Getty Joey Logano has embraced his time in the booth.
The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford posted his first DNF of the 2022 Cup Series season after a big wreck in Stage 2. Joey Logano responded by telling media members that superspeedway races “suck” and that he doesn’t love them.
Logano made the comments after exiting the infield care center. He explained that it was “a bummer” that he was unable to continue the Geico 500 after the wreck. Logano also predicted that there would be far more wrecks at Talladega Superspeedway before one of the drivers headed to Victory Lane.
“It’s superspeedway racing. It happens,” Logano said. “Every time we come to one of these things, cars crash, and they are going to crash a lot more before the end of this thing. And hopefully, everyone is ok and gets out all right.
“That’s just how it works when you come to these things. They just… I mean, they suck. I hate to tell you, but I don’t think the drivers enjoy it. The fans enjoy it and that’s good, but I don’t think there’s many drivers that look forward to it right now.”
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Logano Has Only Completed 1 Recent Talladega Race
GettyJoey Logano has struggled to finish races at Talladega Superspeedway.
The comments are strong, but Logano has a reason for making them. He has struggled to complete some of the recent races at Talladega Superspeedway. This includes crashes in three of the past four points-paying races at the 2.66-mile track.
Logano, who has three wins at Talladega, was one of the multiple drivers caught up in a crash at the end of the 2020 YellaWood 500 playoff race. He was one of six drivers caught up in a massive wreck during overtime, and he went from sixth overall to 26th after Tyler Reddick spun Kyle Busch into the rear of Logano’s No. 22 Ford.
Logano returned to Talladega Superspeedway the following season for the 2021 Geico 500, but he headed to the infield care center before the end of Stage 1. This incident occurred when he spun off the nose of Denny Hamlin and into the front of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The No. 22 flipped into the air, nearly landed on Bubba Wallace’s No. 23, and then spun down onto the apron.
The 2018 Cup Series champion avoided injuries in the wreck, but he made strong comments about the safety of the vehicles at superspeedway races. These comments ultimately led to NASCAR officials changing the superspeedway package for the remaining schedule.
“It’s a product of this racing,” Logano told Fox Sports’ Jamie Little. “On one hand, I’m so proud to drive a Cup car that’s safe, that I can go through a wreck like that. But on the other hand, when are we gonna stop? This is dangerous doing what I’m doing. I’ve got a rollbar on my head. I’m one hit away from a Ryan Newman situation.
“I just don’t feel like it’s acceptable,” Logano continued. “A lot of it is due to the big spoiler, the big runs, pushing, and all that. It’s no one’s fault. … It’s a product of this racing, but we have to fix it. Someone already got hurt, and we’re still doing it.”
Another Driver Questioned Some Big Decisions
Logano was not the only driver to make some strong comments about the superspeedway races. Ty Dillon also did so, but he took a different approach by questioning some decisions made by his peers.
Dillon also met with media members after exiting the infield care center. He explained that he drives by “energy” and that he felt it change during Stage 2. Dillon noted that he was waiting for something to happen but that it was faster than he expected.
“I don’t know what these guys were thinking with so many laps to go,” Dillon said after exiting the infield care center. “And every year we finish, there are only 10 or 15 cars rolling. So be one of those guys. I think if everybody had that mindset, we would have better races.”
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