Team Penske owner has a short reply on Joey Logano's NASCAR contract extension
Joey Logano, the #22 driver, has been a part of Team Penske since 2013. Logano’s contract will expire after the 2023 season, and though there is no official deal yet, it sounds like one is on the way.
In May, Logano and team owner Roger Penske worked on a contract extension following a multi-year renewal with sponsor Shell-Pennzoil, who will continue to sponsor the #22 Cup Series car in more than 30 races per year.
Speaking to NBC Sports, Penske responded to a question regarding Joey Logano’s contract extension with his team with a short reply. He emphatically stated:
“Just stay tuned”
As an assurance, the 85-year-old added:
“I would say I’m smiling”
While making the comments before the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, Roger Penske was asked about the possibility of signing Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch, who has not joined any team for the 2023 season. In his response, he stated:
“It’s interesting that Kyle hasn’t gotten a spot yet. Look … he’s one of the best out there. I think his expectations, along with what the sponsors and the teams want to step up with, sometimes that doesn’t align. So at the moment, I think we’ll wait and see.”
Joe Gibbs Racing has been unable to secure a sponsor for next season, putting a halt to a contract extension with Kyle Busch, who has stated that he has spoken with other teams. Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson told NBC Sports last week that Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing were developing backup plans while trying to re-sign Busch.
Joey Logano is above the cutline for the playoffs in the 2022 season
Joey Logano started the 2022 season having won at least one race in the previous 10 Cup Series seasons. He had 27 victories in total and hoped to add more while securing a position in the championship four in the next even-numbered season.
The #22 driver has accomplished this despite several uneven performances. After shoving William Byron out of the way, he was the first to reach Victory Lane at Darlington Raceway. The race gave him a provisional spot in the playoffs.
The 32-year-old driver won for the second time at the World Wide Technology Raceway, a new addition to the Cup Series program. This second victory guaranteed him a spot in the playoffs, even if more than 16 drivers won during the regular season.
Logano is sixth in the 2022 season rankings after winning the first 21 races. He is comfortably above the playoffs cutline and still has time to add to his total before the playoffs begin.