Last year’s two-week break for the 2024 Summer Olympics proved to be a blessing in disguise for several NASCAR drivers, Kyle Busch among them. Busch, who had been struggling to find form, came back from the hiatus swinging, notching three top-5 and two top-2 finishes in the final four regular-season races. But with this year’s lone off week falling way back in April during Easter, the grind could be hitting differently.
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Yet, according to Joey Logano, the playoffs keep the competitive fire lit and the fatigue at bay.
Like Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, Logano believes the playoff chase keeps drivers sharp when the season starts to wear them down. Larson believes that staying in the playoff hunt and fighting for a championship helps drivers keep their minds off the grind, no matter how long the season drags on without a break.
He suggested that those who missed the playoffs or bowed out early are likely just counting the days until the checkered flag drops on the season. But for drivers like him, still knee-deep in the title chase, there’s no sense of wanting it to end. Even so, Larson admitted, “But yeah, it’s definitely a long year… it always is.”
Bell echoed Larson’s sentiment, admitting that without the Playoffs and the intensity of chasing a championship, the grind would wear him down too. But with the title on the line, he believes every contender is more focused and running on pure strength. The burnout, he conceded, might hit once the final checkered flag drops, but for now, as Bell put it, they’re “all in.”
Logano has now added his own voice to the chorus. “Given the fact that you’re still in the playoffs, the grind doesn’t even hit you because you’re still racing for the main prize. I say all the time that the goal during these ten weeks is to have the pressure on you all the way through, because as soon as you’re knocked out, I’m being honest, it sucks.”
“I say all the time that we have one goal as a team when the season starts, and that is to win the championship. It’s nothing else. So when the dream dies for that year, it’s horrible. And you still have to go to the racetrack and try to win and build on everything, but that’s when the grind sets in. But I think for us, as competitors, as long as we still have a chance to win, we’re good.”
Despite the wear and tear of a 36-race schedule, Logano insists he still feels fresh, a sign he’s found the right rhythm away from the track. From maintaining his body to staying mentally sharp, he seems to have cracked the code on how to endure the grind without losing the edge that separates contenders from the rest of the field.
