Despite a lack of speed, Joey Logano confident he can defend his NASCAR title

Even as the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion, Joey Logano isn’t on many radars as a current championship favorite.

The 34-year-old does have a win at Texas Motor Speedway to his credit this season, but apart from that victory, winning pace has been hard to come by for the No. 22 team.

But nobody knows how to unexpectedly swoop in and dash the dreams of his competitors like Logano. Even in the midst of what could be considered a down year for the three-time champion, he remains confident in his team’s ability to show up when it matters most.

“It seems like you can never count the 22 out,” Logano said during a news conference at Pocono Raceway on Saturday. “We seem to show up when it matters the most more times than not. It doesn’t always happen that way, but we’ve put a lot of effort into trying to make it that way.”

The clutch factor that Logano and the No. 22 team possess doesn’t mean they’re not trying to win during the regular season, but Logano says the pressure that comes with the playoffs suits himself and his group.

“We think all the races count, to be honest with you,” Logano said, laughing. “But obviously, the stakes are a little higher as the playoffs roll around. I feel solid about where we’re at. It’s the same team, pretty much what we had last year. The guys know how to do it. They know how to handle the pressure when it’s turned up.”

Through the first 17 races of 2025, Logano has only four top-10 finishes. His average finish in only 0.2 positions better than it was in 2024, when Logano won the championship despite his worst statistical season since 2012, the year before he went to Team Penske. 

But Logano's vote of confidence should serve as a warning that the field should heed: Never, under any circumstance, count out Logano and the No. 22 team until the checkered flag falls in Phoenix.