Former NASCAR team owner Tommy Baldwin has admitted to being fooled by Joey Logano's new look.

Earlier this month, the Team Penske driver and three-time Cup Series champion became a big talking point on social media after it emerged he had totally shaved his head at the end of the season and was now sporting a new bald look.

Logano was even forced to come out and issue a video statement on the matter, with some of his fans concerned that he had fallen ill.

Thankfully, that was not the case. However, it turns out that Baldwin didn't even believe it was real in the first place, instead thinking it was some sort of AI deepfake.

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Baldwin thought Logano video was AI

On the most recent episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Logano's new look was set to be discussed, however, when the topic was brought up, Baldwin immediately interjected.

"Wait wait, that's real?" Baldwin asked.

"Yes. What do you mean, what do you think it's AI?" fellow podcast host Freddie Kraft replied.

"I thought it was AI," admitted Baldwin, later adding: "Dude, he looks so Penske now."

Why Joey Logano went bald

As mentioned above, Logano's bald head had some fans concerned about the three-time champ due to his alopecia diagnosis, which was revealed a few years ago. However, Logano quickly moved to clarify the situation, confirming that he is in good health and explaining the reason for his new look.

"Hey, I got a bunch of text messages and DMs lately about my new do, my new haircut, and a lot of people concerned if I was okay," Logano said in a video posted on X.

"First off, I appreciate everyone asking if I was okay. I am fine. I am perfectly healthy.

"Just wanted to get a haircut at the end of the season, and I have Alopecia, which I've had for a long time now, and so when we're cutting it, it's all flared up, and so it's all spotty, and so we just kept cutting it, and now I got a new do.

Logano finished: "So I'm good. Like I said, I appreciate everyone caring.

"Didn't think it would be this big of a story, but after getting so many text messages, I felt like I probably should let everyone know I'm all right. So that's all this is."

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What is Alopecia Areata?

According to Cleveland Clinic, Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes patchy hair loss anywhere on your body. However, it most commonly affects the hair on the skin that covers your scalp.

Alopecia areata causes your hair to fall out in patches. The patches are usually small and round, approximately the size of a quarter, but the shape and amount of hair you lose may be bigger or smaller.

Sadly, Alopecia Areata is common. Nearly 7 million people in the United States have Alopecia Areata, and approximately 20% of cases involve children.

Alopecia Areata is the second-most common form of hair loss in the United States, behind female pattern baldness and male pattern baldness.

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