After getting knocked out of the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix, Joey Logano was not in agreement with what John Hunter Nemechek had to say. The two NASCAR drivers had very different versions of what happened in the Stage 3 wreck.
Joey Logano believes John Hunter Nemechek just ran into the back of him. So, Nemechek says that Logano slowed up and he couldn’t stop the car from running into him. When asked, Logano doesn’t accept that as an answer.
After he got out of the Care Center, Logano talked to the media about what went down.
“Just got hit from behind. Overdrove the corner behind me and uh, wrecked us. It’s a shame, we weren’t running good at all anyways but doesn’t make it any better,” Logano explained. “Fighting for lucky dogs. You get back there and everyone’s racing not real good and we were caught up in one.”
When asked if Nemechek’s side of things held up under scrutiny, Logano told Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports that Nemechek needs to man up.
“I didn’t slow a bit. Well, you gotta lift to make the corners, Bob. You can’t hold it wide open around Phoenix and maybe he should take a look and realize he can’t do that too. He drove straight in the back of me and he needs to be man enough to own up to that.”
So, who do you believe?
A frustrating day ends with a frustrating wreck for Joey Logano. He felt John Hunter Nemechek could have avoided running into the back of him. pic.twitter.com/XrHWOACJWY
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 10, 2024
Joey Logano had another rough day at the track. So, he and his team will collect themselves and hope for better at Bristol in a week.
This season has been frustration after frustration for Logano and this No. 22 team. Three times in four races they have been faced with wrecks. The one time they didn’t find themselves in an incident was their only top-10 finish of the season, Las Vegas.
How this team responds will be telling. While they are a championship-caliber team, early-season woes can sink a season. When you think about the regular season championship and all of the playoff points that it brings, Logano is almost assuredly out of contention at this point.
Daytona, wreck. Atlanta, wreck. Phoenix, another wreck. Today was the worst effort from Logano all season. His car just did not have speed after qualifying on the front row three times and earning two poles in the first three weeks of the season.
Joey Logano is going to go home upset. However, things happen quickly in NASCAR. He and his team will be focused on how they can earn another win at Bristol this weekend, and try to forget all about Phoenix.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!