Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano recently opened up about the time he was fired from Joe Gibbs Racing. This was during the early half of his Cup Series career. Logano had been driving for the team since the 2009 season, replacing Tony Stewart in that team. However, after spending a couple of seasons with the team, he was given the boot.
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While speaking on the Kenny Wallace show, Logano mentioned how he supposedly had to work harder than everyone else in the Cup Series. He further elaborated on how if he was a great driver with JGR he would not have been kicked out of the team to begin with.
Joey Logano talks about being fired from JGR early into his Cup career
Reflecting on Logano’s current success and two championship titles with Team Penske, it might seem inconceivable that he was once dismissed from a team due to alleged underperformance.
Logano stated, “But I’m not naturally good enough to go out and win… I feel like I have to work harder than other divers to be good. Just to be competitive… When I drove the #20 car. If I had enough God-given talent, I wouldn’t have gotten fired from that job… I wasn’t ready because I wasn’t good enough…”
“So overall, it all worked out really well. And I learned a lot of lessons throughout all that. But that’s when I realized I gotta go to work to like, get better. I got to really practice the work at my craft and the little details that make a really good racecar driver.”
Logano found a fresh start with Team Penske after being fired from JGR
Following the conclusion of the 2012 season, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that they would be replacing Logano with Matt Kenseth for the next season. This left Logano out in the open. However, thankfully, Roger Penske’s NASCAR team saw promise in him and took him on board.
Interestingly, the first championship for Logano seemingly eluded itself from his grasp on many occasions. After several failed attempts, Logano was finally able to get hold of his first-ever title during the 2018 season. The very next season, he was not able to defend his championship and ended up finishing 5th in the standings after Homestead.
However, fortune favored the #22 car driver in the 2022 season. Delivering an exceptional performance throughout the season and capping it off with a stellar race at Phoenix Raceway, the 33-year-old clinched his second Cup Series championship. It will be fascinating to see how his title defense comes along this time.
