Shutting down boos with Playoff pride

Joey Logano isn’t exactly the fastest guy on the track, but he’s got something else that’s made him one of NASCAR’s most successful and sometimes most frustrating drivers for fans: an unshakable grin. Even as he races toward a potential fourth Cup Series championship, Logano seems almost immune to the boos, the critics, and the naysayers.

Logano told The Athletic last week. “I’m happy. Scr-w these people.” He sees no reason to apologize for doing his job, and he won’t let negativity dictate how he feels. For Logano, the playoffs are thrilling, unpredictable moments, Hail Mary passes, and edge-of-your-seat finishes. “The good old days are now,” he said. “That’s why I’ll stand up and talk about it, because it doesn’t add up otherwise.”

Some of his fellow drivers and fans don’t get it. Dale Earnhardt Jr., for instance, joked, “The more Joey Logano gets out of his car and talks about the playoffs, the more I don’t like the playoffs.”

But Logano thrives on the challenge, especially when the odds are against him. Heading into Talladega, he’s tied for the best odds to win, and even with the clock ticking on his fourth championship, he’s not worried. “We’re just doing our thing and playing by the rules,” he says with a grin. “They hate me because I smile.”

Part of Logano’s approach comes from knowing his own limits. He admits he isn’t the fastest driver on the track, but he’s one of the hardest-working. Obsessed with details, restarts, pit strategy, and mental toughness, he has crafted a career where consistency and savvy often beat raw speed. Brad Keselowski calls him “the most well-rounded guy in the field,” a compliment that perfectly sums up why Logano has three championships, over 600 Cup starts, and a spot among NASCAR’s elite.

In the end, Logano’s positivity isn’t about winning everyone over. “You can’t let people change who you are,” he said. “All you can do is be you and try to be the shining light in your room. I just feel like I’m that person.” And for the fans who boo or criticize, well, he’s perfectly fine letting them stew while he keeps on smiling.

Logano’s playoff preach hits home hardest at Talladega, where the format’s do-or-die stakes force even stablemates to dance a delicate draft. Dale Earnhardt Jr., with six Dega wins and a lifetime of Hendrick teammate experiences, knows the playbook: race clean, give space, but grip the gas when glory calls.

Dale Jr. breaks down Penske’s Talladega tightrope

On the Dale Jr. Download, he sized up the Penske pair, Logano and Ryan Blaney, both clawing for Championship 4 tickets in Phoenix, needing every ally in the aero storm.

“If Blaney and Joey are running first and second with 20 laps to go, it doesn’t matter; they’re not going to shuffle one or the other out early,” Earnhardt laid out. “They’re going to need that teammate to be able to stay in those positions all the way to the finish.”

Teammate trust locks the front, a shield against shoves, but the white flag blurs the bond, where a run might rip one ahead. Earnhardt sees the hold till the end, then the instinct kick, but warns: botch it, and you’re both bounced.

Help hauls wider: eliminated Cindric and Wood Brothers’ Berry pitch blocks for the duo, staving off Hamlin, Bell, Briscoe, and Byron. Blaney bears the brunt, last-place Vegas wreck leaving him 31 shy of Briscoe’s cutline, must-win mode for Dega or Martinsville. Logano laps tighter, seventh and 24 back, his rally art honed through three crowns, but still starving for stages or a sweep to slash the gap.

“They’re going to try to work together for the benefit of both of them all the way to the finish,” Junior figured. “Then, coming to the white flag, that’s when it gets a little blurry, and you may see a teammate with a run he has to take, and he’s going to have to make that choice. He’s going to do that thing for himself in that moment. It may come with two laps to go. But I’d say you take a risk and lose.”

Logano’s grin defense vibes right into this vise, playoffs pitting partners till the checkers, where savvy smiles survive the squeeze.