The 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion will reach another career milestone during the 2022 season. Joey Logano will top 500 starts at the top level and will join an esteemed list, provided he suits up for the first 29 races.
The Team Penske wheelman finished out his 13th year as a full-time driver in 2021, taking his overall starts to 471. He will move closer to the mark of 500 when he suits up for the season-opening Daytona 500 on February 20 and climbs into the No. 22 Ford Mustang, and he will hit the milestone during the Round of 16 cutoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 17, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Logano’s former teammate in Brad Keselowski is just behind him on the all-time starts list. However, the RFK Racing driver-owner is only at 449 starts and will have to wait until the 2023 season to reach 500 in his career.
There Are 6 Full-Time Active Drivers With 500 Starts
Getty(L-R) Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, and Kevin Harvick are the only active drivers with 700 starts.
When Logano hits 500 starts in his Cup Series career, he will join an esteemed list. There are six full-time active drivers that have reached this milestone, including four Cup Series champions. Jamie McMurray has 584 starts, but he only suited up once during the 2021 season.
Kurt Busch headlines the list with the most starts among active drivers. The 2004 champion has made 756 starts in a career dating back to 2000, and he has reached Victory Lane 33 times. Kevin Harvick is just behind Busch with 754 Cup Series starts, but the 2014 Champion has won 58 races in his career.
Ryan Newman (725) is the only other active driver to top 700 starts in the Cup Series. He reached this mark during the Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 2.
Kyle Busch (606), Martin Truex Jr. (585), and Denny Hamlin (578) round out the list of active full-time drivers with more than 500 starts in a Cup Series career. Truex and Hamlin will both hit milestones of their own by reaching 600 starts during the 2022 season.
Logano Can Move Up the Wins List in 2022
Reaching 500 starts will be a big moment for Logano, but it will not be the only milestone that he can potentially reach. He is also within reach of 30 wins, which would move him past Carl Edwards and Rex White on the all-time wins list.
Logano will enter the 2022 season with 27 career Cup Series wins. He first won in 2009 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing and then he most recently won the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt race on March 29, 2021.
One win would put Logano in a tie with Edwards and White on the all-time list. Two wins would give him 29 total and move him past both of the retired drivers. Three wins would give him 30 in his career.
While Logano only won once during the 2021 season, he has reached Victory Lane at least three times in five different seasons. He won five times in 2014 and six in 2015. He posted three wins in 2016, 2018, and 2020. If he follows his most recent pattern focusing on even-numbered years, he will win three more times in 2022.
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Joey Logano Will Join an Esteemed List in 2022