Recently, Jeff Figler, a nationally-recognized collectibles expert, had the opportunity to talk with Joey Logano.
Logano, 24, is known for having been the youngest race winner, youngest pole winner, and youngest Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. Logano also recently won the 57th annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 22. He began his racing career in 1996 as a 6-year-old quarter midget racer living in Connecticut. Logano was also the first NASCAR driver born in the 1990s that has competed in NASCAR's three major divisions. Logano happens to also be a collector. When he's not racing, he loves searching for his next find, whether it is a vintage sign or antique car. He also runs his own foundation.

Figler: How is your foundation going? I am amazed how you set up one?
Logano: We are kind of in the middle of restructuring it for this year; a lot more bigger things are coming. The last couple years have been learning years for me. You know this year we are looking to give away a lot of money, about one million dollars.
Figler: How did you get started in this? Your mother never threw away your baseball cards?
Logano: For me, it's something you are raised with, and hopefully your parents raised you with the right morals. You give back. I look at it, I get to race a car for a living; that's the [best] job in the world, if you ask me, well, maybe not for most people! I know people are less fortunate. That's what the foundation is about. It is for people that work really hard and some disaster hits them. I call it a restart, maybe a disaster has hit them, they need four new tires, some disease has hit them, and they need help. A little restart to get them back on life’s track. I look at it as you have to give back to people that are not as fortunate.
Figler: You started racing at six and won your first race at seven years old. Wow, my son was hardly in kindergarten. Did you have a mentor when you were that young? How did you pick it up so quickly?
Logano: When you're that young, it's just for fun. You're driving a go-kart or quarter midget is what I drove. It's a recreational deal at that point. You are having fun with your family. My dad wasn't a racer. His background growing up was high school sports; he played baseball and basketball, not racing. So naturally, I tried those sports, and I [stank] at them. Racing was the only thing I was good at and enjoyed since I'm so competitive and was winning at it. I kept going up the ranks and moved up.
Figler: Now I know you are a newlywed. When the time comes, are you going to try to persuade your children to get into racecar driving?
Logano: I don't know. That's a few years down the road for me. Whatever they want to do. Growing up I played hockey for a little bit, and ... you see kids that don't want to play, and the parent wants to play more than them. I don't want to be that guy. I don't want to be that parent. If they want to play checkers for a sport, play checkers. Whatever they want to do, I'll support them.
Figler: What do you yourself collect?
Logano: I like antique cars. I'm a car guy. I like unique stuff. I'm more into stuff you don't see every day; that attracts me. That's why I like antique shops, finding unique things and that standout thing. I like that the most. Cars are probably the biggest thing. I like old signs. Stuff for my shop. I have a lot of Shell and Coca-Cola stuff. Fortunate that my sponsors are companies that have been around hundreds of years, so you can find a lot of cool things to put in your race shop.
Figler: What hidden gems have you had the opportunity to find?
Logano: It's hard to just pick one of them. Something that is really cool that I got is an old antique Shell gas pump. It's really neat, you can do a lot of cool things with it. I got a 1937 GMC truck, I like driving around in it. I like the old vintage look! I'm pretty random; I don't know what it is.
Figler: What is your favorite item? Do you have one in particular that stands out?
Logano: I don't know if I have one that stands out but I got an old sign I found on eBay from California. It says "Eat at Joe's Drive In." It came from a restaurant that was in California a long time ago and has long since gone out of business. I took the sign and put it in the lobby of my shop. I thought it was really cool. I thought it was really neat since it's old and has my name on it. It's kind of a must-have item for me. It's got to be one of the neatest things and it's really big. It's got to be 6 to 7 feet.
Figler: Where do you keep your collection right now, in North Carolina?
Logano: Yeah, in North Carolina. I have a race shop, more like a toy box. You know, it's a place where my manager works out of. We do have a lot of meetings for personal stuff there. It's a garage where I can have my antique cars, hang my signs up and various antique items I've collected. It's kind of like my hoarding spot, you know, not like extreme hoarder! But the wife is okay if I have a place to hoard my stuff and it's out of the house. So it's okay. It's my hoarding place!
Figler: Now, do you ever watch any of the TV shows like “American Pickers” or “Pawn Stars”?
Logano: Yeah, I do watch them, I like it. I'm not hardcore and know what everything is worth, but I like watching it. I like the history you learn from the interesting stories behind the items. The cool thing about a lot of this stuff are the interesting stories behind them.
Figler: Do you collect any NASCAR memorabilia?
Logano: No, I haven't gotten much into that, not yet.
Figler: I was in Indianapolis about a month or so ago, at a place right down the street from the speedway that a famous racecar driver owns where you can get in the car and take a lap around, and I had the hardest time getting into the car. So narrow, you have to truly climb in and out. It was difficult for me, but I did it. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
Logano: It's small! You get used to them. You have to develop a technique to get in and out of them, but, yes, they are built tight for sure.
Figler: Have you gotten into any sports memorabilia? Have you had the opportunity to collect any baseball, football, or hockey items?
Logano: No, I haven't. Like I said, most of the stuff that I have is auto stuff. Cars or signs that are around cars, stuff like that. I'm a car guy. I'm into that. That's what attracts me the most.
Figler: One time I had a radio caller who asked me about a tire they had from a car that was driven by Dale Earnhardt, and he asked me what it was worth. You know I never had a caller ask that kind of a question. The first question I usually ask is, is it signed? I'm sure you could find a place on the tire to sign with a sharpie. It's the most unusual things people will buy, Joey.
Logano: Racecar parts and car stuff I see every day because I'm at the race shop all day. I'm a racer. So stuff I don't see all the time that's unique and is attractive to me.
Figler: You know the old saying. One person's rubbish is another person's treasures.
Logano: That's true!
Figler: Well, it's been great talking with you, and I look forward to possibly speaking again with you in the future. And good luck with your racing!