[autotag]Joey Logano[/autotag] appeared to have a top-10 car when NASCAR Cup Series practice concluded at Phoenix Raceway on Friday, but that wasn’t the case. Logano qualified in 23rd place and didn’t have the speed all day. The driver of the No. 22 car then wrecked out after a bad misjudgment from John Hutner Nemechek started a big wreck in the back of the pack.
Following the accident, Logano didn’t mince words as Nemechek ruined any chance of his salvaging the day. The Team Penske driver was hoping to claw his way into the top 20 spots on the lead lap and earn more points after a dreadful start to the season.
“I think I just got hit from behind,” Logano said. “It is a shame. We weren’t running well anyway, but this doesn’t make it any better. We were just fighting for lucky dogs. You get back there, and everyone is racing not real good, and we got caught up in it.”
John Hunter Nemechek sends Joey Logano for a ride, collecting Josh Berry, Corey LaJoie, Derek Kraus and Zane Smith.
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“Well, you have to lift to make the corners,” Logano said. “You can’t hold it wide open around Phoenix. Maybe [John Hunter Nemechek] should take a look and realize he can’t do that. He drove straight into the back of me. He needs to be man enough to own up to that.”
Logano now sits 30th in the point standings after four races to start the 2024 NASCAR season. The two-time Cup Series champion has every right to be upset at Nemechek after he clearly got dumped from behind. It’ll be interesting to see if anything else comes from the incident moving forward, but Logano needs to focus on having good results after a rough start.
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