If Joey Logano’s victory in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway felt like a footnote to the night’s events, it was because it was.
Yes, Logano was dominant, leading an All-Star Race record 199 of 200 laps. Yes, Logano is $1 million richer. But his victory in North Wilkesboro was hardly front-page news on Monday morning. That belongs to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch, who got into a violent brawl in the infield following the race.
Denny Hamlin, who finished second, was maybe a little more candid in his appraisal of Logano’s victory on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast, simply remarking that nobody “gives a f***.”
“I hate to say this — nobody gives a f*** about Joey Logano winning the All-Star Race,” Hamlin stated. “That is a fact. And I hated how our media said, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re only showing the fight.’ Okay, yeah. We need to understand who we are. With all due respect to the 22, nobody cares. That’s a reality, and if it was the 11, nobody would care. It’s just that this is how the narrative turned out. Thank God, because this podcast would have been more than 20 minutes ago.”
Joey Logano gets back to Victory Lane with All-Star Race win
Hamlin probably isn’t far off in his assessment, though the win was still very meaningful for Logano, even if it wasn’t an official points race. The two-time Cup Series champion has had a season to forget thus far, and getting to Victory Lane in any capacity just could be the catalyst in turning things around. Heading into the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Sunday, Logano sits 17th in the points standings, with just three top 10s and one top-5 finish.
“A lot of fun when you’ve got a car this fast,” Logano said after the race. “The Shell/Pennzoil Mustang, it’s just so great to get in Victory Lane. All of our sponsors and everyone who stuck with us to get a win, it feels nice. It’s been a while. I wish it was for points, but a million bucks is still a lot of money and I feel great about that.”
Be the first to comment