Joey Logano, the three-time Cup Series champion, was in top form at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday. The #22 led 139 of the 250 laps of the All-Star race, looking to defend his title. Fans were on the edge of their seats, expecting Logano to cruise to victory. But a controversial “Promoter’s Caution” and a bold move by Christopher Bell turned the race upside down, leaving Logano furious and igniting a fiery debate. Bell’s response to Logano’s anger added fuel to the fire, making this race one for the books.

Logano was in control, his Ford Mustang dominating the 0.625-mile track with precision. On Lap 215, Michael Waltrip went up to the flag stand, egged on the crowd, and threw the promoter’s caution. Everyone was well aware that this was coming at some point between lap 100 and 220, as Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith made it clear weeks ago, but that didn’t stop Logano from going on a rant.

Joey Logano just wants some structure

After the caution was thrown, deploying a daring strategy, Logano and teammate Ryan Blaney stayed out, banking on their lead and tires. Meanwhile, Bell, Kyle Larson, and others pitted for fresh tires. On the restart, Bell’s new rubber gave him the edge. He muscled past Logano in a physical battle with 10 laps left, clinching the $1 million prize. Logano finished second, his victory hopes dashed, and this left him fuming at everything.

The aftermath was intense. Logano was livid, and the fireworks during the caution felt like a mocking jab. He unloaded his frustration to reporters, saying, “Yeah, I just think it… I don’t know how I feel. I mean, it’s the All-Star Race, right? The All-Star Race has always had gimmicks in it to do something different and try something different. I personally wish that it was just, hey, we’re going to throw a caution with thirty to go. Okay, cool, we all know. But like, leaving it just like willy-nilly…”

Joey Logano’s main issue was the unpredictability. Unlike stage breaks, its timing was anyone’s guess—lap 190, 200, or 230? His crew chief, Paul Wolfe, admitted, “Frustrating because second-place doesn’t really mean anything tonight, it’s all about winning, and we just missed the mark a little bit.” The caution, coming with 35 laps to go, left Logano’s team in a strategic bind.

The defending champion went off on NASCAR, claiming that they have too much control over what goes on at the highest level of stock car racing. Joey added, “At this level, we are at the top level in motorsports, and we’re just going to have someone playing God up there with a button saying, you’re going to get crushed now… We’re past that. To me, I feel like we’re past that. I think we should just say, hey, we’re going to have a caution with thirty to go. Okay, cool. Good to know. And we could all just known that just like it was a stage.” Just when it seemed like Logano got all his gripe out of his system, he wasn’t done there. 

The Penske driver’s latest championship in 2024 came under major scrutiny. Logano won just a single regular season race at Nashville in quintuple overtime, and had an average finish of 17.1! This is staggeringly low, and the worst ever for a Cup Champion. Many fans feel the playoff format is a gimmick in itself, just like the promoter’s caution. Unsurprisingly, Logano doesn’t feel the same way. He added, “I think we should have structure to it. I love stage racing, I love the playoffs. I don’t think those are gimmicks because we know what’s coming.”

When a reporter tried to counter his claims with the fact that everyone knew NASCAR would wait until laps 200-220 to actually throw it, Logano responded, “Well, you don’t know that. What if we didn’t have that caution with 75 to go? Are they gonna throw it at 200.. 190.. 30 to go?… The storm was perfect because they had a caution thirty laps before this [promoter’s caution].”

Well, the race left Joey Logano frustrated as Christopher Bell took the $1 million and fans celebrated one of the best All-Star races in recent history. Bell even said after the race, “North Wilkesboro is the best short track on the schedule,” further fueling the chances of it becoming a points-paying race like it used to be up until 1996. While Bell was busy celebrating, Logano was ranting about the former’s moves that irked him quite a bit. Yes, folks, Joey was not happy this weekend.

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Logano warns Christopher Bell

After the race, Joey Logano was not pleased about Bell running him into the wall and then taking the lead. It was a sketchy move, but a clean racing maneuver that Logano himself has done in the past. Still, Logano said, “He [Christopher Bell] got under me and released the brake and gave me no option. Kind of just ran me up into the wall, and if I could’ve got to him, he was going around after a move like that.” Despite these threats of wrecking Bell if he got the chance, the #20 was stoic in his response.

Christopher Bell stood his ground. He praised Team Penske #22 driver’s defensive driving, but defended his own move. “Joey was frustrated?” asked Bell, wondering, “That is interesting. I genuinely would not have guessed that.” Bell doubled down, noting, “Well, I had got to him a couple times before and he made it very difficult on me, as he should. I got my run, and I took the moment, as I should. Yeah, I don’t think that I did anything that Joey hasn’t done, and I’ve seen Joey do much worse.”

The JGR driver’s calm confidence contrasted sharply with Logano’s anger, adding layers to the drama. Bell’s teammate, Denny Hamlin, on his Actions Detrimental podcast, called Logano’s reaction “odd,” arguing the strategy call, not the caution, cost him the win. “I think if we did any b—– and complaining, we needed to do it before the race and not post,” Hamlin said on his podcast.

Well, Logano is upset, Bell is a million dollars richer, and all we can do now is wait and see whether this is a rivalry in the making. Do you think Logano will wreck Christopher Bell at the Coca-Cola 600? Let us know in the comments!