Joey Logano x Mario Andretti Livery: One Legend After Another
At MagnaFlow, we relish any opportunity to celebrate the successes of our partners and brand ambassadors. That being said, this particular occasion is rather special, owing to the fact that it involves not just one, but two of our ambassadors, and the special bond that they share. Oh, and there’s also a Ferrari-red retro racing livery involved, so that definitely got our attention as well.
The household names in question are none other than current Sprint Cup phenom Joey “Sliced Bread” Logano and one of the greatest racecar drivers of all time: Mario Andretti. Andretti surprised Logano a couple months back by calling into Logano’s regularly scheduled appearance on FOX Sports 1’s Race Hub to present the younger driver with the special, retro-inspired livery to use in his race last month at Darlington Raceway.
This confluence of events was the result of NASCAR’s exceedingly popular “Throwback Weekend,” where each competing grid of stock cars are completely decked out in special, one-off liveries designed to evoke the motorsports heroes of yesteryear. The Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC was the locus of this year’s event.
A Shared Bond
It was easy to see from the exchange between Logano and Andretti that both men have great admiration for one another. In Logano’s own words, “I had [Andretti’s] picture on my wall when I was a kid.” They both reminisced about Logano’s win at the Daytona 500 a few years ago, after which Andretti sent him a signed picture of the Andretti’s own victory at the same race back in 1967. The picture also featured a handwritten note from Andretti celebrating the fact that after 50 years another Italian driver had “finally” won the Daytona 500.
Andretti made it clear that he sees a lot of himself in Logano, where both drivers have proven themselves across a variety of racing formats. In Andretti’s case, that experience is backed up by the fact that he’s consider the Driver of the (20th) Century thanks to his status as the winner of 111 major racing events, including four IndyCar Championships, the USAC National Dirt Track Championship, the Formula One World Championship and the IROC Championship.
“I had [Andretti’s] picture on my wall when I was a kid.” -Joey Logano
For his part, Logano became the youngest-ever winner of the Nationwide Series at just 18 years old. He is also the second-youngest winner of the Daytona 500, which he accomplished back in 2015. It was after that victory that Andretti sent Logano the congratulatory picture and note. Logano admits that to this day the photo retains a place of special honor in his home, resting atop his trophy from the 2015 Daytona 500. Logano also won the first Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this year.
Livery and Legacy
Both drivers earnestly agreed that the throwback livery was something special. The fierce red and white color scheme is designed as a direct homage to the livery Andretti used in his first Formula One victory back in 1971 at the South African Grand Prix. Back then, he was racing for Ferrari and Shell, hence the featured logos and vivid red hue.
While the wrap was inspired by the appearance of Andretti’s Formula One car from that race, the livery looks equally awesome on Logano’s modern Mustang GT stock car. Mario Andretti is utterly flattered that his legacy carries on to today, and he couldn’t ask for a more ideal torchbearer than Joey Logano. Similarly, Logano feels fortunate to personally know one of his childhood heroes and is grateful for Andretti’s support.
For our part, the team here at MagnaFlow is honored to consider each of these living legends to be good friends of the brand. Not only that, but they are also true fans of the extensive work we put into developing high-quality performance exhaust solutions for all types of vehicles.
Looking to upgrade your exhaust system? There’s no better option than going with a brand name endorsed by some of the greatest racing drivers alive today. Check out our offerings at MagnaFlow.com, where you can also specify your vehicle’s trim level and engine option to find the perfect fit for your ride.
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