Joey Logano spoke to ESPN
lead NASCAR reporter Marty Smith on yesterday’s 6 p.m. ET edition of ESPN SportsCenter,
and said his ongoing feud with
Denny Hamlin played a role in the Auto Club Speedway crash that left Hamlin
with a fractured spinal vertebra.
“You feel like you got
done wrong,” said Logano of an incident at Bristol Motor Speedway that saw him
crash after a bump from behind by Hamlin.
“You know got spun out, so it doesn’t help that relationship. honestly.
“Did I remember who I
was racing against? Yes,” said Logano. “Obviously, I know who I’m racing
against and what happened a week before. But going into Turn Three on the last
lap, I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to win the race.’ My number one goal (was)
to go win the race.
“Did I intentionally
wreck him? No, I did not intentionally do that. If I was going to do that, I
would have hit him in the left-rear tire. I hit him in the door. It’s hard
racing at that point (and) I hate that he got hurt.
Logano said his
oft-quoted “that’s what he gets” comment immediately after the Auto Club crash “were
taken way out of context. My mind wasn’t straight and I didn’t know Denny was
hurt,” he insisted. “There was no way for me to know, and it got taken way out
of context.
The Connecticut native said he feels the time has come for him to begin
standing his ground in disputes with his fellow drivers, after years of
deferring to those with most experience.
“You have to stand up for
yourself,” he said. “We’re racing against the same people every weekend and you
have to put your foot down and show them that you’re out here to win a race
(and) stand strong. You’re doing that for your whole team.”
He also said he took post-race
criticism from former series champion Tony Stewart with a grain of salt.
“(It was) the same as my
comments after my race; heat of the moment,” said Logano. “In our sport, we
don’t have time to take a deep breath (after the race). Give me 15 minutes to
regain my thoughts, and (see) what the heck just happened. Let me watch a
replay and see all this.
“I’m the same Joey
Logano I’ve always been. I’m still happy-go-lucky (but) I’m very competitive.
That’s never going to change.
“I’m still who I’ve
always been, but I don’t get walked on.”
There shall be no more foot prints on Joey's Back. The Bulling stops Now!
ReplyDeleteHas anyone seen the ESPN interview with Hamlin. I am not a fan of neither but I think that Hamlin is trying to get all the attention that he can. Looks like he portrayed Logano as a bully. I have met Joe Gibbs twice and would have thought he would have surrounded himself with better drivers in and outside of the car. Gibbs has his hands full with the three he has now, all three ignore the fans for the most part, I have been there and seen it. Good Luck Gibbs!
ReplyDelete