Joey Logano loves New Hampshire NASCAR track because fans don’t boo him

When he’s announced during pre-race driver introductions, Joey Logano can clearly hear the boos emanating from the grandstands. It would be hard not to considering how loud the jeering is that accompanies the mention of his name.

But Logano goes from feeling like NASCAR’s most villainous driver to its most popular when twice a year the Monster Energy Cup Series visits New Hampshire Motor Speedway, about three hours from his hometown of Middletown, Conn. The reception he says makes him feel like Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s 14-time most popular driver.

“I always joke that when I come up here to New Hampshire I feel like I am Dale Jr. because everybody likes me,” Logano said Friday at New Hampshire, site of Sunday’s Cup race. “There aren’t many other places everybody likes me. I want to race here three or four times a year. That part is nice.”

Logano’s lack of popularity stems from two primary factors. He entered the Cup Series as an 18-year-old replacement for Tony Stewart at Joe Gibbs Racing and hyped as “Sliced Bread” -- as in the best thing since. After several years of struggling to meet expectations, Logano left JGR to join Team Penske in 2013, where he’s gone on to revitalize his career.

And since moving to Penske and evolving into one of NASCAR’s top drivers, Logano’s had several high-profile runs. Among those who’ve taken exception with Logano’s aggressive driving are Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch, who punched Logano following the March race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Busch’s actions actually earned him some cheers the following week at Phoenix International Raceway. That’s a rarity for Busch, who like Logano is often booed by the masses.

New Hampshire, however, is in Logano’s backyard and the reception he receives is a welcome change from what he experiences throughout the majority of the season. Unfortunately for him, the one-mile track will only host one Cup race annually beginning next season with its fall playoff date shifting to Las Vegas.

“It is a bummer for me,” Logano said. “It is my home racetrack, so I want to come up here as much as I can.

“Vegas is a great racetrack, though. It is a great destination racetrack; a lot of people that go there as race fans make a vacation out of it. I understand why it is probably a good move for our sport, but selfishly I love coming here and want to keep coming up here as much as we can.”