“I Don’t Make the Decisions”: Joey Logano Wants NASCAR to Focus More on Cities Than Return to Grassroots, Prefers LA Clash to Bowman Gray

Most of the Cup Series field is excitedly looking forward to the Clash at the Bowman Gray Stadium this weekend. However, Joey Logano’s heart will be elsewhere, settled in the busy lanes of Los Angeles. The defending Cup Series champion is not yet over NASCAR’s decision to move the exhibition event away from the L.A. Coliseum.

He admitted the same in a recent press conference and lamented that there wasn’t anything that he could do about it. His comments came as a reply to a question about his preference for having the Clash in big cities such as L.A. or historic short tracks such as the Bowman Gray Stadium. His response revealed his tryst with city lights, traffic, and towering buildings.

“You’re asking a driver,” he said. “I’m not NASCAR by any means. I don’t make the decisions. I don’t see the economics behind the decision and why they do it, so my opinion is purely based on what I think is cool.” 

He continued to note how there were many new fans in the Coliseum during the Clash in 2022 and that such showings are hugely beneficial for the sport.

He added, “I thought that was amazing, and that was going to a whole new market and racing downtown basically like we were really close to it, at least. I thought that was huge. I would love to see our sport continue to do things like that because it just feels big.” Cautiously, he clarified that he thought the Bowman Gray was cool in a different way. But why does Logano prefer racing in cities over historic race tracks?

Being a three-time Cup Series champion, Logano has the responsibility to have a vision that will seek to benefit the sport. His choice to prefer racing in cities is in sync with that. He explained having races in the middle of cities will challenge the sport and help it grow to unprecedented levels.

He said, “It’s really hard to do that, so if we have the opportunity to be like a baseball team or a basketball team, a hockey team, and an NFL team, where their stadiums are where the people are and where people can walk to it, you get a whole new demographic, so I think those type of things are really what I think is cool.”

It is no secret that NASCAR does not command as much popularity as it once did. The viewership and audience turnout have decreased over the years and stand at a low balance now. Making it easier for people to come to tracks could be a huge step towards reviving the lost glory. But then, as the champion said, it is not an easy task to hold all races in big cities.