Joey Logano Backs Denny Hamlin’s Argument to Bash SMI’s ‘Crap’ Texas Surface

In their long history in the NASCAR Cup Series, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano have been bitter rivals. In fact, their feuds were enough to add enough content for YouTube compilations. So it is fair to say that finding common ground on something is a bit of a rarity. It is rare, but not impossible, for them to be on the same page, but at last, it has finally happened. As it turns out, the subject they happened to agree on was the quality of the track surfaces at the race tracks.

It all started when Denny Hamlin took on Speedway Motorsports Inc.’s Marcus Smith. Let’s not deny that the Twitter spat was highly entertaining. However, Hamlin did make a few good points, but the track surface was nothing to write home about. Coincidentally, the Texas Motor Speedway is an SMI-owned track, so would Hamlin be vindicated or eat his own words?

Joey Logano talks about “bravery” amid the Texas brawl

Now it appears that Logano has seemingly supported Hamlin’s stance on the matter. The Team Penske driver told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “The resin PJ1 stuff that they sprayed down years ago, races ago, is still on the race track. I don’t know if it collects dust on top of it. It’s still sticky, you can feel it, its sticky. When you’re not on it under caution, the sticky [surface] catches the dust of  the cars, the brake dust, rubber dust, garbage in the air.

“The first few laps you go up there, it is complete ice. So it prevents cars from going up there sooner. Somebody’s gotta be the person that’s brave enough to clean it off. Enough cars have to make mistakes and get too high to clean it off, before it gets really fast. I wish there was a way to take that stuff off. I don’t know how to do that, but I think the racing would be better if you didn’t have that crap up there.“

The 2-time Cup Series champion wasn’t suggesting that the track surface impacted the racing product. As a matter of fact, the Texas Cup race was enticing, all things considered. However, he did note that the outside lane was extremely slippery, and it was evident from the number of spins and wrecks. According to Logano, moving up at the wrong time could spell disaster and possibly end a driver’s race.

The Team Penske star is having a tough campaign

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So far, the 2024 season has been the Chevrolet and Toyota show, with them locking out wins in all three series so far. For the Cup Series in particular, it has been Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing sharing the spoils. The only outlier was Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez, with his epic Atlanta photo finish win. Even still, he was driving a Chevrolet Camaro, so in the past nine rounds, there has been no Ford race winner at all.

It isn’t for the last of trying, with Logano, defending champion Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski leading the charge. Unfortunately, they almost always fell short, and Keselowski came agonisingly close last weekend in Texas. For all the hype around Chase Elliott ending a year-long winless streak, Keselowski’s own dry spell has been longer. This weekend, the paddock heads to Talladega for another chance to break the Hendrick-JGR dominance or extend it. Stay tuned.