“They hate me because I smile”: Joey Logano makes his feelings about critics crystal clear

Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano was featured in an interview with stock car analyst Jeff Gluck ahead of the Talladega race. During the pre-race interaction, the Team Penske driver delivered a clear response to his critics on his advancement to the Round of Eight playoffs.

Logano secured his spot in the playoffs after a razor-thin margin at the Charlotte ROVAL race. He landed a P20 finish, one spot ahead of his playoff-qualified driver, Ross Chastain. However, fans were not impressed by his performance throughout the postseason and booed him.

Following that, Joey Logano refused to apologise for “playing by the rules.” This further irritated his critics, and Logano gave a crystal-clear reply to them:

“They hate me because I smile.”

“Look what we get to do. This was your childhood dream. You’re gonna complain about your childhood dream? The fact is you’re getting paid to drive a race car. And the fact is you’re not happy about it. That’s a problem. I don’t get that. I’ll never understand that,” he further added.

After securing his spot in the Round of Eight playoffs, Joey Logano competed in the Las Vegas race and landed a P6 finish. The #22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Driver currently ranks seventh in the Cup Series playoff points table, sitting 24 points below the cutoff line. Meanwhile, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin became the first driver to land a spot in the Championship Four race.

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“I’d trade every one of those”: Joey Logano got candid about adding the Dover trophy to his collection

Defending Cup Series champion Joey Logano was featured in an interview with SpeedFreaks on Instagram ahead of the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway. During the pre-race interaction, Logano opened up about his aim to add the monster trophy to his collection.

The Team Penske driver has completed 29 races at Dover Motor Speedway but never once tasted victory there. He came close to winning the race on multiple occasions but wrapped up the race in P3.

Reflecting on his desire to add the trophy to the collection, Joey Logano told the press:

"As far as coolness of trophies, yeah, it's up there pretty high. It's pretty cool; you put the die-cast card, and it looks cool. I got four of the little ones from the Xfinity races, but I'd trade every one of those for a Cup win; Cup wins obviously mean a lot more." (via Instagram)

Joey Logano currently ranks seventh in the Cup Series points table with 4042 points to his credit. He secured one win, 11 top tens, six top fives, and two pole positions this season. Additionally, he has led 542 laps with an average start of 13.576 in 33 races.