Joey Logano Opens Up About Scary Talladega Crash and Emotional Family Reunion
Essentially Sports · October 27, 2026
Key takeaways
- Joey Logano's car flipped and slid on its roof for nearly 20 seconds during a Talladega wreck with five laps remaining.
- A damaged radio and in-car camera left his family and team unable to confirm he was okay for several tense minutes.
- Logano returned to his motorhome to find his kids in tears, fearing the worst before he could reassure them in person.
A Rollover That Cut Off All Communication Joey Logano was racing inside the top five with five laps left at Talladega when chaos erupted. Running behind Ross Chastain with Carson Hocevar pushing from behind, contact sent Logano's Ford into the wall. Chase Briscoe then clipped the front end, launching the car airborne and flipping it upside down. Logano's No. 22 slid on its roof for nearly 20 seconds before finally stopping near Turn 1.
He walked away physically fine. But the crash knocked out his in-car camera and radio equipment, meaning nobody outside the car — not his spotter, not his team, not his wife Brittany — could confirm he was okay in real time.
The Scariest Part Wasn't the Wreck Logano told Will Buxton on the SPEED podcast that the physical crash wasn't actually the hardest part. It was what came after. His spotter, Coleman Pressley, kept talking him through the situation, reassuring him no oncoming cars would hit him. But Logano had no way to respond. His radio was dead. The silence on the broadcast and in the pits left everyone fearing the worst.
'I kept trying to connect my radios back to say, hey, I'm okay. But nobody knew I was ok because the in-car camera went out; everything went out when I flipped. They're all thinking the worst,' Logano said.
Coming Home to Crying Kids By the time Logano made it back to his motorhome, the fear had already spread. His children, who had no confirmation he was unharmed, were in tears waiting for him. 'I got back to the bus, and all my kids were crying, and I was like, Dad's okay. I'm good,' he said.
It's a reminder of the human side of a sport built on speed and risk. For fans, NASCAR drivers can feel larger than life — invincible, even, after walking away from crashes that look catastrophic on TV. But for the families watching from the garage or at home, every second of silence after a wreck like this one is agonizing.
Why This Moment Resonates Logano is a three-time Cup Series champion and one of the sport's most recognizable faces, but this story isn't about a stat line or a finish. It's about the gap between what fans see on screen and what families experience in real time. Talladega is notorious for its 'Big One' wrecks, and this crash is a stark reminder of just how violent — and how personal — those moments can be.
Logano's openness about the aftermath adds a layer of humanity to a sport often defined by horsepower and points standings. It's a story about relief, vulnerability, and what it actually feels like to reassure your kids that you're okay after living through their worst fear.
Why it matters
This story strips away the spectacle of NASCAR racing to show the real emotional toll on drivers' families during high-speed wrecks. For fans who watch crashes unfold live, it's a reminder that the scariest moments often happen after the cameras cut away.
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