After Talladega DQ, Joey Logano holds an unwanted record by a defending NASCAR champion

Joey Logano is now the holder of an undesirable record. After being disqualified from the 10th race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season at Talladega Superspeedway, the Cup Series champion has gone the longest into a season without a top-five finish in the sport's history.

The record was previously held by Bill Elliott, who went without a top-five in the first nine races of the 1989 season after winning the championship in 1988. That record stood for 36 years until now. Journalist Seth Eggert mentioned the record on X, writing:

"As a result of [Joey Logano]'s disqualification at [Talladega], the [Team Penske] driver now holds the record for longest stretch to start a season by a defending champion without a top-5 finish at 10 races. [Bill Elliott] held the record from 1989 - 2025."

Joey Logano, however, did finish in the top five initially at Talladega. The Team Penske No. 22 Ford was disqualified from last Sunday's Jack Link's 500 after the post-race inspection for a missing bolt on the car’s rear spoiler and Logano ended up with in the last 39th spot. Ryan Preece, who finished second, was also disqualified.

Logano later explained during an interview that the penalty was tough to accept, but it happened because of a mistake.

"We're not the people that, like, blatantly are going to go out there and cheat. It’s not who we are. It was a mistake that essentially, the nut came off the bolt back there on the brace, and the bowl was still in there," Logano said (via Racing News).

The three-time NASCAR Cup champion also said that it might have given him a small advantage, but it did not affect his finishing position because the race was tightly packed.

"Did it change where we finished in the race? No, because everyone was locked down two-wide, so it doesn’t make a difference, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s not by the rules, so you’ve got to accept the penalty. And the penalty, I mean, it hurts," he added.

Team Penske decided not to appeal the disqualification.

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Joey Logano eyes comeback at Texas

Joey Logano moved two places down the NASCAR Cup points standings after Talladega and now stands in 11th place with only one top-10 finish. Logano earned his best finish of the season at Martinsville Speedway, where he won Stage 1, led 13 laps, and finished eighth after spinning out on Lap 317.

The NASCAR Cup Series will head to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. Logano will look to break the unwanted record with a top-five finish at the 267-lap Würth 400 on May 4.

The 34-year-old has three top-five finishes in his last six starts at the 1.5-mile quad-oval. His only win at the track came about a decade ago in April 2014.