Joey Logano Admits 8-Word Painful Truth About His Son’s Racing Future

6 min read

“He just wants to do anything with wheels; that’s his thing.” That’s how Joey Logano described his son Hudson in a heartwarming chat with Kenny Wallace last year. Whether it’s go-karts, scooters, or toy trucks, his son has got gasoline in his veins, just like his father, Joey. But even with all that motor-loving energy, Logano has made one thing clear time and again.

For someone who started racing before most kids lose their training wheels, Joey is surprisingly laid back about his son’s future. He’s been there, done that, and bought the fire suit. And now, as a three-time Cup Series champion, he knows just how heavy the pressure can get, especially when your last name carries some serious weight around the garage.

Joey Logano keeps the racing pressure off his son

For someone who has built his career on the motto, “Pressure is privilege,” that’s a big deal. Joey lived through the pressure cooker himself, racing as a kid, rising through the ranks, and becoming a NASCAR Cup Series champion. But now that it’s his son in the picture, all the glamor suddenly feels less like a privilege and more like a weight.

In a recent Instagram interview, the No. 22 driver got real about something most racing dads would rather dodge. Known for being open and honest, he didn’t mince words when talking about his son’s potential racing future. “It could hurt him more than help him.” Those eight words must have stung every time he thinks of his kid behind the wheel.

Unlike Kevin Harvick, who’s gone full throttle supporting his son Keelan’s international karting career, Joey Logano is not strapping Hudson into a seat just yet. He reveals that his seven-year-old hasn’t said those magic words. Logano explains, “I don’t know if he wants to, yeah—and I don’t really care. He definitely shares the love of cars, yep, which we have that in common; love that. He’s very talented, but he just hasn’t shown, like, that ‘I really wanna race’ yet. He hasn’t really said it yet.”

 

 

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Joey Logano’s passion for speed started young. He began racing quarter-midgets at just age 6 in Connecticut, clenching championships by 7 and competing in Bandoleros and Legends cars through his early teens. But behind that prodigy was his dad, Tom Logano, a former waste management business owner turned classic car collector who sold his company to fully fund Joey’s budding career and even forged birth documents so his young son could race older kids.

The team Penkse driver explained that the stakes were way higher for Hudson than they were for him growing up. “So I don’t wanna push him, because it’s different for him than it was for me. He’s gonna immediately see way more pressure, and they introduce him as ‘NASCAR champion’s son,’ and it’s like—that’s not great. It’s like he’s no better than the next kid. He hasn’t done nothing, you know? So, like, I don’t want him to believe that, for one, because it could hurt him more than help him.”

Logano still holds the record as the youngest winner in two of NASCAR’s top three divisions. His breakout moment came fast when he won the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway in just his third start in the 2008 Nationwide series, becoming the youngest driver ever to win a race in that series at just 18 years and 21 days old. But despite blazing his own trail at lightning speed, Joey now wants something different for his son, which involves less pressure and more play.

And that is exactly why Joey is pulling back. He doesn’t want Hudson to race for headlines or a family legacy. He wants him to fall in love with it naturally, like he did when he was seven, just a kid in a go-kart chasing fun and not fame. But Joey isn’t closing the doors on the racing prospects for Hudson just yet; he goes on to say, ” But I also want him to enjoy it at seven years old like I did and fall in love with it before it turns into… So if he wants to ride a go-kart around the house, if he wants to race, fine, we’ll go racing. But he really loves basketball right now, there we go, like—okay, here we go. I can’t help you much there, but yeah, let’s do it.” 

If racing is in the cards, it’ll happen on Hudson’s terms, and if not? That’s just fine by Joey, too.

Joey Logano scores big off-track

Joey Logano didn’t leave Pocono Raceway with a trophy, but he did leave with a serious bag. As NASCAR wrapped up the first term of its all-new Driver Ambassador Program, Logano was crowned the top performer, reportedly taking home a cool $1 million bonus for his efforts off the track.

A program launched this season rewards drivers who go above and beyond in promoting the sport, such as media interviews, sponsor events, fan interactions, and public appearances. While some drivers barely cashed in ($75,000 went to the lowest finishers), Logano led the pack, showing that when it comes to wrapping the NASCAR brand, he’s not just showing up; he’s showing out. He wasn’t the only one to hustle; Kyle Larson finished second, and Ryan Blaney grabbed third. Rounding out the top 10 with big names like Ross Chastain, Daniel Suárez, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, and Chase Briscoe—but it was #22 who set the pace.

And while the off-track win made headlines, Logano’s on-track run at Pocono wasn’t too shabby either. Joey quietly got the job done, starting 12th and finishing 16th in the Great American Getaway 400. He led five laps and picked up solid stage points along the way. It wasn’t a headline-stealing drive, but in a stacked field, steady performance like that helped keep momentum alive.

His 2025 season has been a mix of highs and hiccups. He scored a clutch win at Texas in May, locking himself into the playoffs for the 14th straight year. But his setbacks, like a DQ at Talladega, where a strong fifth-place run was wiped out for a loose spoiler bolt, have kept him from dominating. Now sitting 10th in the driver standings with one win and several top tens, Joey’s holding strong, even as others notch multiple wins.

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