Joey Logano Looks To End Max Verstappen’s Reign in High-Stakes 2025 Best Driver Showdown

“It’s fun to dream about things sometimes. But actually living the dream is a whole different level.” Joey Logano said these words right after winning the 2024 Cup Series championship. Indeed, clinching one’s third title can feel like a dream. Yet Logano is not done achieving his dreams yet. Like he snuffed out Kyle Larson’s 6-win dominance in the end, now he is putting an end to a massive motorsports champion’s streak.

Crossovers between NASCAR and Formula One are rare. When they appear, both sides are usually hostile to each other. The famous debate between Kyle Larson and Max Verstappen stands as evidence for this. However, this debate now has a new entrant.

Joey Logano sneaks past yet again

Remember August 2024? Kyle Larson fetched his 3rd Knoxville Nationals victory in four years. Besides leading for all 50 laps, he made jaw-dropping comments about being a “better all-round” driver than Max Verstappen. The four-time F1 champion has received ESPY’s Best Driver award twice in a row in 2023 and 2024. However, little did Larson know that Joey Logano was waiting in the shadows. During the 2024 playoffs, the Team Penske driver almost got eliminated in Charlotte. Yet he responded with two more victories and a championship, leaving season dominator Larson clueless. Similarly, Logano has snuck up behind Larson yet again and poses a threat to Verstappen as well.

According to ESPN’s announcement on Thursday, Joey Logano has been nominated for the 2025 ESPYS Best Driver Award. He faces Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen from Formula One and IndyCar’s Alex Palou, the other nominees for the award. Logano won in Texas this year with 4 top-tens. His opponents are no less remarkable – Piastri won five F1 races and Verstappen two, and Alex Palou won six of the first 9 races in IndyCar. If Logano can beat his rivals, he will become the first NASCAR driver to win the award since Kyle Larson took home the honors in 2022.

Past precedent tells us that Joey Logano has a solid chance. Although his rivals outnumber Logano’s wins, other factors may matter. Kyle Busch won the 2019 Best Driver ESPY award despite being the only non-reigning champion on the ballot. Yet Busch had 8 wins and a phenomenal consistency in finishes. Similarly, the circumstances of Logano’s 2024 shock championship may help him. Pulling off twin victories at the right time to secure the title requires immense discipline and dedication. And Logano’s qualities helped him, as he said last year: “Personally, I do better under pressure. I just do. I don’t know what that is, but I got to find ways to back myself against the wall so I can put the pressure on myself, and I just get better.”

What is more, more congratulatory notes are in line for Joey Logano. The Penske driver has excelled in yet another arena.

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Logano is ahead of the game

Even if a back-to-back title is unlikely, Joey Logano is up for a back-to-back jackpot. The No. 22 Ford driver won the 2024 All-Star Race and landed the $1 Million award. In 2025 as well, he successfully bagged another million-dollar venture. NASCAR created the Driver Ambassador Program in the offseason to give drivers incentives for helping grow the sport. That is why we saw many drivers doing various media obligations, autograph signings, and things of that nature. Chase Elliott attended the Super Bowl and Bubba Wallace also did campaigns. However, Joey Logano has beaten his rivals in this unique initiative, at least for now.

Joey Logano has topped the list for the first term of the DAP program. 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson ranked second, and 2023 champion Ryan Blaney came home in third. According to a report by Sports Business Journal, we know the jaw-dropping financial benefit that the top driver would haul. Joey Logano took home yet another $1 Million accordingly, keeping his yearly bonus alive. The three-time champion’s year has been going well, too. Logano picked up his 37th career win in the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway in May. That extended his consecutive seasons with a win streak to 14.

Clearly, Joey Logano is in a state of euphoria at present. With a blooming of awards in his path, he can only aim for more glory this season.