Joe Gibbs Racing star points fingers at guilty Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Joey Logano for the Daytona 500 disaster

NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano was caught in a late-race incident during the final 15 laps of the prestigious Daytona 500, which ultimately ended his race, along with several other drivers. After the race concluded, Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin shared his thoughts on the ordeal and its impact on the field.

Joey Logano's night at Daytona took a dramatic turn after a lengthy pit stop in Stage 2 due to debris clogging the throttle of his #22 Ford. Once back on track, he fought his way up, battling Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for P4 on Lap 186. Stenhouse held his ground, forcing Logano into a tight spot between him and Kyle Busch. In the final laps, Logano lost control, triggering a multi-car wreck and ending his race.

In a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin weighed in on the Logano/Stenhouse Jr. incident and gave his verdict on who was at fault.

if I had to put a number on it I'd say probably 65% the #47 (Stenhouse Jr.) and 35% the #22 (Joey Logano). Stenhouse made a very aggressive block to a lane that was going much faster than him. He chopped down on the #22, they saw the #22 lift to like not keep his foot on it and just dump the #47 which he could have done. The #47 then he realizes okay 'I'm in line I'm in a safe spot'" Hamlin said [50:03 onwards]

He added:

"I think what happened with Joey is he got pissed off when he got chopped off he said 'Okay, you leave me another gap, I'm gonna take it', and he kept taking it and the #47 kept trying to stop it and eventually they just crashed each other so to me it just the cooler heads didn't prevail in the situation."

Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin nearly won his 4th Daytona 500 before an on-track incident left him and race leader Penske's Austin Cindric in a collision just before the white flag waved. HMS driver secured a historic victory at Daytona, becoming the youngest driver to do so in NASCAR history.

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. reacts to Joey Logano’s move that triggered wreck fest at Daytona 500

Hyak Motorsports driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. shared his thoughts on the incident involving him and reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano in the Great American Race. Stenhouse Jr. believes that Logano was trying to fill a gap that was 'small.' In an interview with Frontstretch's Michael Massie, the #47 driver said:

"Yeah, I'm not sure, you know," Stenhouse Jr. told Noah Lewis of TSJ Sports 1. "I felt like we worked really well, me and Joey worked as hard as he could to get to the front. I felt like, in my perspective, he (Joey Logano) was filling a gap, that was pretty small. I don't know that for sure. I haven't seen the replay. So I'd have to go back and watch it."

Notably, the seven-time Cup Series champion secured a P3 finish, his best ever in the Next-Gen era, and his Legacy Motor Club's John Hunter Nemechek secured a P5 finish, marking a good start for Johnson's team.