Joey Logano denies responsibility for largest multi-car crash in the Fontana’s cup history

Joey Logano has denied being at fault for a multi-car NASCAR Cup Series crash that occurred during a restart at Fontana's Auto Club Raceway on Sunday. The chain-reaction incident, which occurred just before half distance during the penultimate race at the Californian track's two-mile circuit, eliminated four cars from the race. The incident involved 10 cars in all, marking it the biggest multi-car crash in the track's Cup history.

Joey Logano of Team Penske said the wider restart zone - which has been increased by 50 percent as an experiment in the first five races of 2023 - means there is more possibility for vehicles to try to make a run and, as the leading car, he can pick when to accelerate.

However, Joey Logano's decision to drive reasonably far into the zone meant that several cars in the pack went too soon, and those in the center of the field were to blame.

“Go back and look at the data – I didn’t do anything, I just rolled it and went like everyone was anticipating it." said Logano to the media.

He added:

“It’s part of the new restart zone – it’s bigger. So, you can’t anticipate as much as you used to without getting into trouble. I went late in the zone because the car to the inside of me was laying back, so I was waiting for him to get up next to me before I went. I didn’t brake check anyone. It might look like it, but you can go back and look at it and see it’s not there.”

Another Ford driver, Aric Almirola, who was informed by his spotter immediately after the crash that Joey Logano was to fault for the pile-up, said:

“I think the leader was just playing games, trying to prevent the runs coming from behind, and they stopped in the middle of the restart zone was right about where they should have been accelerating."

He added:

“It was just a huge accordion effect. We were back in 16th, so everybody just started stacking up and you can’t stop on a dime. It’s disappointing to get wrecked out of the race like that on a silly Mickey Mouse restart, but I should have known better.”

Christopher Bell, who had begun the race from the pole after qualifying was delayed out, was also crushed after colliding with the car in front and being smashed from behind.

“You are just going off the guy in front of you and all of sudden he slows down and I got into him, and other guys got into me.” Bell said.

---

NASCAR champion Joey Logano becomes car sick

Joey Logano is a world-class racecar driver who is also a human being off the track. Logano revealed to Jeff Gluck that whenever anyone else is driving, he feels car sick.

Car sickness is very common, but you'd think that someone used to driving in circles at over 200 mph would be resistant to the condition. Logano made the revelation on The Athletic's "12 Questions" podcast with Jeff Gluck.

Gluck asked Joey Logano what it's like to be a passenger in street cars, and he quickly responded that he never was

"I don't, I don't ride, I drive, I drive everywhere. I hate riding in the passenger seat ... I get car sick, for one, and I hate that. And this sounds so, but no one ever drives as good as me! There are only one or two people I am OK riding with, but 99% of the time, I drive, no matter what, all the time."

Logano stated that it makes no difference whether the other driver does it for a living and that even when he does appearances and is given car service, he declines and rents a car instead.