Clemson is hungry for another championship, and the pressure’s on. After a 10-4 season in 2024, an ACC title, and a playoff loss to Texas, the Tigers haven’t won a national championship since 2018, and the fans are restless. With Cade Klubnik in his final year, Dabo Swinney is out there aiming for a championship run. So, what’s his move? Bring in a winner to inspire the team. Enter Joey Logano, arriving in his No. 22 car, and the impact is immediate: Klubnik and the Tigers are feeding off that energy already.
Clemson’s football team got a boost of excitement Tuesday when NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano came in and performed a burnout. There exists an interesting connection between Logano and the Tigers: both know what it takes to win. Logano has three NASCAR Cup titles, and Clemson has won three national championships. With the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season nearing its end and Logano already in the playoffs, the timing of his visit couldn’t be any more perfect.
And the result of his presence? The players are already pumped up. As Clemson’s insider, Chapel Fowler hit X with QB Cade Klubnik’s real feeling on Logano’s presence on the campus, “Clemson QB Cade Klubnik says having NASCAR driver Joey Logano hang out with the team today was a ‘top five thing’ he’s experienced with Clemson football.” ‘I’m not a NASCAR guy, but that was awesome.’ Says he was ‘fired up’ when Logano did burnouts outside the facility.” That kind of energy just lights a fire under you.
Clemson QB Cade Klubnik says having NASCAR driver Joey Logano hang out w/ the team today was a “top five thing” he’s experienced with Clemson football. “I’m not a NASCAR guy, but that was awesome.” Says he was “fired up” when Logano did burnouts outside the facility
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) August 19, 2025
Logano’s mindset stays crystal clear—winning is the only goal, and he made that plain back in February before the green flag even waved on this season. “Well, I mean, the bottom line is that the goal never changes. The goal is to win the championship, whether you won last year or not,” he said. “But the big thing is just fighting complacency and being OK with what happened. You’ve got to remember what you did last year will not be good enough to win this year.” Now, that mindset is motivating Cade Klubnik and his team.
But Logano wasn’t the only one there; in the group, there was Penske’s President of NASCAR Operations, Michael Nelson, a Clemson graduate from Anderson, and former Clemson cornerback Sheridan Jones, who is now a pit crew member. The connection between the two sports began earlier this year when Clemson’s P.A.W. Journey Business program partnered with NASCAR in Las Vegas. And let’s not forget the NASCAR and football squad at Clemson have old ties.
The trend of football players becoming NASCAR pit crew members is growing, and Clemson University is a key source for this talent. NASCAR teams regularly scout Clemson’s pro day, seeking athletes with the strength, speed, and coordination required for quick pit stops. Tig Willard, a former linebacker, is a great example, handling tires for Ryan Preece’s RFK Racing #60 team and also working with Trackhouse Racing when he’s not fishing.
Landon Walker, a former Clemson offensive lineman, was the first Tiger to make the transition successfully. Growing up in North Wilkesboro, NC, Walker followed NASCAR but focused on football, joining Clemson in January 2007. He helped Dabo Swinney win the 2011 ACC Championship and signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012. Unfortunately, knee arthritis cut his NFL career short.
Now, with that energy, fall camp is nearing its end, and Cade Klubnik is nothing but satisfied.
Cade Klubnik on fall camp impact
Cade Klubnik has completely transformed his narrative in just one year at Clemson. Once doubted nationally, the Tigers’ quarterback now enters his final season as a Heisman contender, brimming with both confidence and expectation. He led Clemson to its first College Football Playoff appearance since 2020, but after a loss to Texas in the opening round, Klubnik says that performance only fueled his drive. “I think for me, I just got to really show on an elite level what I can do and what this team is capable of,” he said on ACC Network Road Trip.
And that determination, combined with the support of veteran players during fall camp, has further enhanced the team’s potential. As Fowler said, Cade Klubnik seems pretty satisfied with it while quoting his words, “It’s been a really good camp… With all the veteran guys coming back, I feel like we didn’t have to start anything over. Excited to get into a new routine and start playing some games.” But there’s “a lot of work to do” before the LSU game, he added. So, the real challenge is the LSU game. But let’s not forget the playoff defeat against Texas already highlighted Klubnik’s progress, as he passed for 336 yards and three touchdowns facing a stout Longhorns defense. So now he’s using the loss as motivation, pinpointing areas to improve.
Indeed, that’s exactly the case, as he enters his final season, Klubnik is prioritizing efficiency, accuracy while mobile, and leadership. He’s embracing the hard work of fall camp, focusing on building stronger connections with his receivers and trusting offensive coordinator Garrett Riley completely. His main goal is to boost Clemson’s scoring consistency and leverage the team’s depth, aiming to get the Tigers back into the playoff picture and compete for a title.
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