Joey Logano Sends Blunt Message After NASCAR All-Star Caution Costs Him the Win
Joey Logano didn't win back-to-back NASCAR All-Star Races — and he thinks a manufactured caution is to blame. After dominating most of the race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the Team Penske driver was caught off guard by a new 'Promoter's Option' rule that triggered a caution with under 40 laps to go.
The twist? The yellow wasn't for debris, weather, or an incident — it was dropped by choice, as allowed between Laps 100 and 220 of the 250-lap race. And it changed everything.
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'I'm all about no gimmicks with the caution,' Logano said after finishing second to Christopher Bell. 'I'm a little — me and Marcus Smith aren't seeing eye to eye right now, okay? I've got to have a word with him.'
That 'word' may not be polite. Smith, the CEO of Speedway Motorsports and the man behind the mid-race caution twist, drew criticism from what many, including Logano, saw as an unnecessary intervention that changed the outcome of the race.
Joey Logano talks to reporters at Texas Motor Speedway.Kyle Dalton | Athlon Sports
'I'm pissed off right now. We had the fastest car — the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang was so fast,' Logano said. 'Then the caution came out and flipped the whole thing. I stayed out on old tires, hoping to hold 'em off, but Bell had a great restart and just ran me up into the wall.'
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Logano made it clear that he felt robbed. 'I couldn't get away in time. Took me six, seven laps to get my car up and rolling again. I did all I could to hold him off… If I could've got to him, he was going around after a move like that.'
Despite the sting, Logano took some solace in his car's performance. 'We'll be happy that we had the best car the last two times that we've been here. I wish we had two wins, though.'
With tempers flaring and fans debating the merit of gimmick rules, NASCAR may have gotten the drama it wanted — but Logano's message to Smith made one thing clear: not everyone's buying it.
Related: Upset Joey Logano Threatens Payback After Christopher Bell's Winning Move at All-Star Race
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