Having trouble with insomnia? Joey Logano suggests trying to fool yourself to sleep.
The way Logano sees it, anyone who says the Championship 4 NASCAR Cup Series event is just another race is engaging in self-delusion.
“I said it last year, and I’ll say it forever, if you say it’s a normal week, it’s just a way to help you sleep—because you can’t sleep,” Logano asserted before Saturday’s final Cup Series practice at Martinsville Speedway.
Logano ought to know. He has three titles to his credit, earned in 2018, 2022 and 2024. In order to maintain his championship defense this year, however, the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford believes he’ll have to win Sunday’s Xfinity 500, the race that will cut the Playoff field from eight drivers to the final four.
Still, the win-or-bust scenario in the Round of 8 isn’t as intense as the season finale with the Cup title on the line.
“The pressure ratchets up every week,” Logano said. “It affects you—no doubt. I would assume it affects everyone. I don’t see how it doesn’t. If you care enough about it, you’re going to be digging deep and trying to find that little bit more, and what’s it going to take and all that.
“The balance gets pretty off track in the Playoffs a lot of times. What’s your main goal? In this time of year, it’s all about winning championships. Your balance ticks a little more towards… you might have a little shorter fuse and all those type of things that happen.”
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