June 24th, 2010 
T.C. When it comes to racing Joey Logano, a pattern is starting to emerge with how some of the veterans treat the young driver. And the message from the veterans appears to be that they don’t respect this kid very much. Recent run-ins with Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya kept Logano from good finishes at Pocono and Infineon, and it’s no secret he doesn’t get along with Greg Biffle. Instead of complaining about his fellow competitors to the media like he’s been doing though, it’s time Logano finally took action on the track.
The most talked about incident between Logano and a veteran happened a few weeks ago at Pocono. While running in the top five late in the race, Logano was turned by Harvick with two laps to go. Logano charged back to finish 13th, but after the race, Logano spouted off in anger and said:
“It’s disappointing, to be honest with you. I had a top-five run going. I was racing the 29 and he let me go in the middle of the straightaway and decided to dump me in the next turn. I don’t know what his deal is with me. It’s probably not his fault, you know? His wife wears the fire suit in the family, tells him what to do, so it’s not his fault.”
Besides the comment, Logano also took the opportunity to get in Harvick’s face after the race and let him know he was upset about what happened. ”Sliced Bread” was so angry, he had to be restrained by crew members.
The move ultimately backfired on Logano though. Instead of making him look tougher, Harvick and his wife Delana turned it around and made light of the situation by selling “firesuit” t-shirts, with proceeds benefiting the Harvicks’ charity. Not exactly what Logano was looking for.
Now that he’s gotten a taste of how this all works, I’m of the opinion that Logano needs to quit talking. The next time he gets wrecked by a competitor, he needs to exact revenge. Whether that means waiting for a payback track like Bristol or Martinsville, or taking out his frustrations under a caution a la Clint Bowyer at Dover, it’s time for action. These guys won’t get the picture that Logano isn’t to be messed with until he shows that he isn’t afraid to ruin someone else’s day. Some of these guys are messing with Joey because they know they can push him around and he won’t do anything about it. That needs to change.
Don’t get me wrong here though, I’m not usually one for wrecks. When I watch a race, I want to see good, hard, clean action. I know too many drivers, and seeing somebody get hurt is the last thing I want.
At some point though, Logano needs to stand up and make a statement. And that statement needs to be made with action, on track, and not by complaining to a guy with a microphone.
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As much as I like him, Joey “does this firesuit make me look skinny” Logano should keep his mouth shut if he isn’t ready to take on the big boys without his father by his side.
I LOVE the fact that the Harvicks turned it into a light hearted fundraiser! – It is SAD to see Logano turning into a Kyle Jr. with the whining…..are they giving lessons at gibbs?
Stopping his whining to the media would be smart – and yes, he should just hold his own on the track, but with the IOU sheet he is working on, and the drivers he is tangling with, “sliced bread” could easily be turned into french toast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One has to wonder, if the cry baby class of NASCAR of drivers would even exist, if we did not lose Earnhardt!!!!!!!!!!!!
NASCAR said ‘have at it’… let anarchy reign… unless you get tooooo crazy. (see Edwards v.s Kez at Atlanta, smacking folks under caution in all series… this year).
Maybe Logano doesn’t have the nerve for “on track, going fast altercation action?” The old school kinda like Tony ‘the tiger’ Stewart likes to dish out sometimes… or Jeff Gordon when he gets riled or he’s trying to win… or being a knucklehead like he was last week.
Yay to Mrs. Harvick for flipping the script on him… that still makes me laugh.
I don’t want folks getting hurt on the track, but I miss the smack talking and the pit road scraps… I was a kid in the 80′s.
rubbin’ is racin’… and like Denny Hamlin said earlier this month: this is entertainment.
-W
I think part of what contributes to veteran drivers disliking Logano is that he comes highly, highly praised. His nickname is “Sliced Bread” for goodness sakes. With that sort of hype surrounding you, you come into the series with a target on your back.
Of course veterans are going to rattle a competitive rookie’s cage. And when that rookie starts talking instead of retaliating, more and more drivers will think he doesn’t have the cojones to do anything about it. So, they too will disrespect him.
You’re right, he needs to shut up and let his driving do the talking.
He’s not gonna win a war of words with Harvick, Biffle, or any of the other seasoned smartasses. And kudos to the Harvicks for extracting some good out of it as well!!
If Joey’s as good a driver as everyone hypes him to be, sending someone for a harmless spin like his teammate Denny did to Keselowski should be no problem & deliver the message. A more severe measure (for a good enough driver to do without wrecking himself) would be to cut someone’s tire while there is still a splitter blade to use. Again, Kyle can do it with no problem, and Joey’s supposed to be as good as his teammates. I’m sure Joey’s mentor Mark Martin will understand why he had to do it.
I thought the firesuit t-shirt was pure genius, and Joey lost a perfect opportunity to diffuse the situation – all he had to do was publicly ask for one for his mom, everyone would have laughed, and it all would have been long over.
There may be something to Biffle’s “common denominator” comments, and maybe before extracting a perceived “payback”, Joey needs to look at how he’s racing people at this level? Is he chopping them to the point of them spinning him out of sheer frustration, and refusal to back off one more time as the aggressors claim? Or is he the innocent victim of all these mean adults as Mr. Logano claims for him?
Either way, his father doesn’t belong running around like a stage mother anymore.
First of all…he’s a kid. He’s supposed to say stupid things. That’s what being 20 is all about. Delana’s response to the firesuit comment was great. It was a smart and MATURE response…and great marketing.
