"The job’s far from being over" - Joey Logano proud of major NASCAR feat but remains focused on bigger goal
Joey Logano, a 2x Cup champion, earned his spot in the final 4 lineup after his win at Las Vegas on Sunday. This ensured that Logano became the driver with the most appearances in the final 4 among his active peers.
This was brought to his notice in a post-race press conference after Las Vegas. The Team Penske driver was asked if being the driver with the most Championship 4 appearances means something to him, or whether he is focused on winning his third Cup title.
He said,
"Both, right? Our goal when we show up in Daytona every year for Media Day, What’s the goal? Win the championship. There’s nothing else that matters. I don’t care how you get there, what you do, it’s all about winning the championship. A big step of that is getting into the Championship 4. There’s a lot of pride in making it to the Championship 4. It’s tough, right? A long year, you got to get through a lot of different scenarios, a lot of curve balls that are thrown your way. It’s hard, right? Making it is something to be proud of, there’s no doubt" [13:20].
The #22 driver added that he has lived through a lot of moments over the years where he made it to the Final 4, didn't win, and felt the pain of that. Joey Logano also said that being close to winning a championship and not winning "sucks" and "hurts a lot."
He further added,
"It’s all about maximizing the opportunity that’s ahead of us. As proud as I am that we’ve made it, I also feel like the job’s far from being over because I know what that feeling is if you don’t make it happen."
Joey Logano wasn't surprised at becoming the first driver to book his final 4 spot
Following his third win of the season that ensured his place in the most important race of the season, Joey Logano was asked if he overachieved by making it to the final 4. Logano laughed off the question with a joke at first, but then remarked that his and his team's goal was to always make it to Phoenix.
Logano pointed out that there have been many years where his stats weren't necessarily impressive, but he nevertheless capitalized when it mattered.
Logano added,
"The Playoffs, we just turn the wick up. I don’t know what exactly that is, but it just happens. When you look at our Playoff wins in our history versus our regular-season wins, it’s crazy looking percentage-wise what that is" [18:30].
The 2x Cup champion said that when the playoffs come around, the #22 team does a "really good job," which is something he's very proud of. But despite that, Joey Logano revealed what his boss Roger Penske once said and he never forgot, which was that one should never trip on their press clippings.
He further described that as,
"Don’t get too over your skis. The job’s not done yet. We have to keep staring out the windshield, keep our heads down and grind it for the next few weeks to get us an advantage."
With that said, it'll be interesting to see if Joey Logano capitalizes on his playoff momentum in Phoenix, having won two races already at Atlanta and Las Vegas.
If Logano wins in Phoenix and earns his third Cup championship, he will become the driver with the most Cup titles among all active drivers.