quickly as he feels he has misplaced the sting, he would throw within the towel as a substitute of hanging round in NASCAR.
“I all the time say so long as I can win [I won’t be retiring],” he stated. “I actually really feel like that’s the usual for me. I really like racing, however I actually love profitable much more.
“If I can go race different issues and win, I’ll go and do this, however my dream has all the time been to be a NASCAR driver, be a NASCAR champion and if I can win and be a assist to my staff, then I need to stick round.
“As quickly as I really feel like I’m a drag on the staff and I’m not bringing something to the desk anymore, whether or not that’s on the racetrack or off the racetrack, that’s once I must get out of the way in which at that time.
“I need to see Roger Penske and his race staff and the folks which can be there achieve success. I care about them quite a bit, so I need to be a strategy to contribute to that. That’s what I need out of myself.
“If I used to be Roger Penske, I might anticipate that out of an worker, particularly for so long as I’ve been there. That, to me, is gonna be the deciding issue when that’s. I don’t need to stick round and be a kind of guys the place folks say, ‘Man, he went a number of years too lengthy.’ You don’t need to be that man.
“I believe at any time when that occurs, that occurs. I don’t know when that’s. I might be an fool to suppose you may be competing on the high degree into your fifties. What athlete has ever performed that?
“One thing modifications sooner or later, however, proper now, I nonetheless really feel as contemporary as ever. I really feel as sharp as ever. I’m pushed as a lot as ever.
“I nonetheless care. I nonetheless get emotional about issues, in order that exhibits me I care quite a bit. With these elements nonetheless there when the tip is, I don’t know but. I don’t know.”
