Why NASCAR’s Blunder From 2018 Makes Joey Logano Desperate for Talladega Win

NASCAR drivers will have plenty of reason to dream of winning this Sunday’s Cup Series race in Talladega. In addition to being the 10th points-paying race of the ongoing season, it also features a lucrative purse size of $8 million. Amidst the blurry cars that speed at the track, one driver will have more reason to win than his counterpart, and that is Joey Logano.

The 2X Cup Series champion has had plenty of troubles clouding him since the beginning of the season. He faced a glove-incident penalty in Atlanta, he is still winless in the season, and he has brought in just 3 top ten finishes in 9 starts. Despite these lows, what will make him want to get his hands on the Vulcan Trophy is a mistake that NASCAR made in 2018 – when he last won at the track.

In his last ten appearances on the 2.66-mile superspeedway, Logano has finished outside the top 10 eight times. But scrolling a bit further his expert phase on the track pops up. It was during this phase that he won the 2018 Geico 500 and took home his second Vulcan trophy (First, 2016 Yellawood 500). But what dents this incredible achievement is how NASCAR spelled Logano’s name on the trophy.

The Team Penske star revealed on his X handle that his name was wrongly spelled “Lagano” on the Vulcan prize and that he hoped to win once again so that he could get another one with the right spelling. He said, “I recently opened it and realized… They spelt my name wrong! L.A.G.A.N.O, that’s not how they spell it. So, maybe I can win another one and they can spell my name right this time.”

It’s L.O.G.A.N.O. – Little extra motivation to win another at @TALLADEGA on Sunday. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/tLwA5TJYr2

— Joey Logano (@joeylogano) April 19, 2024

Logano has won at Talladega thrice in his career. He also has 10 top ten results over 30 starts. While these aren’t the best of numbers, he is amongst the favorites to win with opening odds of 11-1 (DraftKings Sportsbook).

Details of the prestigious Vulcan Trophy that Logano hopes to win again

In every year since 2016, Cup Series drivers who win at Talladega have been awarded the Vulcan Trophy. This handmade prize has a height of 3 feet, weighs over 100 pounds, and is a miniature of the infamous Vulcan – the world’s largest cast-iron statue situated in nearby Birmingham. The superspeedway chairman Grant Lynch says that the trophy symbolizes what the track is all about: big, bold, and tough.

Logano was the first-ever driver to win a Vulcan Trophy. The track’s website narrates his words, “Trophies are one of the best parts of what we do, and some of them are just cooler and more special because of what they are. Talladega Superspeedway nailed it when they had the Vulcan Trophy made.” Should Logano win on Sunday, he will get to take home his third Vulcan.