Getty Danica Patrick has revisited the 2015 Martinsville race.
Danica Patrick just provided some interesting information. She said that she is “still joyful” over Matt Kenseth wrecking Joey Logano at Martinsville Speedway during the 2015 Cup Series season.
The former Cup Series driver provided the revelation during the October 19 episode of the “Pretty Intense Podcast.” She talked to Denny Hamlin about a variety of topics, including the different people that have wrecked each other in the past. This led to Patrick making some comments about the pivotal playoff race on November 1, 2015.
4 years ago today, Matt Kenseth junks Joey Logano @ Martinsville.
“For those who don’t know, Matt Kenseth was taken out by Joey Logano,” Patrick said. “And he needed to get through to the Chase by winning, and he was in the lead. [Logano] took him out and then the next weekend at Martinsville, nothing happened while [Kenseth] was up there, up in the mix for top-three, top-five.
“But then once he was a lap down, he waited and came back up on track. And when the green flag dropped at the end of the race, he just fricking dumped Joey. And I, for one, am joyful about that because Joey’s a jacka** on the track. He also is another one that I don’t like.”
The Incident Occurred After a Previous Wreck
GettyJoey Logano (front) missed the championship 4 after the wreck.
The 2015 season featured multiple run-ins between the two NASCAR drivers. One of the most high-profile took place at Kansas Speedway in October 2015. Logano made contact with the rear of Kenseth’s No. 20 and sent it sliding sideways, which brought out the caution.
SIX YEARS AGO TODAY, Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano were battling for the lead at @KansasSpeedway when…
Well, see for yourself. #NASCARPlayoffs
Logano went on to win while Kenseth finished 14th. Two weeks later, Kenseth intentionally sent Logano into the wall at Martinsville, knocking him out of contention for the championship four and opening the door for Jeff Gordon to score his final win.
NASCAR responded to the incident at Martinsville by parking Kenseth. The sanctioning body also suspended him for two races. He missed the trips to Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway, as well as the championship four, but returned for the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Hamlin Had His Own Comments About Logano
Patrick explained that she is not a fan of Logano due to how he has raced her in the past, which included some wrecks. She called him a punk while Hamlin compared the Team Penske driver to other competitors that have showcased aggressiveness.
“It’s tough because Joey’s on that spectrum I’m talking about,” Hamlin said, referencing his list of aggressive drivers. “He’s all the way on the full end, right? He’s very aggressive, and it’s been successful for him, but ultimately, sometimes you care about friends, sometimes you don’t.
“It’s not just that, but I feel like, at that time, Kenseth had had enough,” Hamlin continued. “And he said, ‘I’m destroying you. I’m making sure you don’t make another corner.'”
Denny Hamlin runs Ross Chastain up the racetrack and into the wall! #NASCAR
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Hamlin, who had his own post-race fight with Logano in 2019, compared the wreck featuring Logano and Kenseth to a different scenario involving him and Ross Chastain. He explained that NASCAR had suspended Kenseth because he was not on the lead lap. He had purposely waited to wreck Logano.
Hamlin said that his incident with Chastain at Pocono Raceway was different. He and the Trackhouse Racing driver were battling for the lead. Hamlin was able to move Chastain up against the wall without actually dumping him, which led to the driver of the No. 1 wrecking himself after refusing to lift.