The driver of the #22 Ford for Team Penske, Joey Logano is one driver in NASCAR’s current day and age who has solidified himself as one of the greatest in the sport. After clinching his third title in 2024 under controversial circumstances, Logano is one of the most successful senior drivers in the field. The now 34-year-old driver certainly had his fair share of heroes he looked up to while growing up.
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Making his Cup Series debut in 2008, Logano comes from the school of drivers who grew up watching the likes of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson in their prime. The Connecticut native looked back on an instance when he was just a spectator watching NASCAR as a fan and reminisced on how he got Gordon’s autograph at the time. He elaborated in an interview from 2015:
“I thought that was pretty cool. I was at New Hampshire to watch my first Cup race, and we caught him (Gordon) when he was leaving one of those hospitality tents on the way to the golf cart. We were one of those people that jumped on him, like, “Hey, will you sign this autograph for me?” It was pretty cool.”
Logano today finds himself on the other side of the story, with him being a role model for the future talent of the sport, especially after classifying himself as a three-time champion of the sport. He now shares the track with his childhood idol as Gordon serves the role of Vice Chairman at Hendrick Motorsports.
When Joey Logano managed to beat his childhood hero on track
“I had to make sure I stayed calm,” said Logano as he broke down his first NASCAR Cup win on an intermediate-style track, beating none other than Jeff Gordon to the line at Texas Motor Speedway. Throwing in his name as a championship contender that year, the then 23-year-old managed to pass Gordon who overtook Logano as a result of a late race caution.
The Penske driver made a relentless charge from P3 to P1, passing Gordon as the Hendrick Motorsports driver took the lead with a two-tire stop strategy. He finished in P2 while Kyle Busch rounded out the top three finishers.
“This team has been doing a great job giving me what I need to win these things. To have both Team Penske cars with a win already is big. You can kind of start getting your ducks in a row for (the) Chase. You feel a little bit more comfortable,” said the young racer at the time, looking forward to challenging for the title.
Fast forward a little over a decade in the sport, Logano has now cemented himself as one of the biggest threats in NASCAR’s Playoffs era, with the #22 crew’s 2024 championship charge proof of the same. As the 2025 season inches closer, whether Logano and Team Penske match Gordon’s four titles remains to be seen.
