The year was 1986. Dale Earnhardt was hungry. Charlotte was sweltering. And the Coca-Cola 600 was about to become the proving ground for one of NASCAR’s greatest. Earnhardt didn’t just win that night. He outlasted. He out-muscled. The Intimidator finally tamed his home track, putting his No. 3 in front of Tim Richmond to claim victory. But that was nearly 4 decades ago, and Charlotte, the home to the All-Star race this season, hasn’t eased up. Just ask the watermelon man.
Ross Chastain clawed his way from the back of the pack to the front, slicing through traffic in the 2025 Coca-Cola 600. And when he finally took the checkered flag, he slammed a watermelon into the ground at Charlotte. Because that’s what the longest race of the season is all about: pressure, legacy, and grit under the lights. And one team Penske driver gets it.
Joey Logano recently shared his perspective on what this race means to NASCAR. Rightly, he said this race is incomparable to any other on the calendar. “There’s a lot of extra things going on compared to the typical race. You brought gold star families, you wanna say out to them you wanna be able to, you know, be doors open and welcoming,” he said. And looking from a distance, it does make sense. But that’s not all that he said.
In the recent ‘The Morning Drive’ of SiriusXM NASCAR, Joey Logano broke down what race day looks like at the 600. He chuckles when he describes the mass of people shoulder to shoulder by the cars. “There’s a lot of people there from that standpoint, like if you look at pit road before the race, like the starting grid, whatever you wanna call it, when all the cars are lined up on pit road, the amount of people at Charlotte Motor Speedway, I wonder where these passes come from.” He connects all of this with the broader picture, pointing to the legacy of family in the sport.
Think about it: Dale Earnhardt’s family used to crowd the pits, watching the Intimidator work his magic. Dale Jr. remembers sitting on those pit walls, soaking in the roar and chaos, his dad balancing fury and finesse on the track. The Earnhardt legacy bleeds through Charlotte’s asphalt, a living reminder of what the race means beyond your speed. Joey Logano’s perspective definitely echoes theirs: “Show your appreciation for them. You also have a lot of family members there from everyone and the team. A lot of people bring your families, so there’s a lot of people there.”
For fans used to the sterile, fenced-off environments of other sports, this might sound crazy, but NASCAR thrives on that intimacy. At a race like the Coca-Cola 600, with long hours and intense pressure, that sense of community can feel as much of a challenge as the race day itself. Joey Logano goes off on the crowd and the swarm of people present on race day, saying, “People were falling all over the cars like they’re everywhere. Like, this is just kinda crazy, you know? It’s really like a free-for-all at Charlotte at times because everybody, like, everybody, is there, right? Especially like you have so much going on between Charlotte and the All-Star race. Like, it’s a good week for people to come by, right? Like whether you’re a race fan or, like I said, friends, family. Like, we have people staying with us for the last ten days. Like, every, like, our house was full.” Now that leads to another question. How does a driver concentrate with so much going on in the background?
However, in the eye of the storm, the Penske driver reveals how he stays focused despite the surrounding noise. He goes on to share how he stays disciplined. “It’s just a lot, but you know, you still, on race day. I stay true to my routine, you know. I show up to the racetrack. I say, you know, I keep the same meetings, so I do the same things. I make sure I have the same amount of time to get ready for the race; nothing from that standpoint changes on race day for me.”
With one Coca-Cola 600 win under his belt in 2015, Logano’s routine is definitely paying off. And in a weekend like that, which pulls you in every direction, he knows what it takes to rise. But while the energy was sky high, Team Penske’s weekend was anything but smooth. It was a harsh reality check that even the best can stumble on NASCAR stuff at night. So, what went wrong?
Dale Jr. shocked by Penske’s fall
There’s no way to sugarcoat it. Team Penske’s Charlotte letdown had Dale Jr. shaking his head. While Trackhouse Racing walked out of Charlotte with pride and a smashed watermelon to prove it, Team Penske was left cleaning up the mess. The Coca-Cola 600 turned into a 600-mile reality check for one of NASCAR’s most respected powerhouses. Joy Logano finished 17th, and that was the best among his teammates. For a three-time cup series champion team, that’s not just a stumble. That’s a face plant under the lights.
Austin Cindric rolled home in the 31st position. Ryan Blaney, who looked like he might scrape out a top 10, got caught up in a wreck on lap 246 and limped away in 38th. That’s a long fall from the high expectations that follow the Penske camp every time they show up at the track. And the fans knew it.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn’t hide a surprise. Speaking on his podcast, he laid it out straight. “Right as he crashed (Joey Logano) out, I thought he was making a run to maybe find himself in the top 15 by the end of the day. Josh Berry, who was horrid at the start of the race, ends up getting a top 15 finish, grinding it out, and they got his car where it was reasonable at the end. I was really surprised again, and it’s not a season- or a summer-long thing; it’s just Charlotte. For some reason, Penske at Charlotte, they just haven’t been able to get it in the last couple trips.”
The truth is, the Coca-Cola 600 demands more than legacy. It demands adaptability, grit, and a little luck. Penske had none of the three on Sunday. With Nashville on the horizon, the pressure is definitely on. The Penske garage isn’t just expected to bounce back—they’re expected to dominate. But after a night like Charlotte’s, all eyes are watching to see if that bounce is even possible.
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