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TALLADEGA, ALABAMA – OCTOBER 24: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 24, 2026 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Scott Taetsch\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Joey Logano<\/a> has won three NASCAR Cup Series<\/a> 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\u2019s highest level, the Team Penske driver knows there\u2019s always something new to figure out.<\/p>\n Especially at Talladega.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, 44 points behind the championship leader, with little room to waste opportunities.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s YellaWood 500.<\/p>\n Speaking during an appearance at the Straight Talk booth at Talladega, Logano discussed what it takes to win in today\u2019s NASCAR, his championship outlook and a major development in his life away from the racetrack.<\/p>\n He also opened up about the recent adoption of two children with his wife, Brittany<\/a>, offering a heartfelt perspective on how the experience has affected their entire family.<\/p>\n Here are five takeaways from the conversation.<\/p>\n Joey Logano Talks Talladega Strategy and NASCAR Championship Hopes1. How confident are you heading into Sunday\u2019s race after qualifying?<\/p>\n Logano qualified 16th for Sunday\u2019s race<\/a>, missing the final round of qualifying. But at Talladega, he explained, single-car speed doesn\u2019t necessarily reveal much about how a car will perform in the draft.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, we feel fine. Qualifying doesn\u2019t tell us a whole bunch here at Talladega, it\u2019s pretty track-specific. Qualifying by yourself versus being in the pack with 40 cars out there is quite a bit different.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cSo this is one thing, putting the plan together and executing the plan is the hard part. So we\u2019ll see if we can do our best there.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. What\u2019s changed about winning at Talladega in the Next Gen era?<\/p>\n Logano\u2019s answer challenged the premise of the question.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, it\u2019s funny, it\u2019s not the car that changed it, it\u2019s the people.\u201d<\/p>\n The three-time Talladega winner compared superspeedway racing to a chess match, explaining that drivers constantly study one another and adapt their strategies.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the draft is always evolving. The way the draft works is it\u2019s like a chess match, right? But you have 39 opponents out there, and what you did last time, everybody watches, and now they\u2019re going to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s odd because you can\u2019t do it on your own. So it\u2019s a pretty challenging thing.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. What will it take to close the gap in the championship standings?<\/p>\n Logano didn\u2019t sugarcoat the challenge facing his team.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re 44 points out, we\u2019re sitting sixth, so it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cBut being sixth, we need to get a little closer. It\u2019s hard to beat all of those cars, right?\u201d<\/p>\n With Talladega followed by Martinsville and Homestead-Miami, Logano believes Sunday\u2019s race could significantly alter the championship picture.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, it\u2019ll jumble up the points pretty much tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Joey Logano Opens Up About His Growing Family and Life Away From Racing4. What has adopting two children meant to you and your family?<\/p>\n Earlier this week, Logano and his wife, Brittany, shared the news that they had officially adopted two children they had been fostering<\/a>.<\/p>\n For the couple, the adoption wasn\u2019t a sudden decision. Logano explained that they had committed to the children months earlier and were waiting for the legal process to be completed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were able to find a couple great kids that fit into our family perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n What impressed him most, however, was how their three biological children embraced the changes.<\/p>\n \u201cOur kids just\u2014I\u2019m most impressed with our biological kids that they have to share things now, they have to share their rooms now. It\u2019s not just changing our lives, it\u2019s changing their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Logano also acknowledged that he and Brittany initially questioned whether their busy lives would allow them to become foster parents.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re too busy, we already have three kids, I\u2019m not home a lot with my job, all sorts of things.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, they decided those concerns weren\u2019t enough to keep them from moving forward.<\/p>\n \u201cBut being too hard is never a good enough reason to not do something. So if you\u2019re waffling and you want to do this, just do it, because there\u2019s a lot of kids that really need it.\u201d<\/p>\n 5. What\u2019s it been like becoming a car dealership owner?<\/p>\n Logano\u2019s passion for cars doesn\u2019t end when he leaves the racetrack.<\/p>\n The NASCAR veteran has expanded into the dealership business through Huntersville Ford, an experience he described as a natural extension of his interests.<\/p>\n \u201cI love it. I love it. I\u2019m a car guy at heart.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s the opportunity to customize vehicles that particularly excites him.<\/p>\n \u201cSo 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\u2019s my favorite because that\u2019s what I want to do to personal stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n For Logano, helping customers create something that reflects their personalities has become one of the most rewarding parts of the business.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Heavy Sports spoke with Joey Logano on Saturday, Oct. 24, during his appearance at the Straight Talk<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n