Joey Logano reveals his bald head journey, discusses Circuit of the Amerca's challenges, Shane van Gisbergen, and his future beyond the racetrack
AUSTIN, Texas – Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano sat down with NASCAR Roundtable for an exclusive, in-depth interview ahead of this weekend’s DuraMax Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
The Team Penske driver opened up about his new look, the early momentum of the season, the unique challenges of NASCAR’s diverse schedule, his approach to the road course at COTA, the formidable competition from Shane van Gisbergen, his broadcasting side gig, future possibilities beyond driving, and the ongoing pursuit to snap a lengthy winless streak—all drawn directly from his own words in this candid conversation.
The 2026 season began with a noticeable change for Logano: he arrived at Daytona completely bald. Explaining the decision, he said his hair stopped growing, and that he fights alopecia, which lead to him getting sick of dealing with his hair. The condition, which he has managed for years, flared up again during the offseason, prompting a straightforward solution. Rather than continue battling patchy spots, he opted for the clean shave.
Logano wasted no time showing strength in the new season. He delivered a standout performance in the Daytona 500 with a third-place finish and also won one of the Duel races.
The very next week at Atlanta, however, brought a more modest 18th-place result on the high-banked drafting track.
These back-to-back superspeedway events set the stage for a dramatic shift in track type as the series heads to the technical, 17-turn road course at COTA.
Logano embraces the variety that defines the NASCAR calendar. “You don’t want to do the same thing every single week,” he explained. “It’s quite the challenge for the teams, challenge for the drivers, but it’s something that makes NASCAR racing so special. You have to be good at all of these different things if you want to win the championship. We look to continue the momentum here, and then eventually we get to go to some normal tracks next week.”
With the unpredictable opening races now in the rearview, Logano sees the upcoming west coast swing—Phoenix and Las Vegas—as the true litmus test for where his team stands. “You get through that, you start to say where are we at speed wise? We’ll have an idea of where we are at on speedways. We’ll have an idea of where we’re at on road courses. We got a short track-ish with Phoenix, and we’ll get a mile and a half with Vegas. Now you’ll kinda have a good glimpse of all the racetracks. Where are we at? Where’s our weaknesses? Where’s our strengths?”
This weekend’s race at Circuit of the Americas marks another opportunity for Logano to chase his first victory at the track. His career-best result there came in the inaugural Cup race in 2021, when he finished third. “It’s a challenging road course, no doubt,” he said of COTA. “We got the more horsepower that we’re bringing here this weekend (750hp), for the whole sport right. Everyone’s got a little more horsepower, deal with some of that stuff. Probably will induce a little more tireware which is good for racing, good for racefans.”
The biggest storyline entering Sunday’s event is the presence of Shane van Gisbergen, who has dominated road courses in recent seasons. “He’s the one that’s been fast on these road courses,” Logano acknowledged. “It’s been a lot of studying of what he’s doing. Hopefully I’m able to put some of that to work.”
When asked to share specifics about what he’s learned, Logano kept his cards close. “I’ve done all the work. I’m not just gonna share it all with you. I do think where he makes passes is pretty efficient. Obviously the way he’s able to drive his car, and the long run speed is where his standout is. It is easy to identify it. It is hard to replicate it.”
While Logano is laser-focused on beating the entire field, van Gisbergen’s recent dominance commands extra attention.
When pressed on what it will take to dethrone the road-course king, Logano offered a mix of realism and humor: “Maybe someone is going to have to wreck him? I don’t know, but that’s going to be tough to do. I hope I can see him at the end, which means you probably had a pretty good day.”
This season carries added significance for Team Penske as the organization celebrates its 60th anniversary. Next weekend’s doubleheader at Phoenix will bring together Penske’s NASCAR Cup, O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, and IndyCar programs in a rare convergence.
Given Penske’s legendary success in IndyCar—including 20 Indianapolis 500 victories and multiple championships—questions naturally arise about whether Logano might ever strap into an open-wheel car for his boss, Roger Penske. “Never say never,” Logano responded. “At the moment, there is no plans, I can say that. Right now, the focus is just on driving the car I have right now.”
Outside the cockpit, Logano has built a growing presence in the broadcast booth, calling races for FS1 in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series. He finds the role both natural and enjoyable.
“I enjoy it because for me, it’s really easy because I don’t have to do a whole bunch of studying, because I just came off the racetrack,” he explained. “Study time is actually in the racecar. So you’re taking real-time information that you gain from being on the racetrack, and you’re able to translate that for the fans, as fresh as it could possibly be, and I think that adds a lot to the race broadcast. I think that adds a lot to the race broadcast. I think FOX realizes that. It’s a lot of fun to be able to just go up there and talk racing. I’m still a racefan at heart. I love racing. I get to watch a race and talk about it, that’s pretty fun.”
While broadcasting offers a clear post-driving path, Logano hasn’t ruled out other opportunities, including team ownership. “Never say never. Not in the cards at the moment. Right now, I really enjoy working for Roger Penske.” He elaborated on his current mindset: “I don’t know what all that would look like someday. I haven’t let my mind go too far down that rabbit hole of what things are going to look like, cause I don’t know when that is. It’s kinda day-by-day. I know it’s important to look down the road at your future, but sometimes it’s important to just be staring at the hoodpins and worry about what’s going on today. If you worry about today, tomorrow will take care of itself a lot of the times, so just stay focused on what’s going on right now.”
That present-day focus includes ending a 27-race winless drought. Logano’s most recent trip to Victory Lane came in the Lone Star State at Texas Motor Speedway in May of 2025. Now, with COTA offering another chance to return to the top step, he’s eager to capitalize.
Fans can watch Joey Logano this Sunday in the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford during the DuraMax Texas Grand Prix from Circuit of the Americas in Austin. The green flag drops at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.