Joey Logano was close to signing for 2 NASCAR giants before eventually joining Joe Gibbs Racing

Reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano has revealed he was very close to signing with two other teams before joining Joe Gibbs Racing. Logano joined JGR back in 2009 when it was announced he would drive the No. 20 Toyota Camry in the Sprint Series Cup.

The two-time Cup Series champion revealed in an interview with The Athletic that he had three deals on the table back in 2004 or 2005. Logano had offers from JGR, Roush Racing, and Chip Ganassi Racing.

Logano recalled that when he was 14 or 15 years old and didn’t even have a driver's license, he had three deals in front of him. This came at a time when driver development programs were scouting for young talent and providing financial support.

Mark Martin, driving for Roush Fenway Racing, called 15-year-old Logano “the real deal”. Martin said in 2005:

"I am high on Joey Logano because I am absolutely, 100-percent positive, without a doubt that he can be one of the greatest that ever raced in NASCAR. I'm positive. There's no doubt in mind."

Logano revealed that he could have been a Chip Gannasi driver, as the deal was very close to fruition. Speaking about his meeting with Chip Gannasi, Joey Logano said:

“We sat down in the room and went through what my future can look like there and how many years in certain divisions before they move me to Cup. It was ‘Here’s what the numbers would look like’ and all this stuff. Chip was like, ‘OK, cool. I’ve got my lawyer here. We’ll draft it up.’”

“I’m like, ‘Uh … hang on a second. Hang on a second here. We’ve got to review it and look at some things and be smart here.’”

Logano was surprised when Chip Gannasi asked him to sign the deal immediately in their first meeting. But 15-year-old Logano didn’t rush into making the decision, which he believes could have changed his career.

Joey Logano made his Cup Series debut at Sylvania 300 in 2008 for Hall of Fame Racing. He joined Joe Gibbs Racing the following year and ended the season as Rookie of the Year. Logano left JGR to join Team Penske for the 2013 season. Logano has since been crowned the Cup Series champion in 2018 and 2022.

---

Joey Logano wins Duel 1 at Daytona

The No. 22 driver managed to win the qualifying duel, securing a second-row start for the Daytona 500.

Joey Logano took the lead in the race on lap 31, after his green flag pit stop. The Team Penske driver led the race comfortably until the final lap.

Christopher Bell managed to pull out and threatened the No. 22 driver for the victory. Logano successfully held off the charging No. 20 car, finishing side-by-side as they passed the checkered flag.

Logano described his last-lap effort in a post-race interview with NASCAR:

"When (Bell) got to me, I saw (Ryan) Blaney was behind me. I said, 'That's my buddy. I've got to stick with him.' I knew (Bell) would make the run to the outside, and I probably wasn't going to be able to defend that, and just waited for (Blaney) to push me through there. Good Penske effort there."