Getty Joey Logano at Indy during qualifying.
Joey Logano and Kyle Busch have a lengthy on-track history together. However, in the last year, the pair have been more amicable toward each other. But that didn’t stop the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion at Richard Childress Racing from calling out the only other active two-time champ during media availabilities at Michigan while discussing the final-lap incident of the August 11 Richmond race when Austin Dillon took out both Logano and Denny Hamlin.
“Certainly there’s the right way to win races and there’s a wrong way to win races,” Busch told reporters. “There’s a lot of guys that have done some desperate things to get wins, even when they’re not desperate, you know?
Kyle Busch on Joey Logano when talking about the Richmond finish: “The one that had it happen to him is probably the one that has done it the most. … I guess his comments, he could be calling himself that.”
“The one that had it happen to them is probably the one that’s done it the most that doesn’t need to do it. So, you know, I guess his comments, he can be calling himself that. Somebody threw up a highlight of him from the K&N race at Irwindale years ago. I forgot all about that one.
“Holy mackerel. Doing [expletive] like that should never get you to the top level. But, it did. So, anyways. Yeah. Be mindful of what you do, I guess. It’s always going to come back on you. YouTube is there for not all positives.”
Joey Logano Made Similar Move With Very Different Result
Kyle Busch speaks from experience when it comes to Joey Logano racing others aggressively. However, the RCR driver bringing up what happened at Irwindale is interesting not so much because of what happened on the track, but what officials did immediately after.
The incident Busch was referring to occurred at the 2009 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, which took place at Irwindale the month before Logano began his first full-time Cup season with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Running second on the final lap, Logano drove his car down low into the final corner before drifting up the track and slamming hard into the side of the frontrunner Peyton Sellers, which sent the leader up into the wall. Logano’s car also hit the wall but his forward momentum allowed him to pull out in front and cross the finish line just ahead of Matt Kobyluck for the victory.
Except it wasn’t.
Moments later NASCAR officials penalized Logano for rough driving. Kobyluck was declared the winner.
Busch and Logano on Better Terms Lately
Joey Logano immediately getting penalized by NASCAR and losing what he thought was a win shows that the sanctioning body has made that type of tough decision in the past. Busch bringing up that particular race during his Michigan interview was relevant to discussing Logano’s aggressive driving in the past, but he left out that key part about NASCAR’s ruling.
But Logano won’t be bothered by any of his fellow champion’s remarks. That’s because, according to the No. 22 pilot, the pair are on much better terms than they have been in the past. He revealed as much earlier this year during a February 6 appearance on The Morning Drive show on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Are longtime rivals @joeylogano and @kylebusch now friends? The @Team_Penske driver surprised some fans with interesting comments on his relationship with the @RCRracing driver during an appearance on @SiriusXMNASCAR.
After acknowledging he was part of a group text with Busch, a listener sent a question to the show and questioned the Penske driver about the status of their relationship.
“I don’t know if he considers me his friend yet, OK,” Logano said. “I did tell him though, if he ever broke down on the way home or something, I could be his first call and I’ll get up and come pick his butt up. I don’t know if he’ll do that for me yet or not, but I’d do that for him.”
Until Busch perceives Logano has done him wrong. Then all bets are off.
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Joey Logano Called Out by Kyle Busch for Past Behavior, Including Incident With Plot Twist