'I'm not done yet': Joey Logano wants fourth NASCAR championship as new season starts

Shane Connuck, The Charlotte Observer on Jan 29, 2025

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano is already focused on what could come next.

Logano, the reigning champion in racing’s highest circuit, joked it was “pretty immediate” that he pondered the possibility of a fourth Cup Series title.

The 34-year-old Team Penske star has won the Cup Series following three of the past seven playoffs, including in two of the past three years. He’s been among the sport’s top drivers throughout his career — and now looks to lift himself among some of the best to do it, starting with four-time champion Jeff Gordon.

“I think we lost four of them that we should have won,” Logano said. “So those ones always are in the back of my mind. Probably not until I’m done racing, will I be content with what I have, because I’m not done yet. I’m only 34. I’ve got a lot of years ahead of me to win more championships and races.

“As great as it is, the first 20 minutes is amazing, because you’re celebrating with your team and your family. And then every day it becomes a little less exciting, and more thoughts of: ‘We’ve got to do it again.’ ”

Championship format to remain unchanged in 2025

NASCAR gave an update on its playoff system during a competition briefing Monday.

The format that decides the sport’s end-of-season champion will stay the same, with the possibility of making changes for the 2026 season.

Logano, who initially entered the playoffs as the No. 9 seed of 16 drivers, had only won one regular-season race. But he took the checkered flag at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix during the postseason and advanced through the rounds, including after Alex Bowman’s disqualification following the Charlotte Roval.

William Byron, the Charlottean and defending Daytona 500 winner, noted the discourse at the conclusion of last season regarding the playoff format and agreed it could eventually see a change. While he doesn’t know what that looks like, the idea of varying late-season tracks — particularly that of the championship race — are critical in playing to the strengths of certain drivers.

“I feel like we’ve gotten into such a routine of going to the same race track for the final race, and having similar tracks that lead up to it, it’s gotten a little bit predictable,” Byron said. “But you could probably say the same thing in other sports, with the (Kansas City) Chiefs hosting the AFC championship every year. It’s just the nature of sports to get a little bit repetitive.”

First year at RFK Racing for Ryan Preece

Ryan Preece has a new NASCAR home.

The 34-year-old driver is in his first season at RFK Racing after spending the past two years at Stewart-Haas Racing, the former Kannapolis-based team that folded last year.

Preece, who will now pilot the No. 60 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, joins teammates Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher at the shop in Concord. A six-year full-time Cup Series veteran, Preece reunites with Buescher — after the two were previously together at JTG Daugherty Racing.

Their new era kicks off this weekend in Winston-Salem, as NASCAR heads to Bowman Gray Stadium for its exhibition “Clash” to open the preseason.

“My expectations are high,” Preece said. “They’ve always been high. I don’t set a bar low. Winning races is the goal. I didn’t move down here and do the sacrifices and put my family through what I’ve done just to be a part of the show. That’s not who I am as a racer: Somebody who wants to win races.

“Doesn’t matter if I’m at my local short track or racing Cup on Sundays, the goal is to win.”

Christopher Bell looks to improve No. 20 team at revamped JGR

The standout Joe Gibbs Racing driver said he’s already had several conversations with Chris Gabehart.

Christopher Bell, the 30-year-old who won last year’s rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600, is set to be a top driver for the Toyota team based in Huntersville once again. Joe Gibbs Racing has undergone some personnel changes, including Gabehart — the former crew chief of Denny Hamlin — stepping into a new role as competition director.

“A lot of phone calls, a lot of conversations, which I haven’t had with really anybody outside of the 20 team,” Bell said. “(Gabehart) is doing a really, really good job of organizing the teams and making sure that we’re all heading on an aligned path together. He’s been really involved, and I’ve talked to him a lot.”

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