"It's that simple" - Joey Logano credits $6.1B-worth team owner's effect for key factor behind Team Penske's success
Joey Logano entered the final 4 lineup with his win at Las Vegas in the opening race of the Round of 8. Logano, who had 0 finishes inside the top 5 after his win at Atlanta, booked his Pheonix ticket and created a window of opportunity for Team Penske to win three NASCAR Cup championships in a row.
After Logano's second Cup title in 2022, which was followed by Ryan Blaney's maiden title in 2023, the team owned by the $6.2 billion-worth Roger Penske (according to Forbes) would once again be fighting for a championship in a few weeks.
When asked what makes Team Penske a cut above the rest in the Next Gen era of "parity," Joey Logano had a simple response. He said,
"People. It’s that simple. Like I said, Roger [Penske] has assembled some incredible people at Penske. And I know everybody says this about their teams a lot of times, but I truly believe it inside. Got some really solid people, right? Not just what they do at the track, but what they do at home, the way they live. Like I said, I’m really proud to be a part of a team like this" [15:40].
He added that Roger Penske's way of building a team, the environment, and the expectations at Team Pense is something that Penske doesn't have to say aloud anymore. Logano added that anyone who enters the organization immediately knows what is expected.
He added,
"All of us know. It’s kind of snowballed ever since. Ton of credit to Roger for hiring the correct people, but also creating a culture that’s surrounded or centered by, one, winning, but also doing it in an elite way."
Joey Logano makes big claim about Team Penske's level of chemistry in the NASCAR garage
During the post-race press conference at Las Vegas, a journalist said that Team Penske's cohesion was on display the whole weekend and asked Joey Logano how that helped in defining the principles of Roger Penske's team.
Logano claimed that in his opinion, there isn't a team that works better together than Team Penske, and it is something which is in their DNA 'all the way through.'
He added,
"That started years and years and years ago. I can’t even take credit for being part of that. From when I got there, the openness between team to team. I remember years ago Brad telling me when I got there, 'I’d rather you beat me and finish second,' than him beating me and finishing 21st, right? That’s the attitude that we have. When you have that all the way through the team, it’s just very helpful for us" [3:40].
He claimed that he's been around long enough at Penske to realize that it's good to see a teammate win a race despite wanting to be "top dog." Joey Logano touched on the impact of more wins for a team, and the importance of building relationships, how the bonuses affect the crew members' lives. And when there's an opportunity he can do to help all these people that a driver cares about, he finds that "really special."
Logano added,
"That teamwork all the way through, with Austin, with Blaney, with the guys building the cars, we’re all on the same page and truly happy for each other’s success."
With Joey Logano's ticket for Phoenix booked, his focus now would be to prepare for the championship race.
But he will also perhaps also look to help his teammate, Ryan Blaney, who is still a part of the playoffs, become the second driver from Team Penske to compete for a championship, which would potentially be Roger Penske's third in a row.