By all accounts, Joey Logano’s 2024 season didn’t start like a title run. Through the first half of the year, the No. 22 car looked more off-track than on-target. Despite flashes of speed, including three poles in the opening 16 races, Logano was posting an average finish of 17.9, the worst he’s had since 2011. His Adjusted Points+ index hovered at a near-career-low of 104, just 4% better than the field’s baseline, and he barely snuck into the playoffs with a late win at Nashville.

The playoffs didn’t offer much hope either. Logano finished 19th or worse in five of his final seven regular-season races, including three deep in the pack. His postseason chances looked grim. Then came the flip. In the opening race of the Round of 16, Logano won at Atlanta, his home track growing up, which immediately advanced him to the next round. Despite that, he finished below the cutoff at the round of 8. But after the race, Alex Bowman’s car failed inspection, which moved Logano up and into the next round by the skin of his teeth.

Still, he was a long shot for the Championship 4. Then he went to Las Vegas, a track he’s owned before, and did exactly what champions do. He outran the field, earned his fourth career win at that track, and punched his ticket to the final four. It was his sixth time reaching the Championship 4 in his career. With that comeback, and for comebacks like these, he’s been labeled the “Cinderella Champion” – a title he hasn’t shied away from. Instead, he recently embraced it, telling a story that proves why his last championship just might be the most meaningful one yet.

From making a promise to keeping it — Logano delivers it with a storybook finish

In his recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, guest host Jelly Roll asked Joey Logano to pick his favorite among his three championships. His initial response was: “They’re all great. Your first one’s obviously the most, you know, rewarding moment, right? It’s what you’ve strived for your whole life. From those pictures, all I ever wanted to be was a NASCAR champion. So, that first one was amazing.”

However, what truly stuck with him and has carved a significant place in his memory is his latest one. And it’s not because of himself per se, but because of his family being present for him, especially his children. A few days before the race, though in a light-hearted manner, Logano made a promise to his children. He told them, “Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to win the race. We’re going to get out of the car at start finish line. We’re going to get the checkered flag. We’re going to all get in the car, all five of us, and we’re going to do donuts in the car.”

Cut to the race results — Logano kept his word. He did get the checkered flag. As promised, he made his kids squeeze inside his ride, with the exception of his daughter, who refused to enter the metal cage interior. “I took my boys around for a lap. And that was the coolest moment because you hit the pinnacle, right? Like that is the top of the top winning the championship, and you’ve got your kids in the race car with you, and you’re just kind of cruising around. It’s like the moment where it’s just it was just the three of us in the car, right? And you’re just driving around. It is the coolest,” said Logano.

The ‘Cinderella’ tag certainly doesn’t sting when you’re living the dream. If there’s anything better than winning, it’s winning with your family standing beside you.

Too early to pass the torch? Logano on son Hudson’s racing plans

That post-race victory lap with his sons wasn’t just a celebration – it felt like a preview. Joey Logano’s oldest son, Hudson, is six years old now, and he’s already shown signs of having that racer instinct. While Logano hasn’t formally announced any plans to launch his son’s career, there are signs that could make racing a family affair in the Logano house.

Decades ago, a young Joey Logano sat behind the wheel of a quarter midget car with his father beside him, a photo that still makes the rounds in NASCAR circles. Thirty years later, Logano recreated that same moment, this time with Hudson in the driver’s seat and him crouched next to the car. It was a quiet tribute, a full-circle flashback that didn’t need a caption. But even with the love for cars clearly passed down, Logano is keeping the brakes on for now. In a recent interview with Kenny Wallace, he admitted, “So, I don’t wanna push him, because it’s different for him than it was for me. He’s gonna immediately see way more pressure, and they introduce him as ‘NASCAR champion’s son’, that’s not great… It could hurt him more than help him.”

For Joey Logano, this championship was never about validation from critics. The “Cinderella Champion” label doesn’t rattle him; it fuels the narrative he’s proudly shaped on his own terms. With each title, he’s redefined what resilience and consistency look like in modern NASCAR. This third win, backed by both performance and personal meaning, stands as a reminder that his place in the sport is no fluke. Logano isn’t chasing approval. He’s building a legacy, one checkered flag at a time.