The man who took the No. 24 Chevrolet to Victory Lane 93 times in the Cup Series has weighed in on Joey Logano knocking William Byron out of the way at Darlington Raceway. Jeff Gordon has said that he wishes Logano drove differently before saying that there is payback coming.
“It’s unfortunate to see a win be taken away from you on the last lap like that,” Gordon told assembled media members on pit road, video courtesy of Frontstretch.com. “Logano’s aggressive, and William’s car — I believe — was getting really, really loose. Logano had a shot at him to do it clean, and he chose to do it a different way.”
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Gordon, who is now the vice-chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, continued and said that he expects the bump and run at a track like Martinsville Speedway. He said that it does not happen at Darlington Raceway. Gordon said that Byron and Logano will have to settle the situation and that he expects there is “payback coming” for the driver of the No. 22 at some point later on.
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Logano Does Not Necessarily Expect Retaliation
GettyJoey Logano (left) and William Byron (right) race at Darlington.
With Logano hitting Byron from behind and sending him into the wall, there are now questions about whether the driver of the No. 24 will retaliate in the coming weeks. Gordon said that there will be payback, but Logano voiced a different opinion during his post-race media availability.
“We’re equal. We’re equal, man. You put me in the wall first,” Logano said, transcript from ASAP Sports. “Like I said, it’s game on. At that point in my eyes, it’s equal. If I punted him out of the way for no reason there to win the race without him doing something to me in the past at any point, which he never has in the past, and it’s not like he meant to fence me. I don’t think he meant to run me into the wall. The facts are he did.
“It’s racing, and it kind of took the win out of my eyes or my hands, so at that point, like I said, you’re going to have to do what you have to do to get the lead back in the same manner he got it, so that’s kind of how that works.”
Whether Gordon or Logano is correct remains to be seen, but there is ample time for Byron to provide an answer. There are 24 races remaining in the season where he can either deliver payback for the contact or just continue to race.
Byron Nearly Took a Special Scheme to Victory Lane
There were many reasons why Byron and Gordon were unhappy about the contact at Darlington Raceway. It took away a third win that would have put Byron in contention for the top spot in the championship standings. It also removed a shot at five playoff points that would have helped Byron potentially avoid the cutline in September and October.
Another potential reason for their unhappiness is that Byron could have taken a classic scheme to Victory Lane. He was competing at Darlington Raceway with the flames scheme that Gordon used during the 2007 season. This is the same scheme — with Axalta logos instead of Dupont — that he took to Victory Lane at Phoenix and tied Dale Earnhardt on the all-time wins list.
Byron has showcased multiple Gordon throwback schemes during his Cup Series career. He brought back the rainbow colors during his rookie season (2018), but he finished 35th overall after a mechanical issue disrupted his day. He then finished 13th at Darlington in 2022 with the flames scheme.
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Jeff Gordon Weighs In on Joey Logano’s Darlington Move