NASCAR Weekly: Logano criticizes superspeedway racing after accident

Joey Logano survived a violent crash uninjured in last Sunday’s NASCAR race at Talladega Superspeedway – The Penske driver criticizes racing on the big ovals

NASCAR Cup Series (by: André Wiegold)

Joey Logano rolled over on lap 60 of the NASCAR Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway, but was able to get out of the car uninjured. As his Penske Ford flew through the air, he was touched by Bubba Wallace in the Toyota. The 30-year-old from Middletown, Connecticut, criticized racing at the superspeedways afterwards.

“I don’t know what to think,” Logano said. “It’s a product of this racing, and on the one hand, I’m so proud to drive a Cup car that is safe that can go through a crash like that, and I can get out and speak about it. On the one hand, I’m mad about being in the crash, and on the other hand, I’m just happy I’m alive. On another hand I think, when are we going to stop? Because this is dangerous doing what we’re doing. I’ve got a roll bar on my head. That’s not OK.

“I’m one hit away from the same situation Ryan Newman was in (last year in the Daytona 500). I just don’t think that’s acceptable. A lot of it’s due to this big spoiler and big runs, the pushing, and all that. It’s no one’s fault; Denny’s trying to go, and the 47’s [Ricky Stenhouse Jr.] trying to go. It’s a product of this racing. We have to fix it, though, because someone already got hurt, and we’re still doing it. So, that’s not real smart.

But what is the solution? Unlimited engines would cause speeds to become so high that they would lead to dangerous situations. Once engines are throttled back, pack racing is virtually inevitable. Logano did not share a proposed solution that would make racing on the superspeedways safer.

The race at Talladega and preview of Kansas

The race was won by his Penske teammate Brad Keselowski. Earlier, Bubba Wallace celebrated the first Stage win of his career in the second race segment. The first stage win went to Matt DiBenedetto, who had a good chance of winning the race in the closing stages and was only overtaken by Keselowski on the last lap.

Keselowski celebrated his sixth Talladega victory, which is why he now shares second place on the all-time list with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon. Dale Earnhardt Sr. is unchallenged in first place with ten wins at Alabama. “It’s more than I dreamed of,” Keselowski enthused after the race.

Kevin Harvick broke a record as soon as he saw the green flag. The Stewart-Haas driver now has the most starts spread across all three national NASCAR series. Before the Kansas round, he has 728 Cup races, 346 Xfinity races and 124 Truck races under his belt. That puts Harvick ahead of Joe Nemechek.

BJ McLeod Motorsports has found a driver for the #55 car in Kansas City. Matt Mills, who started in 79 Xfinity races and 11 Truck races in his career, will make his Cup debut. The 24-year-old from Lynchburg, Virginia, most recently finished 25th in the Xfinity race at Talladega.

The race on Kansas Speedway’s 1.5-mile oval will take place next Sunday. The Buschy McBusch Race 400 goes over 267 laps. In the first two segments 80 laps have to be completed each, the distance in the final stage is 107 laps.

NASCAR Xfinity Series (by: André Wiegold)

The NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega Speedway was under the star of Peter, as the teams expected rain showers during the course of the planned 117 laps. Accordingly, the action on the 2.66-mile (4.28-kilometer) oval was subdued. The rain came on lap 90 and caused the race to be stopped early.

Jeb Burton edged out the competition to secure his first win of the season. Xfinity champion Austin Cindric was second behind him, while AJ Allmendinger, Riley Herbst and Ryan Sieg rounded out the top 5. Noah Gragson finished sixth to collect the 100,000 dollars in prize money (about 83,000 euros) under the Dash4Cash program.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (by Simon Mones)

Unlike the Cup and Xfinity Series, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series did not compete at Talladega last weekend. After a short break, the third NASCAR league returns to the track in Kansas.

With Chase Briscoe, a prominent guest entrant from the Cup Series will also be in the mix. For the Stewart-Haas driver, this is already the second race in the Truck Series this year. Already in Bristol the 26-year-old took his seat in the #04 car of Roper Racing. He will drive this car again at Kansas Speedway, as the team announced on Twitter.

Deegan with SRX start

But Cup drivers aren’t the only ones who like to start in other series: Truck Series drivers sometimes wander off the beaten path, too. In this case it’s Hailie Deegan who competes outside of NASCAR’s third division.

As Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) co-founder Ray Evernham tweeted, the 19-year-old will compete in Knoxville on June 10: “Yes sir , this is happening! Really excited to watch Hailie Deegan race with us! This girl can gas it up! Dirt or pavement!”

Earlier, Deegan posted a photo on Instagram showing herself with Evernham in front of a car of the new series. Deegan will be competing in a car that is slated for guest starts by several celebrity drivers.

Unlike the SRX races at Stafford Motor Speedway (June 12) and Eldora Speedway (June 26), the Knoxville round does not directly collide with a Truck Series race. The latter starts on the same weekend in Nashville, but runs one day earlier. The races in Texas and Pocono each take place on the same day as the SRX rounds.

For the 19-year-old, who has experience on dirt tracks, the start in Knoxville has another advantage, because this season the Truck Series will also race on the dirt oval for the first time – and only a few weeks after the SRX race.