Exploring Joey Logano and Mario Andretti’s Cherished Relationship

With three Cup Series championships under his belt, Joey Logano is one of the greatest NASCAR drivers to have ever graced the sport of stock car racing. Though many young drivers idolize him, Logano himself still looks up to one legend above all — 1978 Formula One world champion Mario Andretti.

The 35-year-old Team Penske driver acknowledged in an interview with The REKAP that Andretti was his childhood hero. He said, “To me, as a child growing up, Mario Andretti was the freaking man. I got to meet him quite a few times. Now he knows who I am, which I think is the coolest thing in the world.” The story of how he got Andretti’s autograph is a heartfelt one as well.

He revealed this to Jeff Gluck in an edition of the 12 Questions Series for The Athletic, “So the first autograph I got wasn’t handed to me by the actual athlete. It was from my grandfather, who met Mario Andretti. Mario signed his hero card and wrote, ‘Keep chasing your dreams.’ And it said, ‘To Joey.’ I still have it. It’s the coolest,” Logano said.

Andretti competed in F1 between 1968 and 1982, and in the IndyCar Series from 1964 to 1994. He won 12 Grands Prix across the 14 seasons he spent in F1. In the United States, he won four IndyCar National Series championships and the 1969 Indianapolis 500. His list of achievements doesn’t end there. A victory in the 1967 Daytona 500 serves as the crown jewel on his racing crown.

With such an impressive resume, how could he not end up as the idol of an ambitious and competitive driver like Logano? During the 2021 Darlington Throwback Weekend, Logano honored Andretti by wrapping his car in the colors that Andretti rode to secure his maiden F1 victory in 1971.

In whatever chance he has gotten, Andretti has returned the love and respect to his fanboy. In 2022, he introduced Logano during the NASCAR Awards ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee. He mentioned in his speech that he and Logano were good friends. It is bound to be a core memory for the No. 22 Penske pilot, overjoyed at the simple fact that his hero knows his name.

Following Logano’s third championship win in 2024, Andretti took to X to congratulate him. The legend wrote, “Fantastic @joeylogano you always find the way to get it done when it matters!! Big congrats to you and @Team_Penske.” His words echoed the understanding that the little Joey did end up chasing his dreams and conquering them.