Kyle Larson had a heartbreaking weekend when his doubles ambitions were dashed. The Indy 500 was postponed for four hours due to weather, and Larson decided to participate in the race he had spent millions and months to participate in.
This led him to buy the Coca-Cola 600, which put his exemption in question. While most drivers supported Larson, Joey Logano chose a more neutral approach, leaning more towards the negative.
In NASCAR, Cup drivers are required to compete in every race of the regular season to earn a ticket to the playoffs. Joey Logano analyzed the rule and said Larson made a conscious decision, but the Hendrick driver said he couldn’t control the weather and some fans criticized Logano, but the Team Penske driver made his position clear.
Joey Logano clears the air over his Larson views
NASCAR guidelines state that “Unless otherwise approved by NASCAR, drivers and team owners must participate in all championship events this season to be eligible for the playoffs. Also, exemptions have historically ideally only been made in cases of physical injury or family emergency.” That’s why Kyle Larson finds himself in a sticky situation with his employer.
Drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin were quick to support Larson. But Joey Logano decided to carefully analyze the situation and first criticized the exemption. This is the grayest rule in our sport. He continued, “This scenario, what Kyle Larson did with a one-two is amazing.
He was put in the worst position, right? Because of the rain and the delays to the Indy 500 and everything. But he made a decision — he put IndyCar over NASCAR, rightly or wrongly, that’s the fact.”
This infuriated some fans and NASCAR insiders. Jenna Fryer criticized Logano, pointing out that his boss also puts IndyCar first. Roger Penske owns IndyCar through Penske Entertainment Group. Fryer added, “He showed up in Charlotte. NASCAR canceled the race.
It wasn’t a choice he made to not get in the car,” and added, “Larson brought a global spotlight to motorsports for two weeks. Why is this so exciting for NASCAR, its drivers and its fans?”
Joey Logano then responded by clarifying his position. He defended himself in the X race. I was just pointing out the difficult decision NASCAR faces. And again, the words got twisted… so here’s my opinion… what Larson has done for motorsports is incredible and he should be excused.”
This defensiveness surfaced after Joey Logano criticized Kyle Larson for his lack of consideration.
NASCAR fans labeled Logano for his views
Kyle Larson is arguably the best driver in NASCAR right now. He held first place in the drivers’ championship until his fiasco at Charlotte dropped him to third.
Joey Logano won the first race of the season at North Wilkesboro and is finishing 17th, which led one fan to wonder if Logano was just jealous. “Looks like someone’s jealous here…” Another fan joked, “Why won’t you stop crying?” And one fan decided that Logano was cold-hearted, given Larson’s incredible double performance.
The attempt to become just the fifth driver in history to achieve this feat is noteworthy in itself. “This makes it seem like Joey is the jerk…what on earth are we talking about here? The best driver in the sport drove a historic race, flew to Charlotte, and NASCAR canceled the race. I’m sick of the weird sarcasm from other drivers.”
Another fan furthered the anguish by personally attacking Joey Logano and comparing his talent to Larson’s: “They all just don’t want to face Larson in the playoffs.
Why should he race after putting in the effort to qualify when he is already eligible? “@joeylogano is a wimp and knows his Ford is a tractor so this is the easiest way for him to win,” said a fan, who similarly agreed, highlighting Logano’s ulterior motive of “the best way to eliminate the competition.” So Joey Logano was heavily criticized for a view that likely was unintentional. Now all we can do is wait and see how NASCAR handles Kyle Larson’s unique exemption.
