Flips, Wrecks, and Daytona International Speedway have a deep connection. And Coke Zero Sugar 400 was no exception to it. The race, shrouded with a series of high-drama incidents, had some key moments of its own. These incidents surfaced after Corey LaJoie‘s flip at Michigan International Speedway. The flip re-ignited discussions about driver safety procedures in NASCAR racing. But these discussions had little effect. Corey LaJoie was once again involved with Noah Gragson, but this time, the push severely affected the progression of others.

While wrecking in a Daytona race is nothing new. This time, racers like Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Kyle Larson were on the receiving end of the mess that the collision created. Joey Logano of Team Penske, however, was out of the contact range of this push. The 34-year-old had a decent finish to the race, winning the second stage despite pressure from Brad Keselowski. Although safe, his thoughts on Corey Lajoie’s flip have now initiated new talking points around wrecking in NASCAR.

Joey Logano calls out NASCAR for failure to prevent flips

What happened on Lap 136 at Michigan International Speedway proved detrimental to Corey LaJoie. The no.7 of Spire Motorsports came in contact with Noah Gragson and his car flipped and made several rolls. The car ultimately came back on its wheels, but the incident caused an immediate panic on the pit-road. Corey LaJoie, however, was not seriously injured, but after the flip, NASCAR took a series of safety measures to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

But all these measures did not seem to have any impact on the racetrack. A similar incident occurred at Daytona International Speedway. During the last laps of the race, Ryan Preece’s car took a number of dramatic mid-air flips and then took a stop. They wasted no time in rushing the Steward-Hass racing driver to the hospital. However, his injuries were not serious, and the doctors discharged him soon. The incident, however, created disappointment in the lack of application of the safety measures that NASCAR has put in place.

Seems like the racer who is totally disappointed with NASCAR safety measures is Joey Logano. After finishing fifth in the race, the 34-year-old expressed frustration with the safety measures in place after LaJoie’s flip at Michigan International Speedway. The no. 22 of Team Penske expressed his rage with NASCAR in a subtle manner and said, “I mean, it didn’t change anything. I didn’t really think it changed much inside the car.”

NASCAR had brought several safety features after the LaJoie flip at Michigan International Speedway. One of the most prominent among these features included the introduction of the right-side air deflector. Also known as the ‘shark-fin’, these deflectors are designed to provide more stability to the cars and prevent them from going in the air. Additionally, the possibility of the introduction of new aerodynamic components and other safety protocols is also being considered by NASCAR.

But all of this, to what effect? This is the question that racing professionals continue to ask. While most of the drivers are impacted by a series of wrecks, flips, and other accidents, Joey Logano was among the few drivers who sailed well at the Daytona International Speedway, finishing in the top-5. This was possible because of the efforts of the driver and his team. Praising his crew at Team Penske, Logano had this to say, “I just feel like our car was good really fast Mustang and our teamwork was fantastic which put us you know almost won two stages right about won the first one and won the second one so proud of that effort.”

With a decent finish at the Daytona International Speedway, the prospects for Joey Logano in the Cup series look promising for this season.

Is 2024 the season for the resurgence of Logano?

While the success of Cup Series is nothing new for the 34-year-old, his recent form has been an area of concern at Team Penske. But his recent performances, especially during the latter part of the season, have sighed relief for his team. Logano now looks in the rhythm to make an impact in the playoffs. With 4 top-five finishes this season, he is surely the contender to leave a mark at the playoffs and get his hands around the Championship once again, a title Logano won in 2018 and 2022.

With 587 points in the regular season and just one race to go, the regular season title is away from the reach of Joey Logano. Tyler Reddick also has managed to do a big turnaround in the race to win the regular season title. Overtaking Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports, with 823 points, he now needs a decent finish at Darlington Raceway to win the coveted title. Larson, on the other hand, has appeared out of form in the recent two races. He managed to finish 34th and 25th in Michigan and Daytona, respectively.

What are your thoughts on the safety measures NASCAR introduced after Corey LaJoie’s flip? Do you support the sentiments raised by Joey Logano? Do tell us your thoughts in the comments down below.