In a historic move that signals a new era of collaboration in motorsports, a new convergence will occur on the weekend of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg 2026, with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series joining the IndyCar Series in a joint race weekend at the end of February. This is the first time for trucks to race on a street circuit, with important consequences for testing drivers and for making the series visible in an exciting new environment. Amidst all fresh opinions, Team Penske’s No. 22 driver, Joey Logano, also gave his two cents on this first-of-its-kind crossover. 

Executive Vice President Ben Kennedy said, “The good news is we have such a good relationship with Doug (Boles), with Bud (Denker), with Roger Penske), the entire team over at IndyCar, and there are a lot of synergies as well.” The Indianapolis Speedway is one such example in the past where NASCAR and IndyCar series have seen a crossover before, though on different layouts. The Truck race will run on Saturday, 28th February. The very next day, the IndyCar race begins with its season opener on Sunday, 1st March. This collaboration aims to strengthen the bond between NASCAR and Penske’s IndyCar series, letting fans enjoy the best of motorsports together. Joey Logano was all praise for this latest collaboration and had this to say about it.

“Kind of that cross-pollination,” Joey Logano on NASCAR Trucks racing with IndyCar

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is set for an unprecedented season in 2026, with its schedule expanding to 25 races, a notable increase from previous years. This historic event marks a move that harks back to the series’ history of format diversification, much like its debut road race at Heartland Park Topeka in 1995. This strategic expansion is designed to attract a wider audience and create new excitement for fans. As Joey Logano says, “I think a lot of people probably will make a trip out of that.” The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is a well-known location to be a season opener for IndyCar, bringing in tens and thousands of audience each year.

However, Logano was initially surprised when the interviewer brought up the news of the Truck Series racing at St. Petersburg, as he hadn’t checked the complete schedule until then, and once he was made aware, his surprise turned into excitement as he said, “I think that’s cool. I think, honestly, I think those two series together can be perfect together for both fans, right, with NASCAR fans, IndyCar fans, getting exposed, you know, kind of that cross-pollination, if you will. That’s important for all the motor sports to work together. So I think that’s great.” Often, IndyCar and NASCAR fans stay divided. Indy 500 loyalists dismiss the Daytona 500 as ‘just stock cars turning left,’ while NASCAR fans see IndyCar as ‘open-wheel with no action. Logano stressed that both IndyCar and NASCAR fans need to come together, noting that unity across motorsports is vital for the growth and future of racing.

The 2026 schedule includes two street circuit races, with St. Petersburg beginning with the season opener before heading to San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado in June. When asked about his thoughts on the entire schedule in general, Logano expressed a positive reaction as he said, “I think it looks good. I think the San Diego to Sonoma same week is pretty cool.” He added, “Easter off like that, playoffs look good. Round it, looks good to me.” This is specially done for drivers and teams to take a pause, enjoy the holiday, and gain momentum for the next races.

As Logano mentioned about “cross-pollination”, this new partnership will benefit both the Truck series and the IndyCar. For NASCAR, the street circuit race provides a major new challenge for drivers, testing their skills on a demanding course with concrete barriers instead of open runoff areas. Whereas for IndyCar, the collaboration is a way to boost its popularity amongst the NASCAR fans. The series hopes that by sharing the spotlight with NASCAR, it can attract a large portion of NASCAR’s dedicated fan base.

Joey Logano helps Team Penske place all three cars in the top five at Richmond

Joey Logano’s race at the Cookout 400 at Richmond Raceway proved beyond doubt to show how an individual could bounce back after a very difficult weekend with Team Penske. After a string of unfortunate occurrences at the qualifying session that saw a tire failure, Logano’s No. 22 car started in last place. However, he managed to gain speed as he drove his way through the field. And that was not the end of his trials.

From there on, he concentrated on breaking into the top 10 at Stage 2 but was hit again with tire failure, leading him into the back once more. In spite of that, Logano kept fighting back to get forward again. Eventually, he finished in the top five with a fourth-place finish, along with Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric in the 3rd and 5th positions, respectively. That marked Logano’s third top-five finish and seventh top-10 of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

In his post-race interview, Logano didn’t hide his frustration, as he said, “Just not our day, not our weekend.” He further added,”It’s probably the most frustrating top five you can imagine. I felt like our car was good enough to win, and we got up there from the back. Flat right tire, go back again, and then you know, a steady grind back into the top five.” Though not happy, the top-five result boosted him one spot in the driver standings to 12th place with just one regular-season race left.

As the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs rapidly approach, this gritty performance sends a clear message that Logano and Team Penske remain a serious threat heading into the postseason.