“The Business Model Sucks”: Joey Logano on How NASCAR’s “Broken System” Is a Danger for the Sport

To succeed at any level in NASCAR, one might say that the primary ingredients would be talent, along with a healthy dose of luck also helping. But according to two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano, all these take a backseat to what it all comes down to you – money. And it is not like money is only ‘a’ factor in the mix, it is ‘the’ factor in a driver getting a seat.

In a conversation with NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace, Logano opened up on this aspect of racing at the top level and revealed several unfortunate details.

Joey Logano on the sad reality of money in NASCAR

Kenny Wallace asked Joey Logano whether he thought it was much harder to get into the Cup Series nowadays. The defending champion said, “I hate to say it’s a broken system. I hate to say it, but it so challenging to make it because you gotta have cash. Now, that’s not everybody right; now you gotta be a standout, you better be ridiculously good today to get the opportunity that I had.”

Logano also shared an incredible story about himself, underscoring his previous point, revealing, “Even today Kenny, I cannot drive a truck today without bringing money to the table. I went to that truck at Bristol this year, I had to bring a significant amount of money to go drive it. You would think you win a couple Cup championships that you can go drive whatever you want whenever.”

Logano’s revelation unsettled Kenny Wallace and both marveled at the current state of NASCAR.

Logano on the “freaking expensive” entry into NASCAR

The Team Penske driver also expressed anguish over what the young drivers in NASCAR’s feeder series have to go through, saying, “If a champion has to bring money to go racing what does an 18-year-old kid or a 19,20-year-old kid that does not have a resume expect. It upsets me, and I don’t have the fix either. It’s too freaking expensive. When you get to ARCA, Trucks, Xfinity, the business model sucks.” 

Coming straight from a NASCAR champion, this is indeed a matter for the sport and teams to think about. While the business side of things cannot be ignored if NASCAR is to continue on the path to expansion, the fact that money has taken so much precedence over talent ultimately harms the most important stakeholder of them all – the drivers.