Team Penske, Joey Logano Agree To Contract Extension
Joey Logano |
Team Penske announced today that the organization has reached an agreement with 26-year-old Joey Logano to drive for the team through the 2022 season and beyond. The multi-year extension ensures that the 2015 Daytona 500 Champion and 17-time Monster Energy Series NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) winner will continue to be an integral part of the Team Penske organization.
The announcement follows the news that Team Penske partner Shell-Pennzoil will continue as the primary sponsor of the No. 22 Ford Fusion driven by Logano through the 2022 season and beyond.
“We are so proud of the driver Joey has become since joining our team in 2013 and all the success he has been a part of on the No. 22 team," said Roger Penske. “But more importantly, we are proud of the man that Joey has become. He has evolved into an effective leader both on and off the track. Joey is a great ambassador for all of our partners and his philanthropic work through his Joey Logano Foundation has been remarkable. Joey is the type of person we are proud to have at Team Penske and we are excited that he will be a big part of the team’s future for many years to come."
Since joining Team Penske in 2013, Logano has earned 15 MENCS wins, nine NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) victories, three NXS Owners’ titles and he has finished inside the top 10 in the Cup Series championship standings each season – including racing his way into the Final Four in the season finale two out of the last three years. Logano finished a career-best second in last season’s Championship and won the season-opening Clash event at Daytona last weekend.
“I’ve known my entire life I wanted to be a NASCAR Cup Series driver," said Logano, who also won the 2016 NASCAR All-Star race. “Now, to be able to know that I get the opportunity to drive for Roger Penske for the foreseeable future where I can focus solely on winning races and championships, is a life-long dream for me. To know that our executives, our sponsors, my team and all of the employees at Team Penske have that much faith in me means so much and that type of commitment really says a lot about this team and this organization."
Logano began his racing career driving Legends and Bandoleros around the Southeast before moving to Late Models and eventually the Pro Cup Series and NASCAR Touring Series, where he garnered considerable national attention from several prominent NASCAR organizations. Just after his 18th birthday, he made his first NXS start and won his first race just two weeks later, becoming the youngest NXS winner in NASCAR history.
Moving up to the Cup Series ranks, Logano won his first MENCS race in his rookie season at 19, making him the youngest Cup winner in NASCAR history. He also holds the record for being the youngest NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year.
Logano joined Team Penske in 2013 and found immediate success, winning a race and qualifying for the Chase in his first season. Building on that strong initial season, Logano earned five wins in 2014, a series-leading six victories in 2015 (including his first Daytona 500 victory) and three triumphs in 2016. His 14 wins since the start of the 2014 season are tied for the most in the series with seven-time Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson.
“This has been a great chapter of my life since joining Team Penske in 2013," added Logano. “It was really a second chance for my career. Since then, we’ve experienced a lot of success and a lot of great life moments, both on and off the track. Now, we have to go out there and continue to perform on the track. With Team Penske, Shell-Pennzoil, Autotrader, AAA, Ford and all of our partners showing their belief in me, I want to go out and show what I can do for them. I’ve worked really hard to get here. Now I need to embrace this commitment and take advantage of this awesome opportunity."
The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season begins in February with the running of the Daytona 500 on February 26.