“In that point of my career, I never lost”: Joey Logano details Kevin Harvick what changed his mentality to move from JGR to Penske
Joey Logano opened up about the lessons he learned from his early NASCAR Cup Series struggles. He recalled losing his step in the Cup Series after regularly winning races as a 15-year-old with Joe Gibbs Racing.
The underwhelming performances led JGR to dismiss Logano from the team. However, the now 34-year-old driver, who has been driving for Team Penske since 2013, believes the challenges changed his mentality for the better.
In an exclusive interview with Kevin Harvick ahead of the 2025 season, Joey Logano shared what he learned after leaving JGR for Team Penske. He acknowledged getting complacent after winning multiple races as a young driver until he debuted in the premier series.
"When I started at Gibbs, I'm 15 years old. You're 15 years old, what do you know? You grow up in this environment... in the limelight. At that point in my career, to be honest with you, I never lost. Like I just jumped in cars and won, and I didn't have to work at it. It was just natural talent," Logano said.
The Connecticut native said he learned "the hard way" driving the No. 20 Toyota Camry at Joe Gibbs Racing. He replaced then-two-time champ Tony Stewart in the driver lineup but only gave the team two race wins.
"I had to go through those years of struggle. I had to get to the Cup Series and struggle. I had to go through there and learn my lessons the hard way. I had to do it in front of everybody, unfortunately," he added.
The Ford pilot told Harvick about learning to be a better racecar driver and finding the best-suited team. He applied the lessons when he joined Team Penske and achieved better race results right off the bat.
"That was my opportunity to do it all the second time. And like anybody else, when you do something the second time, you're [going to] do better," Logano stated. "I have an idea of all the mistakes that I've made. I know how to do it better now."
Joey Logano enters the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season as the defending champion. He won the season finale at Phoenix Raceway last year ahead of title rival and teammate Ryan Blaney, who had a late charge but ran out of laps.
While driving for Team Penske, Logano has won three championships and 34 of his 36 series victories.
"It has really worked out": Joey Logano on NASCAR career turnaround with Team Penske
In the same interview, Joey Logano made his feelings known about the championship-winning partnership with Team Penske. Logano believes he was at the right place at the right time when he moved from Joe Gibbs Racing to Team Penske.
The three-time champion told Kevin Harvick (via NASCAR on Fox):
Yeah, I mean it's remarkable just to think about what we've been able to accomplish together if I think of my career before Team Penske and where I am now it's completely different. But you know the stars aligned at the perfect time, God placed the right people in the right place at the right time for me, and it's really worked out." [1:13]
After signing with Team Penske, Joey Logano won his first race driving the No. 22 car in the 2013 Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. He amassed five wins the following year but lost the championship fight to Kevin Harvick.
Joe Gibbs Racing, meanwhile, signed Matt Kenseth to replace Logano in the No. 20 car. The driver lineup shuffle favored concerned parties as Kenseth scored seven wins and finished second overall in the standings in 2013.