Although some of Joey Logano’s most cherished racing memories trace back to his childhood, when he raced with his father by his side, the three-time Cup champion has grown increasingly uncomfortable with what he now sees around youth motorsports. Logano has voiced concern over parents who push their children too aggressively, often turning competition into an obligation rather than enjoyment. While he acknowledges that every family approaches development differently, his philosophy stands in contrast to more rigid structures.
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For instance, Kevin Harvick’s approach with his son Keelan is discipline. Harvick has mirrored the discipline that shaped his own career, building structured routines that include early-morning runs before school and detailed instruction on racecraft.
Logano respects the intent behind that method, but his own outlook leans in a different direction. He prefers allowing children room to breathe, explore, and discover their interests without constant pressure.
Logano believes competitiveness must grow organically. From his perspective, the hunger to race and win should come from within a child, not from external demands.
He has argued that even parental influence, when excessive, can erode that internal drive. Youth sports, he has noted, already place heavy demands on children, and when parents amplify those pressures, the result often strips away the joy that should define childhood competition.
Explaining that belief, Logano said, “I always had fun doing it. Like to my point earlier, like when I get home, I drive stuff because I love it. Not everybody loves it so much or maybe they don’t handle the pressure the same and find enjoyment in some of that.”
“Like maybe their competitiveness isn’t like crazy level that I am, but I hate to see parents trying to push their kids because to get better and do all these quick things and then they take the joy of competing as a kid away.”
For Logano, youth racing should remain exactly what it is meant to be: fun. He stressed, “It’s supposed to be like fun because like no one is watching, like there’s no scouts. There’s no NASCAR scouts out watching a 10year-old race. Nobody cares. I’m just being honest. So go have fun.” That reality, in his mind, removes any justification for urgency or intensity at such a young age.
Instead, Logano wants children to focus on learning. He believes kids should spend time understanding racecraft, developing driving instincts, and gaining hands-on knowledge about their cars. Learning how a car works, what makes it faster, and how adjustments affect performance matters far more than collecting wins before adolescence.
Above all, the three-time Cup champion wants young racers to follow their interests and enjoy the process, regardless of results. Winning races at ten years old, he has argued, carries little long-term significance.
Placing immense pressure on children, in his view, ignores the reality of how NASCAR talent pipelines actually function. Major organizations, including Team Penske, do not begin evaluating drivers until they are older and competing in higher-level equipment.
That outlook explains why Logano encourages kids to take risks early. He wants them to make mistakes, experiment, and learn lessons when the consequences are small. Those experiences, he believes, build stronger racers and more balanced individuals.
Logano has acknowledged that this approach may still lead some drivers into NASCAR by eighteen, as it did for him. However, he has also emphasized that arriving in one’s early twenties changes little.
