Joey Logano has won three NASCAR Cup Series championships, conquered Talladega Superspeedway three times and experienced just about everything the sport can throw at him. But even after nearly two decades at NASCAR’s highest level, the Team Penske driver knows there’s always something new to figure out.
Especially at Talladega.
With just three races remaining in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase, Logano arrived at the Alabama superspeedway facing a significant challenge. He entered the weekend sixth in the standings, 44 points behind the championship leader, with little room to waste opportunities.
Yet when Heavy Sports caught up with Logano on Saturday, Oct. 24, shortly after Cup Series qualifying, the 35-year-old sounded confident about his chances in Sunday’s YellaWood 500.
Speaking during an appearance at the Straight Talk booth at Talladega, Logano discussed what it takes to win in today’s NASCAR, his championship outlook and a major development in his life away from the racetrack.
He also opened up about the recent adoption of two children with his wife, Brittany, offering a heartfelt perspective on how the experience has affected their entire family.
Here are five takeaways from the conversation.
Joey Logano Talks Talladega Strategy and NASCAR Championship Hopes
1. How confident are you heading into Sunday’s race after qualifying?
Logano qualified 16th for Sunday’s race, missing the final round of qualifying. But at Talladega, he explained, single-car speed doesn’t necessarily reveal much about how a car will perform in the draft.
“Yeah, we feel fine. Qualifying doesn’t tell us a whole bunch here at Talladega, it’s pretty track-specific. Qualifying by yourself versus being in the pack with 40 cars out there is quite a bit different.”
Logano said the No. 22 team remains optimistic, although he emphasized that success will depend on coordination and communication once the field is racing together.
“So this is one thing, putting the plan together and executing the plan is the hard part. So we’ll see if we can do our best there.”
2. What’s changed about winning at Talladega in the Next Gen era?
Logano’s answer challenged the premise of the question.
“You know, it’s funny, it’s not the car that changed it, it’s the people.”
The three-time Talladega winner compared superspeedway racing to a chess match, explaining that drivers constantly study one another and adapt their strategies.
“And the draft is always evolving. The way the draft works is it’s like a chess match, right? But you have 39 opponents out there, and what you did last time, everybody watches, and now they’re going to do that.”
The challenge, he explained, is that even the best strategy depends on cooperation from other drivers. A poorly communicated change in pit strategy can unravel an entire group’s plans.
“So it’s odd because you can’t do it on your own. So it’s a pretty challenging thing.”
3. What will it take to close the gap in the championship standings?
Logano didn’t sugarcoat the challenge facing his team.
“We’re 44 points out, we’re sitting sixth, so it’s very doable to win this next belt. We need to close the gap obviously, and we need to pass some of those cars that are in front of us.”
He pointed out that being sixth creates a different obstacle than sitting second or third, even with the same points deficit. There are simply more drivers between him and the championship lead.
“But being sixth, we need to get a little closer. It’s hard to beat all of those cars, right?”
With Talladega followed by Martinsville and Homestead-Miami, Logano believes Sunday’s race could significantly alter the championship picture.
“So, it’ll jumble up the points pretty much tomorrow.”
Joey Logano Opens Up About His Growing Family and Life Away From Racing
4. What has adopting two children meant to you and your family?
Earlier this week, Logano and his wife, Brittany, shared the news that they had officially adopted two children they had been fostering.
For the couple, the adoption wasn’t a sudden decision. Logano explained that they had committed to the children months earlier and were waiting for the legal process to be completed.
“We were able to find a couple great kids that fit into our family perfectly.”
What impressed him most, however, was how their three biological children embraced the changes.
“Our kids just—I’m most impressed with our biological kids that they have to share things now, they have to share their rooms now. It’s not just changing our lives, it’s changing their lives.”
Logano also acknowledged that he and Brittany initially questioned whether their busy lives would allow them to become foster parents.
“We’re too busy, we already have three kids, I’m not home a lot with my job, all sorts of things.”
Ultimately, they decided those concerns weren’t enough to keep them from moving forward.
“But being too hard is never a good enough reason to not do something. So if you’re waffling and you want to do this, just do it, because there’s a lot of kids that really need it.”
5. What’s it been like becoming a car dealership owner?
Logano’s passion for cars doesn’t end when he leaves the racetrack.
The NASCAR veteran has expanded into the dealership business through Huntersville Ford, an experience he described as a natural extension of his interests.
“I love it. I love it. I’m a car guy at heart.”
He also sees surprising similarities between operating a dealership and managing a NASCAR organization. Both require multiple departments working together to keep the larger operation running.
But it’s the opportunity to customize vehicles that particularly excites him.
“So I enjoy that part. I probably enjoy the customizing part the most, so you know, a lot of outfits there to lift kits, lowering kits, superchargers, all the cool stuff to make it custom, that’s my favorite because that’s what I want to do to personal stuff.”
For Logano, helping customers create something that reflects their personalities has become one of the most rewarding parts of the business.
As for his immediate focus, that remains Talladega, where the No. 22 team will attempt to turn its superspeedway experience into a result that keeps Logano firmly in the championship fight.
Heavy Sports spoke with Joey Logano on Saturday, Oct. 24, during his appearance at the Straight Talk booth at Talladega Superspeedway. Straight Talk has maintained its wireless plan pricing since 2009, the same year Logano began his first full NASCAR Cup Series season.
5 Questions With Joey Logano: Talladega, NASCAR Title Hopes and Growing His Family