There are as many opinions as there are fans as to whether or not Joey Logano is at fault for the late-race wreck on Sunday at Fontana that sent driver Denny Hamlin to the hospital. The feud that started several weeks ago between the former JGR team mates just seems to keep escalating from a post-race disagreement, to comments and digs being traded on Twitter, then to the hard racing that resulted in the crash this weekend at Auto Club Speedway in California.
. @keselowski sorry I couldn’t get close to you cuz your genius teammate was too busy messing up the inside line 1 move at a time
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) February 24, 2013
Hey @dennyhamlingreat job protecting that genius brain of yours by keeping your helmet on
— Joey Logano (@joeylogano) March 17, 2013
Some would say that this “hard racing” is a refreshing change from the tame, almost boring racing of the past several years. NASCAR fans have said that they want more battling and true competition on the track, but have the off-track antics of Logano and Hamlin attracted more fans to the races or just made the sport look petty and childish?
As the laps wound down, Logano and Hamlin battled for the lead, beating and banging on each other all the way around the track. The fans, both at home and at the track, could see the wreck coming before it ever happened. Even Kyle Busch, who was in third and digging to get back to the lead, said, ” ..unfortunately it got a little dirty there at the end,” about the racing between the 22 and the 11 but also noted, “.. [I] was able to pass them there in 3 and 4 before the big wreck ensued.” Busch capitalized on the feud, passing the pair on the high side, taking the lead and winning the race.
While the racing brought everyone out of their seats as those last few laps came to an end, the resulting crash into the inside wall sent Hamlin to the hospital. The report from Joe Gibbs Racing has said that Hamlin is having lower back pain, and while it is widely known that Denny has had back problems before, the crash undoubtedly aggravated his back. Hamlin’s wife sent out a tweet to fans Sunday night, reassuring them that Denny was doing okay except for the back pain.
Thank u everyone for your messages concerning Denny. Darian is keeping us posted. He’s alert n awake, main concern is his back #PrayersforDH
— Jordan Fish (@MissJFish) March 25, 2013
The question remains, are antics like those that Logano and Hamlin have been involved in for several weeks, both on and off the track, attracting new NASCAR fans or people who are more interested in the fighting, crashes, and behavior more fitting for a kindergarten class than world-class race car drivers? Some say these are the same things that we saw from drivers like Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison in 1979. Whether you see it as good for NASCAR or not, the tempers are heating up, and I suspect this is not going to be the last we see of Logano, Hamlin and whoever else gets dragged in, battling through to the end of the season.
