Joseph Thomas Logano (born May 24, 1990) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 66 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing. He previously competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as well as what is now the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West.
Logano is the 2018 and 2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion. He previously drove the No. 20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing from 2009 to 2012, scoring two wins, 16 top-five finishes, and 41 top tens. He also competed in the No. 02 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 96 Toyota Camry for Hall of Fame Racing, both in 2008 on a part-time basis.
Logano's first major NASCAR win came during the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway in just his third start in the 2008 Nationwide Series. He became the youngest driver to win a Nationwide Series race at old. The previous youngest was Casey Atwood in 1999 at . Logano became the youngest winner in Cup Series history when he won the 2009 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway at . The previous youngest was Kyle Busch in 2005 at . Logano is currently the youngest ever winner in two of NASCAR's three top divisions. Logano is also the first NASCAR driver born in the 1990s that has competed in NASCAR's three major divisions. In 2015, he became the second-youngest Daytona 500 winner, only older than Trevor Bayne. He is also the youngest ever driver to win in both the Cup and Xfinity Series.
Racing career
Early racing career
Logano began his racing career in 1996 as a 6-year-old quarter midget racer living in Connecticut. In 1997, he won his first Eastern Grand National Championship in the Junior Stock Car Division. He followed it up with a Junior Honda Division Championship in 1998 and in early 1999 a Lt. Mod. Division Championship. Later in 1999, Logano won three New England Regional Championships in Sr. Stock, Lt. Mod, and Lt. B divisions. He spent a couple of years racing on various forms of pavement Late Model racing.
Veteran Nextel Cup Series driver Mark Martin, who was driving for Jack Roush (Roush Fenway Racing) at the time, called Logano "the real deal"; when Logano was 15, Martin said "I am high on Joey Logano because I am absolutely, 100-percent positive, without a doubt that he can be one of the greatest that ever raced in NASCAR. I'm positive. There's no doubt in mind." Logano was also nicknamed "sliced bread" (as in the greatest thing since) by two-time Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie.
In 2005, he ran in one FASCAR Pro Truck Series race at the New Smyrna Speedway, started first and finished second. He raced in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, competing seven times in the Northern Division, and winning once at Mansfield, two Southern Division races, and five Championship Series races. The following season, he continued racing in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series. He raced in twelve Southern Division races, winning twice at South Georgia Motorsports Park and USA International Speedway. He ran in one USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, Northern Division race, and six Championship Series races.
In 2007, a new NASCAR rule allowed drivers aged 16 and up to race in the Grand National Division, allowing Logano to compete in the series. He finished the 2007 Grand National season with 13 starts in Camping World East Series, winning five races, three poles, 10 Top 5's, and 10 Top 10's, and winning the championship with wins at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Iowa Speedway, two wins at New Hampshire International Speedway, and Adirondack International Speedway. He also has made one NASCAR West Series start at Phoenix International Raceway, where he started second and won in the No. 10 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. On October 20, 2007, Logano won the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway, leading 87 laps and held off Peyton Sellers for the win.
On May 4, 2008, Logano won the Carolina 500 during his ARCA RE/MAX Series debut with Venturini Motorsports in racing's return to Rockingham Speedway. Logano also made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut, at Talladega, in the Mountain Dew 250, starting sixth and finishing 26th. Logano attempted to defend his Toyota All-Star Showdown title he won in the 2007 season by driving in the January 2008 race and was disqualified for crashing into Peyton Sellers in an unsportsmanlike manner on the final lap, in an attempt to win the race. Not only was Logano disqualified but he was credited as having run none of the laps of the race completing zero laps.