The debate surrounding Joey Logano’s third NASCAR Cup Series championship victory continues to rage on. Fans on social media, whether in support of the Team Penske driver or against him cannot have enough of how Logano, a three-time champion, now would stack up against the other three-time champions of the sport.
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During a recent conversation amongst the fraternity on X (formerly Twitter), a NASCAR fan opinion account posted their thoughts on where the #22 driver ranked in the company of other three-time champions such as Lee Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, and Tony Stewart.
Fans came out in spades to either defend or oppose the theory. “He is in this conversation and that absolute fact is not debatable,” opined one fan.
“Can’t even compare a lot of these guys. Joey races against a field that only a few cars go a lap down. A lot of those guys you listed were racing by themselves with the equipment they had. The Petty argument is ridiculous. He raced against plumbers on a Thursday night,” stated another.
Your opinions are based on your hatred for Joey Logano. JL has won 3 championships in an era when it is way tougher to win than ever before. There's never been as many capable teams as there are now.
— Bryan🇺🇸 (@Bryan_49Ford) January 16, 2025
“He is on the same level. He better than them actually,” said one fan, while another appreciated his abilities and highlighted his abilities over others, writing, “Better than some of the older ones. Those guys had “less equal” equipment than the opposition. That’s why they’d lap the field numerous times. More skill now…”
In the modern day and age of the sport, especially after the introduction of the Next Gen Cup car, the playing field has been leveled to an extent where driver skill is undoubtedly paramount. However, that does not take away from the fact that the pitfalls of NASCAR in its early days had challenges of its own.
While drivers today struggle to overtake certain types of tracks, drivers from back in the day struggled with the safety aspect of their cars if they were to get in a wreck. Similarly, while drivers today have multiple jobs outside the car such as promoting their partners and sponsors, drivers in the early days had one sole focus, to drive as fast as they could.
Coupled with the complexities of the Playoffs system which gives competitors a somewhat luck-of-the-draw aspect in who would challenge for the championship, clinching the silverware at the end of a season has become that much more difficult. While it will be unfair to either era of drivers to compare and decide who is better, each group has its own set of strengths and weaknesses.
It remains to be seen who can end Team Penske‘s dominance in 2025 after three straight years of either Logano or teammate Ryan Blaney clinching the title. The season will kick off with the illustrious Daytona 500 race next month.
