Joey Logano’s recent comments have stirred up a controversy within the NASCAR community. The Team Penske driver believes that NASCAR allows too much freedom to its fans, which has spoiled them. Asserting his blunt statement, he compared NASCAR’s fan service to that of the NFL, where it is much harder to access players. The comments didn’t go unnoticed as fans and drivers shared their takes on the matter. The latest Cup series regular to chime in was 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick, who discussed the matter on the ‘Door Bumper Clear’ podcast.
Tyler Reddick feels Logano sometimes likes it when the spotlight is on him. The #45 driver also stated that Logano might not have meant the statement to come off as it has, but things have turned out against him. Logano’s former spotter, TJ Majors, also joined the conversation and sarcastically claimed that maybe Joey has his eyes set on Denny Hamlin‘s crown as NASCAR’s antagonist.
Tyler Reddick dissects Logano’s controversial opinion
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Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Joey Logano said that, more often than not, NASCAR drivers attend to the fanbase’s needs and are surrounded by them on both sides during a red-carpet presentation. Reciprocating the fans’ support is one thing, but being forced to do that is unnecessary, according to the #22 driver. Trying to understand the motive behind his statement, Tyler Reddick feels that whenever Logano has the platform to express something, he does his best to garner attention.
“I feel like he likes to get attention when he’s on. I feel like I understand what he meant, but the delivery…” claimed Reddick, to which the former spotter for the #22 team, TJ Majors replied, “Maybe he’s trying to knock Denny off the boot list. Like from the top of the boot list, I would say.”
NASCAR has always tried to bridge the gap between the sport’s professionals and the fans. While it has been largely successful at that through meet-up events and freedom on race tracks, some have had their reservations about the closeness.
“I don’t know how he meant it. From my perspective, yes, you know the fans get a lot of opportunities,” continued Tyler Reddick, somewhat agreeing with Logano. The 27-year-old then used his visit to a Denver Broncos game earlier this year as a reference to prove his point, as he said,
“I feel like it’s easier to get into a garage than it is to, like, yes, we cannot compare Xfinity and Truck cause it’s a different level, but when I went to see a Broncos game in last January, it took some serious players to get on the field, not necessarily get to meet Russell Wilson or meet this player or this coach. It takes serious connections to even get close to them, so you’re not necessarily going to get guaranteed a photo or an autograph or a conversation with them.”
Reddick then went on to compar the scenarios between the NFL and NASCAR. He followed it up with a statement about certain players avoiding the fans by restricting themselves to their suites or VIP areas.
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Reddick applauds NASCAR for its generosity to fans
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The NASCAR fanbase can easily be called one of the most loyal and supportive fan bases in the world. However, from time to time, it has let its opinions be known to the authorities, and in return, NASCAR has tried to work on those opinions to provide them with the best experiences.
Highlighting the same, Tyler Reddick stated, “I feel like NASCAR, the tracks, the team put a good effort to give the fans a lot more access than the other sports do. I guess I can’t really touch on it because I don’t know.”
“I don’t know if NFL teams are getting fan-mail, if their players come in and sign stuff. But if we are talking about earlier, if you’re sitting in a suite, you’re not going to get an experience with the fans that you can see right down by the bench.”
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The driver-audience relationship is one aspect of the sport that has pushed it forward for a long time. It is the fans who fill up the arenas and watch the races. Do you think Logano could have framed his opinion slightly less assertively? Or do you agree with his opinion?
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