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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
BYRNES: Jockeying With Joey
Joey Logano thought Kevin Harvick dumped him at Pocono and for the first time in his short NASCAR career stood up for himself...
Steve Byrnes  |  Posted June 07, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Steve Byrnes on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)
Joey Logano angrily confronting Kevin Harvick following Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway was just the first in what likely will be several vital steps in him gaining respect among his fellow drivers.

Logano, who had a top-five run going, thought Harvick dumped him in the closing laps of the race, and for the first time in his short NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, finally stood up for himself a bit. But Logano needs to continue to show the same backbone on a consistent basis because while he is a young, talented driver, it is incumbent upon him to prove to his peers that he won’t be pushed around.

While he’s in his sophomore season driving the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, Logano still is the “new kid” who gets taken advantage of and pushed around more than any other driver on the circuit. Is that fair? No. Is that reality? Absolutely.
Joey Logano hits the wall after contact with Kevin Harvick at Pocono Raceway. (Photo: Getty Images)

He is the new kid who happens to be paired up with a championship-winning race team and just turned 20 years old. For these two reasons, I think there has been some resentment toward him among the veteran drivers ever since Mark Martin touted him as the next great driver at the tender age of 14. To some in the garage area, it’s almost as if Logano didn’t pay his dues before given a great opportunity with Gibbs as a teenager.

I don’t think anyone begrudges Logano his talent, but NASCAR is a cruel sport and the majority of drivers don’t cut him any breaks on the track. Quite frankly, racing can be a cutthroat business and Logano will continue to be bullied until he fervently stands up for himself more often.

NASCAR is a big-boy sport and just as in all professional athletics, when a competitor finds a weakness, he will exploit it to his advantage, as I think some drivers have done with Logano the past couple of seasons. So, Logano needs to put a period on this treatment as soon as possible, but I don’t think this isolated display of emotion and frustration will suffice to discourage the balance of the competitors from pushing him around. A driver doesn’t gain respect just because he climbs from a race car, points a finger and yells at another driver like Jeff Burton did to Kyle Busch in the Coca-Cola 600. First and foremost, drivers must stand their ground on the race track.
Tom Logano (Center) points his son Joey Logano (left) to Kevin Harvick and tells him to "Go get him" after a crash during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Gillette Fusion Proglide 500 at Pocono Raceway. (Image: SPEED)

Recall the Carl Edwards/Brad Keselowski incident at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. I don’t necessarily agree with Edwards spinning out Keselowski because he ended up airborne and upside down, but Edwards was very explicit that he did what was necessary to put a stop to the manner in which he perceived Keselowski had been racing him the past several months. And coincidental or circumstantial, the two drivers haven’t had any on-track incidents since.

Additionally, Logano’s evolution in this maturation process does not require his father’s involvement. As much as I’m sure Tom Logano loves his son, he does not belong in the middle of any post-race melee. There’s not a place for that at the Cup level. The race track and pit road are playing fields designed for the competitors and I don’t think anyone else needs to be involved.

In the same vein, I don’t condone Logano bringing Harvick’s wife into the conversation during his post-race interview on national television. That crack served no purpose in the context of the dispute between the duo. Plus, nothing good ever comes of bringing a guy’s wife (or his mother, for that matter) into a fight.

Whether or not we see similar off-track retaliation from Logano when warranted remains to be seen. But if he continues to keep that anger and frustration private, he can expect to see future races play out just like Pocono … the on-track part, that is.

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The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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