In a NASCAR race, every second is precious. During a pit stop, every millisecond can make a difference in the outcome. Each Cup Series driver’s pit crew strives to execute flawless stops, from restocking a car’s fuel or swiftly changing its tires. The high precision levels of awareness, reaction time, and physical toughness involved in the pit work closely match those of the qualities in a football team. And when Joey Logano crossed that divide, he was received with a roaring enthusiasm.

Joey Logano is currently the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion; his fame is currently unmatched. Holding three Cup Series titles to his name, Logano matches the championship number of the Clemson Tigers. This common ground had a brilliant fallout recently, drowned in smoke and cheers.

Joey Logano smokes his tires in a grand reception

Granted, when Joey Logano did burnouts in Phoenix in November 2024, the reception may not have been huge. The Team Penske driver’s 2024 championship is enshrouded in controversy due to a late-season surge in the current playoff format. Among the stars in Logano’s team are his tire changer, Sheridan Jones, and Penske’s President of NASCAR Operations, Michael Nelson. Coincidentally, both of these individuals are alumni of the College Football team, the Clemson Tigers. And recently, Logano attended this team’s last day of Fall camp.

Clemson members got a roaring surprise when Joey Logano rolled into their campus in his No. 22 Ford. The Tigers have not won a championship since 2018, and got a 10-4 season in 2024. With Cade Klubnik in his final year and Dabo Swinney out there aiming for a championship run, the anticipation is tense. But the arrival of Joey Logano pumped up all the members in a frenzy, as they cheered loudly for the three-time NASCAR champion. Clemson’s official X account posted the high-energy video, with the caption: “Always great to have another champion in the building 🤝 @joeylogano.”

NASCAR has been hiring college football graduates for the pit road for a long time, as the players swap their shoulder pads for firesuits. Landon Walker was the first Clemson Tiger to transition from the field to the racetrack. He helped Dabo Swinney win the 2011 ACC Championship and signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012. When knee arthritis cut his NFL career short, Hendrick Motorsports recruited him in 2013. Presently, he works in William Byron’s No. 24 team as a fueler.

With Joey Logano’s arrival, the Clemson Tigers refueled their motivation to vie for a championship. Cade Klubnik could not stop his enthusiasm from overflowing, “I mean, honestly, I’ve never really been a huge NASCAR guy, but that was like top-five coolest things that we’ve ever done in Clemson Football. I got to change one of the tires too, which was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.”

Clearly, Joey Logano left a mark on the college football stars’ post-practice session. Just like he did in last weekend’s Cup race.

Logano wants more of the ‘Action Track’

Last Saturday, Austin Dillon proved his mettle. Controversy wrapped the Richard Childress Racing driver after the 2024 Cook Out 400, since he dumped Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin to win the race. However, the 2025 rendition saw Dillon performing cleanly. That was not all, as Dillon led for 107 laps en route to the victory. On the other hand, Logano also had a good day, contrary to last year. Initially, he had to start from the rear as he could not set a lap during qualifying. Yet Logano persevered and charged to 15th place by the end of stage 2. By the end of the race, Logano brought his No. 22 to a remarkable 4th-place finish.

Navigating his way from 38th to 4th place had Joey Logano appreciating Richmond Raceway. He recently shed light on the fascinating advantages of the 0.75-mile short track: “This track has a lot of racing room. I think it puts on great racing. You have to be a purist to love it. If you want the wrecks, the restarts, and all that stuff, well, this isn’t your track. But if you like pure racing and seeing how strategy plays out, the drivers and teams managing their cars and all that, which is personally what I love, this should be your favorite track. Wish we had more of them, but it was pretty fun.”

With Joey Logano’s 2025 playoff chances looking good, let us wait and see how he performs. The precious memory with the Tigers is sure to give him a boost!