Joey Logano brutally snubbed despite huge NASCAR Cup Series triumph

Joey Logano was snubbed for a major award on Wednesday night, denying him an honor he's never received in his career.

ESPN's ESPY awards show took place this week in LA, with the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion nominated in the Best Driver category for the first time in his career.

He was pitted against reigning four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, young F1 hotshot Oscar Piastri, and soon-to-be four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou.

Logano's previous Cup Series titles in 2018 and 2022 were not followed by ESPY nominations (Kyle Busch actually won the Best Driver award in 2019, while Kyle Larson was nominated in 2023) but, while he at least made it onto the ballot this year, he still fell short of Verstappen and the Dutchman's three-peat of the award.

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Logano ready to join historic club

This week's snub aside, Logano is gearing up for his 600th Cup Series start this weekend at Dover as he gears back up to go back-to-back in the playoffs for the first time in his career.

Speaking this week, he said: “Iconic weekend with being able to hit that 600th start. That’s a pretty special one as well, so it’s a busy week for sure – a short one because we’ll be traveling a lot, but it’s all good.”

He added: “When you start thinking about it, to be able to be around in a sport as an athlete competing at a top level for 16-plus years, and hitting 600 starts, it’s pretty incredible to have a career that long. It’s something that I take some pride in. I’m proud of that, to be able to hit this marker.

“It’s a lot of starts. I remember my 300th start, and I think it was [Matt] Kenseth at the time, maybe it was [Martin] Truex as well, that weren’t too far from 600 and I thought, ‘Geez, that’s double the amount of races as me. That’s crazy.’ But here I am, so it went by pretty quick.

“It’s been a heck of a ride. This sport has been awesome to me and my family and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

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