Joey Logano Shaves Head at Daytona Media Day, Cites Alopecia and a Fresh Perspective
DAYTONA BEACH — Joey Logano arrived at Daytona media day on Wednesday (ET) noticeably different: his head was clean-shaven. The three-time NASCAR Cup champion said a recent bout of alopecia prompted the change, which he handled casually — handing clippers to his son and making the call to shave it all off.
“I have alopecia, ” Logano said
Logano explained that the decision wasn't purely stylistic. “I have alopecia and I randomly get these spots where the hair won’t grow, ” he said, noting that another flare-up made shaving the simplest option. “I had another flare-up and said, shoot, let’s shave it off. I’d thought about it, then I had another flare-up and said, this is the easiest thing to do. ”
The short ceremony was low-key: Logano gave his son the clippers and let him go at it. The driver now sports a clean scalp and a small, fresh beard — a look his wife apparently encouraged. He laughed at the wave of concern that arrived once photos circulated, saying he began getting a lot of messages asking if he was OK.
Teammates, fans and the ‘Lack of Hair Club’
The reaction from peers was lighthearted. Teammate Chase Briscoe, who has publicly wrestled with thinning hair, quipped that Logano’s move might not be unique on the Cup circuit. Briscoe said he could imagine turning up bald himself at some point this season and joked about the routine social-media ribbing he receives when television cameras catch him hatless during the national anthem.
Logano’s new look also revived memories of other drivers changing up their appearance in notable ways. The paddock has seen its share of transformations over the years — from facial hair to more dramatic offseason tweaks — and Logano’s decision fits into that long, often personal tradition of athletes managing how they present themselves under intense public scrutiny.
More than a haircut: perspective on racing and routine
Beyond the headline-grabbing image change, Logano used media day to underline how he approaches both small decisions and the sport itself. He described a workmanlike mentality in race preparation — the habit of arriving early, avoiding delays and accepting the less glamorous aspects of team performance reviews. “I’m early for everything, ” he said, explaining a preference to inconvenience himself rather than others. On tougher days he emphasized the need for candid debriefs: confronting a bad race, he said, is part of the ‘dirty work’ required to avoid repeating mistakes.
That outlook helps explain why the shaved head felt like a straightforward choice for Logano: a practical response to a condition that can be unpredictable. It also provided a moment of levity and humanity for fans and fellow drivers as the season opens at Daytona, a reminder that life in the limelight often includes small personal adjustments as well as the big ones on the racetrack.
Logano heads into the weekend keeping focus on performance, but his new look ensures he’ll be one of the more talked-about figures on and off the track as Cup teams get set for the season’s marquee event.
