Denny Hamlin was in the middle of the Allied 400 race at Nashville Superspeedway last Sunday. Not one, but several battles throughout the race. But it was his showdown with Joey Logano that caught the most attention of the NASCAR community.
Logano was clearly unhappy with the way Hamlin was driving on the restart on lap 123. The No. 11 car simply collided with the No. 22 car on the restart, and both drivers lost control of their race cars and were forced to go off the track. There is a shared history between the two drivers as we have seen them trade punches with each other in the past, but it wasn’t Hamlin who pulled off the upset this time, rather it was Kyle Larson who quietly defeated both his rivals.
Denny Hamlin had to text Logano to explain his innocence
On this restart, Logano couldn’t get ahead and keep up with the rest of the field. The No. 11 and No. 5 cars were close behind, and while Hamlin tried to avoid a collision with the No. 22, Larson wouldn’t let off the gas. And then what happened was that Hamlin and Logano swerved sideways and lost positions on the track.
A caution came out soon after, and that’s when Logano lost his nerve. He drove right next to the No. 11 and gave her the middle finger. The lifeguard tried to calm him down so the situation didn’t escalate, but he didn’t believe his explanation. As the race was stopped for rain, Hamlin tried to explain his side of the story.
The JGR driver texted him during the break, but the Penske star was still shaken up about the incident, so Denny Hamlin admitted his innocence on his podcast, “Actions Detrimental.” “He reacted right away and said, ‘Fuck you, take a look at SMT.’ And I said, ‘Okay, I’ll take a look.'” He asked, “Did you check?” and I said no, but I can tell you I was in the middle of it. So I know when I saw you, when I saw you. I’ll go back and look, but I can tell you for sure, I started to pull away from you and I was cornered.”
He also revealed that he didn’t mean to drive him into the wall. Rather, he wanted to help him get off to a good start, since he was at a disadvantage with only two tires instead of four. “I tried to explain to Joey that I didn’t want to do you guys a favor, I didn’t want to separate the three of you, because I knew he had something old anyway. I said I’d help you get started here, and as soon as I got to the corner I’d pass you… but the minute I took off I got caught, five of them hit me, and we were both thrown out of the car. The chase.” And coincidentally, in a dramatic turn of events, Joey Logano put an end to his bitter rivalry with Denny Hamlin, hustling for a sweet win and his first victory of the season!
Finally, Joey Logano secures his playoffs spot with a needed win
It took five overtimes and some great defensive plays to end Logano’s 49-race winning streak at Nashville Superspeedway. The extra overtime caused most of the leading cars to run out of fuel. Drivers like Hamlin and Larson, who had been controlling the field, were forced to quickly cede the lead, setting the stage for Logano to achieve greatness. And he was right to do so. Now, the victory wasn’t handed to him on a silver platter, but he had to work hard for it.
Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick were also hoping for the win. But the Penske star didn’t let them get away, fending off late attacks with defensive blocks. He also ran out of gas, so it must have been nice not to have to endure a restart. “You know, it’s not easy to get to the playoffs these days with these next-gen cars, but everyone is eager to race.
You know, I’ve made a lot of mistakes, including the one I made tonight, but I’m happy to have overcome them… this is definitely a much-needed win,” Logano said in a post-race interview. It’s no wonder this is a great result for Logano and Team Penske. Three of their drivers are now in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how the No. 22 team performs in the next half of the season. Last Sunday’s win was great, but they need to significantly improve their race program if they want to compete for the championship.
