Joey Logano, three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, remains one of the sport’s most polarizing figures, drawing boos from fans even after another win this past Sunday at Texas, and leaving both the racing world and Logano himself questioning why his impressive success so often sparks such intense reactions. Despite winning two of the last three championships and racking up 37 Cup victories before his 35th birthday, Joey Logano has not managed to escape the stigma that makes him the driver NASCAR fans love to hate—earning, year after year, both loud jeers at the track and the informal title of “NASCAR’s villain.”
For over 15 years, Joey Logano has competed at the highest level, navigating not only tough tracks and formidable rivals but also a steady chorus of boos that seems inescapable. Some observers propose that the animosity is rooted in jealousy over Logano’s achievements. Others point to his candor—highlighted by a recent profanity-laced outburst toward teammate Austin Cindric at Talladega—as a reason fans sometimes see him as brash or confrontational, rather than simply driven. These moments, and others like them, continue to fuel the passionate, sometimes conflicted responses from the NASCAR crowd.
When asked by SpeedFreaks after his latest Texas victory why the booing still haunts him, Joey Logano confessed he doesn’t have an easy answer. “I wish I knew,” he admitted. Logano reflected on his early mistakes, suggesting that some fans have never forgiven how he started his career or handled himself in the spotlight.
“I think some of that has carried over for a long time,”
he said, noting that he doesn’t pretend to be someone he’s not.
“I don’t put on a façade, like this is me, right? And I think it’s confusing to people who see me smile and laugh and then race hard.”
For Logano, the public’s inability to reconcile his off-track demeanor with his competitive nature behind the wheel seems to feed their skepticism and doubt, making it harder for fans to see him as genuine.
Logano is quick to point out that while crowd reactions sting, he values the opinions of those closest to racing far more than the noisy public.
“Really, what matters to me, the industry people is probably the most because those are the ones that know me as a person in the garage, or your family or team,”
he stated. This distinction matters: while fans at large may judge from a distance, the real measure, by Logano’s standards, comes from the respect of competitors and colleagues who know what it takes to succeed on the NASCAR circuit.
Still, Joey Logano is not immune to feeling the weight of fan scrutiny.
“Not that I don’t care about what the fans think, and I do, but they don’t know me,”
he said. Logano acknowledged he cannot change public perception with ease, even though he wishes for acceptance.
“It does frustrate me at times but it is what it is. I can’t change that too much.”
Rather than chase the approval of every fan, he has learned to keep showing up as himself—authentic, competitive, and unapologetically committed to winning.
Boos, it seems, are simply part of the background noise for Joey Logano.
“There is a lot of great (car no.) 22 fans out there, a lot of them. It’s just for whatever reason, boos are louder than cheers, and I think people love to hate people. Hate is too big in our society but people love to do that stuff,”
he mused. Logano sees this negativity as a reflection of broader cultural habits, both within and outside NASCAR.
“You can do that in the work environment too, people complain more than they give compliments on anything right, so it’s just the world we live in I think.”
The story of Joey Logano is intertwined with broader trends and rivalries in NASCAR history. Many in the sport recall how Jeff Gordon—another multiple Cup champion and eventual Hall of Famer—faced waves of boos during key moments in his career, especially while clashing with legends like Dale Earnhardt. Kevin Harvick, who often tussled with Logano on the track and received similar treatment from fans, expressed empathy for Logano’s predicament on his show, Happy Hour With Kevin Harvick.
“I think a lot of that comes from the first part of his career and just the run-ins and situations and some of the timing of some of his comments and things that he said,”
Harvick remarked. According to Harvick, it’s Logano’s confidence and resilience that set him apart now.
“He is so confident in his ability and his team’s ability to overcome things and do things. He’s not shy about commenting on controversial things or situations or somebody else or whatever that is.”
As the boos echo, Joey Logano’s career continues to flourish, lending a sense that, far from slowing him down, the hostility fuels his motivation. Fans may love to hate him, but respect inside the garage, his drive to win, and his refusal to back down have only made him stronger. What happens next is uncertain, but one thing remains clear: Joey Logano stands at the heart of NASCAR’s ongoing drama, where admiration and animosity run on parallel tracks, each propelling him toward the next checkered flag.
