Kurt Busch’s fallout with Jack Roush is an infamous story that goes round and round within the NASCAR fraternity. How NASCAR suspended Busch, and then Roush released him immediately, has gone down as one of the most bizarre incidents in the stock car racing competition. While Busch could not change his fate, Joey Logano, a fellow driver who was associated with Roush Racing in his young days, quietly saved himself from facing the same.

Joey Logano wreaked havoc in the Pro Cup Series

Logano recently sat with Jeff Gluck of The Athletic to participate in the customary tradition of answering 12 questions. In one question, Gluck asked Logano about an incident that cracks him up now, but at the time was a serious one.

“Back when I was 15, I was running Pro Cup, and Roush was supplying the pit crew for us. They had this brand new pit car with this cool color-changing paint on it. I went to drive it in, and I pushed the clutch in — and my foot got wedged behind the brake pedal, but on top of the clutch,” the 35-year-old said.

Logano went on to explain the ordeal at the pit lane:

“It got stuck, and I couldn’t get my foot out, and I panicked. I drove it through the pit stall, over the tires stacked in front of it, it hit the tires, popped up, and into the fence, broke the fence, and knocked the radiator out of the car. I was so embarrassed, and I thought, “This is the end of my racing career right here.’”

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

Jack Roush, the owner of the NASCAR Cup Series team Roush Racing at the time and the co-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing currently, was present at the track. According to Logano, he was in the same building but did not notice the teenage driver, creating the chaos.

If he did, one never knows if he would have faced the same fate as Kurt Busch from the 2005 season. Just a year after Busch won the Cup Series title (in 2004), Roush released his star driver after the former was detained by the Maricopa County sheriff over reckless driving.

Per reports, Busch was also belligerent and did not cooperate with the law enforcement agency. As a result, NASCAR suspended him, and Roush released him with immediate effect. As for Logano, he went on to enter the NASCAR East Series around the same time.

He then went on to make his Truck Series debut in 2008, followed by the O’Reilly Auto Parts and the Cup Series, all in the same year. Fast forward to 2026, Joey Logano is a three-time Cup Series champion with Team Penske, and is predicted to be a top driver in the ongoing season.

NASCAR expert names Joey Logano a frontrunner amid format change

In 2026, NASCAR changed the playoff system to go back to its Chase format, where consistency throughout the season is well-rewarded rather than just wins. With the format change, the dynamic of the sport has changed, and so have the favorites to win the title.

Joey Logano, the driver with three titles to his name, has won all of them under the playoff format. This shows how the Team Penske driver delivered when needed. However, coming into 2026, Jeff Gluck believes Logano can continue his excellence and adapt to the changed format.

“I think Logano will do a better job adjusting to this new format than people realize,” Gluck said on The Teardown podcast. “They’ll [Joey Logano, his crew chief, Paul Wolfe, and Team Penske] go to work. They’ll maximize what they can.”

NASCAR changed the playoff format after years of complaints from fans and experts regarding its uncertainty and lack of rewards for consistency. As the governing body brought back the Chase format, something they used from 2004 to 2013, drivers will need to be consistent throughout the season to qualify for the Top 10 and win the title.