June 11, 2010
By Rebecca Gladden
On the heels of Sunday's wild finish in the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 at Pocono Raceway, the NASCAR Nation was buzzing with conflict and controversy - and understandably so.
Though the majority of the racing action was tepid, chaos reigned in the final laps. A move by AJ Allmendinger to block hard-charging teammate Kasey Kahne sent the No. 9 car into the grass; it then ricocheted up the track right in front of the field, hit the catch fence and went airborne. Among the drivers caught up in the melee were Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, and Ryan Newman.
That wreck alone would've normally generated more than enough debate this week, but it was actually overshadowed by what happened on pit road after the race.
Just a few laps before the Kahne-Allmendinger incident, Kevin Harvick made contact with Joey Logano as the two battled for fourth place. Logano spun and finished the race in 13th place, while Harvick took the position in question and came in 4th.
The real drama unfolded on pit road just after Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag for a season-leading fourth win - another aspect of the race virtually overlooked. While Hamlin was doing victory donuts, and accidentally hitting the wall in the process, a furious Joey Logano pulled his car alongside Harvick's on pit road, ready for a confrontation.
What happened next was a strange string of events more surprising than any writer could have scripted. Harvick's pit crew lined up in front of the driver, either protecting him from Logano or preventing him from getting himself in trouble. Meanwhile, Logano's father Tom was caught on TV egging his son on, pointing in Harvick's direction and shouting what looked like "Go get him!"
After the ensuing shouting match, Logano was interviewed on national TV, setting the NASCAR world on fire with a feigned excuse for Harvick's actions as he stated that Kevin's wife DeLana "wears the fire suit in the family and tells him what to do." Harvick's only reply through the media regarding Logano was to mention his age: "You can't talk to him. He's 20."
Joey, team owner Coach Gibbs, and Tom Logano were then summoned to the NASCAR hauler to meet with officials, where the topic was apparently the behavior of Joey's father, who allegedly shoved NASCAR on TNT reporter Ralph Sheheen during the pit road incident.
"Mr. Logano, he did what he could do to restrain himself," said Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby after the meeting. "At the last, he wound up interfering with the television broadcasters, and that's not the right thing to do. And that's all that was, to explain to him, 'Look, you've got to stand back. You've got to let Joey be a racecar driver. You have to have enough faith in the Gibbs team, (crew chief) Greg Zipadelli, and all the other crew members to let them compete as a team.' It was a short message and I think he understands and we'll go on to next week."
Whether Mr. Logano really absorbs that message remains to be seen. He was reprimanded by the sanctioning body last year, having his NASCAR 'hard card' taken away after he apparently made a vulgar gesture toward Greg Biffle following contact between Greg and Joey in a race at Fontana. At the time, Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs assured fans that Tom Logano took responsibility for his actions and "was apologetic." But that didn't stop him from interfering on pit road again in Pocono on Sunday.
Fans who find the senior Logano's actions appalling should be forewarned. As long as NASCAR teams continue to put very young drivers in top rides, the future will likely hold more of the same.
The 'Youth Movement' has been a trend in the sport for the past several years, but Logano is probably the most overt example of it. He was signed to a driver development deal with Joe Gibbs Racing at the unprecedented age of 15 and now, having just turned 20, is a veteran of over 50 Sprint Cup races in the prestigious No. 20 car, previously driven by two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart.
The story behind Logano's link to Joe Gibbs Racing is an interesting one. A 2007 New York Times article reports that Tom Logano contacted JGR about his son through a family friend from their home state of Connecticut. That friend turned out to be Scott Zipadelli, the brother of Greg Zipadelli, Tony Stewart's longtime crew chief. The Times reports that "within four days, Joey Logano had a contract."
Logano's teammate Kyle Busch, who just turned 25, was himself a youngster in the Sprint Cup Series just a few years ago. Together, Busch and Logano hold many of NASCAR's 'youngest ever' titles. Logano has the current record as the youngest-ever winner in the Sprint Cup Series, having recently supplanted Busch in that category. Logano is also the youngest winner in the Nationwide Series, while Busch holds the record in the Truck Series. There are many other youthful accomplishments between the two, demonstrating that the two drivers have legitimate talent.
Although Joey Logano's dad is the parent most recently in the news, Gaye Busch, mom to brothers Kyle and Kurt, has found her share of headlines as well. A few seasons ago, she jumped to the defense of her sons, both of whom struggle in the popularity department with NASCAR fans.
"I've always told Kurt and Kyle to keep their chins up and let it roll off their shoulders - get used to it," she said. "Sorry my boys weren't born in the South and sorry they win."
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