Two times NASCAR cup champion Joey Logano has a nightmarish moment last week at Richmond after he was wrecked on the final corner by Austin Dillon for the win.
NASCAR wasn't happy with the veteran and decided to fine him $50,000 for his actions. The announcement was made alongside the penalty for Dillon. Joey Logano addressed the penalty, and the comments made around it at Michigan ahead of the race. He admitted that what he did wasn't right but defended himself saying he was in full control of the car and wasn't going to hit anyone.
He went on to point out that though his actions were the product of frustrations and when someone touched his car, while he stopped in the pit-road, his anger got the best out of and he just dumped the clutch. Logano was insisting that he was in full control at the moment and the whole drama was just situational.
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I was very frustrated at the moment, I think there's, you know put some things into perspective a little bit, from the in-car camera I'm rolling down pit road, they pointed me to the left, to go to, you guys know the top-10 cars and big story cars, and obviously I was a storyline. And there was no way for me to get there. I stopped, got aggravated, somebody put their hand in the car, I dumped the clutch.Joey Logano added.RELATEDKyle Larson and Tony Stewart mourn the death of dirt racing legend Scott Bloomquist
Joey Logano understands the severity of the penalty
The Ford driver went on further defending his actions and asserted that he was never going to hurt someone at the pit-road. But he admitted that he understands where the criticism is coming from and those arguments validate his penalties.
Joey Logano (Credits: San Diego Union-Tribune)Like I said, never going to put someone in trouble and hurt somebody with that, and I understand the optics of it and if you're on the other end of it, know that I'm not going to hit somebody. So, I understand the penalty. I wired 50 grand over to their bank at PNC and off it went. I'm not a robot, I'm a human.Joey Logano said.The Penske driver seems he doesn't have any graveness about the penalty as he doesn't have any good argument to nullify it. NASCAR on the other hand can use this as a p0recidnet for any potential incidents down the road.
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I mean let's face it what I did was probably not right. I had complete control of my vehicle; I was never going to hit somebody. That's never gone through my mind that I should run somebody over with a vehicle. I don't just see red and think I'm going to hit somebody.Joey Logano said via Fox Sports.I was very frustrated at the moment, I think there's, you know put some things into perspective a little bit, from the in-car camera I'm rolling down pit road, they pointed me to the left, to go to, you guys know the top-10 cars and big story cars, and obviously I was a storyline. And there was no way for me to get there. I stopped, got aggravated, somebody put their hand in the car, I dumped the clutch.Joey Logano added.Like I said, never going to put someone in trouble and hurt somebody with that, and I understand the optics of it and if you're on the other end of it, know that I'm not going to hit somebody. So, I understand the penalty. I wired 50 grand over to their bank at PNC and off it went. I'm not a robot, I'm a human.Joey Logano said.(4245 Articles Published)
Justin P Joy is a Motorsports writer and editor at FirstSportz. He has been a motorsport journalist since 2020 and has published over 3500 articles. Justin has extensively covered two NASCAR, Formula One, and Moto GP seasons for FirstSportz. He has invested more than a decade of his life on Motorsports, first as a fan and later as a dedicated writer. Justin's in-depth knowledge of Motorsports and his experience as a fan make his writing resonate with most racing fans worldwide. Justin's love for racing started when he discovered Moto GP at the age of 8. That love later guided him into the world of Formula 1. He fell in love with NASCAR after watching Tom Cruise's 'Days of Thunder' and has been an avid follower of the premier stock car racing series since. He has also been investing his time to exploring WEC, WRC, Formula E, Extreme E, and IndyCar in a bid to deeply understand the culture and history of Motorsports to present a unique perspective to the fans.