"I had complete control of my vehicle" - Joey Logano defends himself against NASCAR’s $50,000 penalty for Richmond pit lane behavior

Recently, Joey Logano shared his opinion on NASCAR penalizing him for his post-Richmond race actions on the pit road. The team Penske driver was seen performing a burnout to vent his frustration while passing Austin Dillon's pit box.

The Cook Out 400 race witnessed RCR driver Dillon claim his maiden victory of the 2024 season after wrecking Logano and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin on the final lap. The #22 Logano was eyeing his second victory but was spun out by #3 Dillon on Turn 3. As a result, the frustrated Logano did a burnout and was fined $50,000 for safety violations.

In a recent conversation with Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass, Joey Logano said he accepts the fine by NASCAR but defended his behavior on the pit road. He said:

"I mean, let's face what I did was probably not right. I had complete control of my vehicle. I was never going to hit somebody. It's never gone through my mind that I should run somebody over with the vehicle. I was very frustrated at that moment."

"But I understand the optics of it. And if you're on the other end of it, they don't know that I'm not going to hit somebody. So I understand the penalty... But I'm not a robot. I'm a human," Logano added [0:46].

Furthermore, the two-time Cup Series champion drew a parallel between his pit road actions to that of a burglar breaking into one's house. He said:

"It's kind of like your house got broken into. And it took all your stuff. And then about a minute and a half later, you see them all dancing in your front yard with all your stuff. What would you do? Right?"

Moreover, #22 Joey Logano wasn't the only one who was penalized for his actions. The Richard Childress Racing driver Dillon was also docked 25 points and the NASCAR sanctioning body took his playoff berth for his controversial win at Richmond Raceway.

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"Crossed the line" - NASCAR VP on Joey Logano and Austin Dillon's penalty

In a conversation with renowned journalist Jeff Gluck, NASCAR Senior VP of Competitions Elton Sawyer shared his take on the actions of Joey Logano and Austin Dillon.

Former NASCAR driver Sawyer, who competed in more than 400 NASCAR races in his career, said the drivers know where the line is and claimed that the duo crossed their line. He said:

"I promise you, as a race car driver, they know where the line is. It's been a few years since I did it, but I promise you, I knew where the line was. Hard NASCAR racing -- little bump, little tire mark, moving a guy up out of the out of the groove to win a race -- we've done that for years. What happened on Sunday night crossed the line."