Over the years, we’ve seen larger-than-life NASCAR legends like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson win countless checkered flags and take home too many championships to count. But what happens when these individuals retire and go off to appear in the Cars movies or try to be a part of Tom Cruise’s rumored Days of Thunder sequel? Who do the fans root for now that their favorite driver is gone?
I recently spoke with three-time NASCAR Cup Champion Joey Logano for the release of the 2025 TV release Full Speed Season 2 (which can currently be streamed with a Netflix subscription). During our chat, we talked about everything from his philosophy on winning to the challenges he faces on and off the track. During our conversation, the #22 driver for Team Penske Racing got honest about a problem impacting motorsports that you don’t really see in other major sports:
I think one of the challenges that NASCAR has, and motorsports have in general, is that the fan follows the driver, not the team. So when a driver retires, that fan is saying, ‘Well, now what do I do? Who do I root for now?’ Right? … If you're a Patriots fan, right, you're a Patriots fan. And usually, if a few members of that team retire, you're not wondering, ‘Well, who do I root for now?’ Well, no, you're rooting for the same team, right? It's just a new player there, and you learn who that is.
While NASCAR has had its fair share of iconic, legendary, and notorious drivers over the years, some of whom have made incredible cameos and created unforgettable David Letterman Top 10 lists, when they retire, they often leave a void behind, especially when it comes to their fans.
Like Logano mentioned, in sports like football, baseball, and basketball, fans typically stick with their team, even when their favorite player retires, is traded, or signs somewhere else in free agency. There are indeed some diehard Penske guys or decades-long fans of Joe Gibbs Racing or Hendrick Motorsports, but for the most part, fans stick with their favorite driver or drivers.
That’s how shows like Full Speed can be so beneficial for the sport, especially when it comes to meeting new drivers or getting to know someone they only know by their on-track successes (or failures). As my conversation with Logano went on, the 2024 NASCAR Cup Champion had this to say about the popular Netflix sports series:
I think it's great that [Full Speed’s] a way for fans to get to know the driver more on a more personal level, right? Like, who is this person, right? You brought up that I'm a very competitive person. Yes. When I'm not when I'm away from the racetrack, I'm normal Joe, right? Like, I just want to have fun. I just want to go drive things and have fun, and nobody knows that if there wasn't a show like this, right? If there wasn't some way to express that, because you don't get to see that at the racetrack.
Logano has a well-earned reputation as being one of the most competitive and aggressive drivers in modern NASCAR history (just look up “Joey Logano Fights” on YouTube and you’ll find multiple examples), but Full Speed goes beyond that and shows him at home with his wife and kids being a happy-go-lucky guy who’s excited about life. The same goes for the other drivers – Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suárez, Denny Hamlin – whose lives on and off the track are explored in great detail in the 2025 Netflix original series.
All five episodes of Full Speed Season 2, along with the first season detailing the 2023 NASCAR Championship, are currently available on Netflix, making it one of the best streaming services for sports fans.
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