As far as him paying back some of the drivers? That has to be a tough situation. You want to show respect for the veteran driver BUT you need to stand up for yourself. Joey..didn’t you hear NASCAR say “Boys, have at it”???? Put that bully Harvick in the wall.
By the way..I bought the T-shirt. I wore it while watching the race on Sunday. Hahaha..
If you can’t play with the big dogs, stay on the porch. Maybe he and Jr should reserve a couple of rocking chairs. One acts like he going to do something and the other just apologizes for getting his bumper in the way.
Off track I’m gonna go to bat for Logano here, but separate what his Dad did from Joey’s actions. On track at Pocono Joey slipped back into a vulnerable outside groove position while leaving an opening for none other than Harvick to his inside. Classic inexperience on JL’s part. He’ll learn to force KH to hit him the rear, not the quarter panel.
Now after the race, JL did in fact drive up to (not into) the #29 surrounded by a throng of yellow Shell fire suits. It wasn’t until JL was already out of his car w/ the intention to greet KH did his Dad appear to direct him towards into the ring, that ironically never parted thanks to a team of yellow fashioned bodyguards. So you see, JL wasn’t relying on Pops to fight his battle (TL muddied that up himself) and since when does KH need a yellow bellied shield to protect his smug little ass? At least be discreet about it and hire agents in black blazers and dark Ray Bans (sponsor op!).
Oh and if any of you still have Pocono prerace on your DVR, notice who never takes their ball cap off during our National Anthem. If you guessed a blonde in a Shell Pennzoil “fire suit”, you win the prize.
Lastly just to be fair, I “will” pick on Joey here and pretty much all drivers for that fact. Please don’t tell us you “were gonna get a top five until this, or that, happened”. As if somehow you have secured your position prior to the checker. In this Ringling Bros & Barnum Bailey, Green White Checker, Dbl file restart, Aaron’s Lucky Dog era of NASCAR it ain’t over until the fat lady (COT) crosses the finish line in the air upside down.
Neon: That last sentence may be the greatest ever written in the comment section on this humble website…
Maybe, just maybe, Logano should quit cutting drivers off if he doesn’t want to get hit.
Also who is the authority on removing hats while the National Anthem is playing? Is this code written in black and white or does it depend on the code you were raised to believe?
Joey needs to invite “Bad Brad” out for dinner and ask his advice on what to do. You don’t see Brad being given the “Joey” treatment. Guys in the garage may not like Brad, but they don’t disrespect him on the track. When he has had problems lately, it has been of his own doing. Joey needs to knock one or two of the track bullies out of the way once or twice and they will let him alone.
T. C., your statement, ” When I watch a race, I want to see good, hard, clean action”, sums up my thoughts exactly. We no longer have racing. Just a bunch of smart alecks playing bumper car. All these drivers have egos that were set loose with the “boys have at it”, and it’s just getting worse. It’s no longer fun to watch. No skill involved, just road rage.
Precisely Sharon and thanks…that is what is so cool about a code vs a law…it doesn’t matter if your are black or white or yellow or red (no pun or Shell Pennzoil ref intended) it is what I call “a choice to show grace, honor and respect.” Isn’t it great?
I get goosebumps just thinking about the pre-race prayer, the anthem and fly bys.
BTW this would be a perfect weekend for Logano to back up his rain shortened Loudon win from ’09.
The other drivers need to show Logano some respect, pure and simple. It’s their job to race, not to “rattle” a kid by seeing how far they can push him. Harvick’s needed to grow up for a long time, and I’d love to see someone punch him in the face.
Sharon, If you’ve ever attended a race you will recall that you are asked to stand, remove your hat and remain standing for the invocation and the playing of the Natl Anthem. I don’t know, maybe it’s out of respect for the good ol’ Red, White & Blue. And the answer is yes..I stand, park my cold beverage & remove my hat..and I’m damned PROUD to do so.
Great article.
Jeff Gordon can tell some stories of how he earned his stripes by being intimidated by the great one directly ……. Any club worth joing is worth “going through initiation” ……… talk is cheap …….. boys will be boys …..
Great Article …
I agree …“deal with it breadboy”
two things
Logano’s disrespect for other drivers has caused his problems. that is why he doesn’t retaliate on track. He is getting paid back.
2nd thing – only men are required to remove their non-religious hats during the playing of the National Anthem. It’s sad that some people know more about racing than our country’s symbols and the proper respect. ya’ll need to do a Google search on proper display of the flag and etiquette for the National Anthem.
and yes there are federal laws pertaining to this. Please look it up you might be surprised.
I see lots of remarks that Joey needs to quit whining… I haven’t seen him seek out a microphone, and I honestly think he tries to down play it all. I heard an interview this week where he was questioned about Montoya and his response was that he had not seen a replay.
However, Kevin Harvick takes every opportunity to take a jab at Joey. I think it’s because so many in the media have “taken” Joey’s side. I’m not one for payback on the track very often, but I hope Kevin Harvick is 20 points away from a Championship in Homestead and Joey sends him to the garage.
On a side note, I think Delana handled the firesuit comment brilliantly.
This would make more since if Harvick actually turned Joey. Harvick held his line, simple as that.
Joey should’ve turned Biffle long ago.
I want to see JL dump KH at Loudon in September. At this point KH is basically locked into the Chase. So a bad finish will not really hurt KH. A wicked DNF in the first race of the Chase…now KH might pay attention.