BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - MAY 31: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Autotrader Ford, talks with Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, after the NASCAR Cup Series Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Shunts and rear-ending incidents are commonplace in NASCAR and motorsports racing in general. In the race at Bristol Motor Speedway this season in 2020, it was Chase Elliott and Joey Logano that got involved in an incident which saw them both lose out on the win.
Both drivers battled each other for the lead in the front, and either of them could so easily have won the race. Ultimately, following the shunt, it was Brad Keselowski who gained from it and went on to claim the victory.
Needless to say, Logano was by no means pleased with Elliott’s action at such a crucial juncture. Following the race, visuals showed the racers embroiled in a heated argument with one another over the incident.
With just three laps to go in the 2020 Supermarket Heroes 500, Logano preferred the outside line of Elliott to whiz past him and take the lead. Elliott tried to respond by going down the left-hand side of Logano himself, but the Team Penske driver was going to have none of it.
In an attempt to pass Logano, however, Elliott tried to restrict the space for his rival. Consequently, both drivers suffered damage to their cars, with Logano going into the wall itself.
Speaking after the race, Logano had stated, “He wrecked me.
“He got loose underneath me.
“The part that’s frustrating is that afterwards a simple apology — like be a man and come up to someone and say, ‘Hey, my bad.’ But I had to force an apology, which, to me, is childish,” concluded the Penske No.22.
Elliott in his defense had said, “As soon as I turned off the wall I had zero chance in making it. So I’ll certainly take the blame. I hate we both wrecked, but we can’t go back in time now.”
The incident caused quite some damage, even though there were just about a few more laps to go. As a result of that, Logano and Elliott finished 21st and 22nd, respectively.
In hindsight, the Hendrick Motorsports No.9 might not have gone for such an aggressive move. Undoubtedly, he would have been disappointed not to have claimed the race victory, having gotten into such a good position at the time.
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