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Rookie Cup Driver Chooses to Stay Calm Despite Joey Logano Questioning His Manhood After Vegas Blunder

Published 03/17/2024, 1:33 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Joey Logano is going through a rough patch in the 2024 season. Wrecks got the best of his winning plans in three season-opening races. His fate at Phoenix Raceway was no better, as he got caught in a crash on Lap 206. And Logano did not hold back in unloading his pent-up frustration on the driver responsible: John Hunter Nemechek.

The No. 42 driver for the Legacy Motor Club refrained from fanning the flames though. He was quite honest about his mistake and was eager to appease Logano and his No. 22 Penske team. However, Logano challenged Nemechek about his integrity, and recently the latter made a public response to that.

Nemechek eats humble pie for a second time after a clash with Joey Logano

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NASCAR races are renowned for the heated controversies that unfold on the track. The racing fans stay stuck to their screens to look out for any simmering, feisty brawls or showdowns. However, some drivers do not prefer to confront others or get into a cuss-hurtling fest. 

John Hunter Nemechek can perfectly fit into this category. Recently, he broached the topic of his conflict with Joey Logano at Phoenix. His calm demeanor and poised attitude spoke volumes about where Nemechek wants to take the heated rivalry.

Firstly, Nemechek talked about the overall driving experience. “I think everyone is just going in a little bit different direction. Being in group A, you can learn quite a bit from teammate cars…I don’t think that the resin’s coming up. Normally in Group B qualifying, after a lot of the Group A cars go, pick up quite a bit of rubber on the race track.” He further stated: “I think the inconsistency is not necessarily in the race track. I think it’s more just how you’re driving, attacking the corner, and your car’s set.”

 

Then Nemechek dealt with the icky confrontation with Joey Logano. “We had a couple of chats this week, one through text, one through phone call. I feel like we’re good.” Nemechek had owned up to his mistake once at Phoenix. But Joey Logano was not satisfied, as he called out Nemechek aggressively earlier: “He drove straight into the back of me. He needs to be man enough to own up to that.” 

Now Nemechek reiterated his passive response to Logano’s fuming attitude. “I don’t wanna go into too much detail, but yeah it’s my mistake, it’s on me.” He has also been defended by NASCAR official Brett Griffin who accepted that Nemechek’s crash was not intentional. 

John Hunter Nemechek may not have engaged in a face-off with Joey Logano. But seven years ago, another veteran driver bared his fists at Logano.

Kyle Busch recalled a wild fist-fight with Logano

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Logano had managed to irk Kyle Busch in the 2017 Las Vegas race. An on-track encounter ballooned into a violent face-off between the two drivers. Busch ended up with a bloody forehead, but not before landing a blow on Joey Logano’s face. The RCR driver recalled the encounter recently on the Pat McAfee Show.

 

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His (Logano’s) crew tackled me… he’s not even there. His crew tackled me and got me to the ground, but that was a fun day.” Busch further clarified that he was the last driver to have resorted to knuckles for settling a scuffle. “I think the last guy to throw a punch was me, so that hasn’t really happened lately.”

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Joey Logano is doing a lot to reverse his drooping fortunes. Hopefully, fans hope they will see the two-time Cup title winner achieve his first 2024 win soon.

35-Race Winless Joey Logano Shows Mental Resilience Despite “Freakin’ Miserable” Phase in the NASCAR Cup Series

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Written by:

Sumedha Mukherjee

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Sumedha Mukherjee is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports who is known for her in-depth track analysis as well as her lifestyle coverage of Cup drivers like Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick. Inspired by the Kiwi's journey so far, Sumedha has also written pieces on Shane Van Gisbergen, predicting how the Supercars Champion would do in the new and unfamiliar American setting. Pairing her research skills with her vast experience as a writer, Sumedha creates stories her readers can easily get lost in.
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Edited by:

Shreya Singh