"Needs to be man enough to own that"- Joey Logano frustrated by John Hunter Nemechek’s avoidable crash

Team Penske driver Joey Logano has vented his anger over John Hunter Nemechek for being involved in wrecking his #22 Toyota despite having the scope to avoid it.

The NASCAR Cup Series Shriners Children's 500 race got done and dusted, with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell bagging his first Cup Series victory of the season. His teammate Ty Gibbs secured the P3 spot despite getting trapped in bad pitstops, leading to his track position stooping to P17.

Nevertheless, the 2x NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano probably had the worst outing of the current season at Phoenix Raceway as his 312-lap run ceased with a DNF at P34. His miserable time was instigated on lap 205 when John Hunter Nemechek initiated a multi-car wreck, collecting the Team Penske driver's Ford with it.

Post his saddening stint on the 1-mile track, the 33-year-old outlined how his battle for "lucky dogs" was quashed by Nemechek's crash as he vented his anger on the latter. Motorsports journalist Bob Pockrass posted Logano's post-race talk on his X (formerly Twitter) account:

“It’s a shame. We weren’t running any good at all anyways, but, doesn’t make it better. Just fighting for lucky dogs, which, you get back there, and everyone’s racing not real good and I got caught up in it.”

He added:

“You gotta lift to make the corners. You can’t hold it wide-open around Phoenix, and maybe he should take a look and realize he can’t do that, too. He drove straight in the back of me, and he needs to be man enough to own that.”

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NASCAR slaps Joey Logano with a $10,000 penalty for breaching the regulations

Joey Logano entered the second Cup Series race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway and was eyeing to defend his 2023 win at the 1.54-mile track. However, to gain an aerodynamic advantage over his rivals, the Connecticut native increased the webbing on his gloves.

The area worked upon was between the thumb and the index finger. The extra webbing would prevent the slightest atmospheric pressure from creeping through the gloves. When Joey Logano stuck his hand at the netted window, the modification would let the air flow out of the car, thereby reducing the drag.

Logano's act violated the NASCAR rules and was subsequently slapped with grave penalties. In addition to the $10,000 fine imposed on the Team Penske driver, his starting spot was shifted from P2 to the rear of the pack. Furthermore, he had to serve a pass-through penalty from the very first lap and ended his run at a dismal P28.