Joey Logano Forced by the NASCAR Community to Defend Himself After His Controversial Statement About Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson wanted to become the fifth driver to do ‘The Double’. But a storm resulted in delay and it washed away his ambitions. He had a decision to make. Indy 500 or Coca-Cola 600? Well, he chose the former, but missing 600 drew a waiver situation into question. While most drivers advocated for Larson, Joey Logano leaned toward the negative side. However, his thoughts didn’t sit well with fans and this resulted in a lot of backlash.

Soon Logano took to X to defend his previous statements. He wrote, “If anyone listened to what I said yesterday, I never picked a side. I was pointing out the tough decision that NASCAR is in. Since words have been twisted yet again… here’s what I think…What Larson did for Motorsports was amazing, and he should get the waiver.”

But what did the driver say that rubbed people the wrong way? As reported by On3, he opined that Larson was in a tricky situation. While the Indy 500 got delayed, Larson made his choice and decided 500 was more important than the Coca-Cola 600. “He put IndyCar ahead of NASCAR, that’s the facts, right or wrong. I don’t know. Waiver or not. I don’t know. I’m not here to make that decision, but the facts are, he thought IndyCar racing was a bigger race than NASCAR racing that day.”

“I don’t want to make anyone mad sitting here. I’m just spitting the facts here of that’s what happened. I’m not taking anything away from what Larson did. I thought it was the most badass thing that anyone can do, to try to run both those races in one day.”

Additionally, he stated that the particular waiver rule itself was very gray. He shared that the rule made sense if a driver got hurt in a racecar, but what if a driver got hurt while just driving down the road? He wasn’t sure if it would be applicable here. Further, he gave Chase Elliott’s example and how he got injured in 2023 while snowboarding. It sideline him for six weeks. But for Logano, he wasn’t sure if the incident would come under the waiver.

NASCAR’s guidelines state, “Unless otherwise authorized by NASCAR, driver(s) and Team Owner(s) must start all Championship Events of the current season to be eligible for The Playoffs.” Additionally, the waiver policy has ideally catered to only physical injury or a family emergency in the past. So this puts Kyle Larson in a tricky situation with his employers.

Post-Indy 500-Cola 600 weekend, many drivers and veterans, including Dale Earnhardt Jr and Denny Hamlin, have come out in support of Larson. But Joey Logano’s comments had irked a section of fans and that’s when he made his statement on X. However, it was too late because X users just wouldn’t stop.

NASCAR fans won’t stop hounding Joey Logano for his views!

Kyle Larson is arguably one of the best drivers in NASCAR at the moment. He occupied the first spot in the driver rankings until the Charlotte debacle dropped him to third. Joey Logano won his first-season race at North Wilkesboro and holds the 17th rank. Hence, one fan thought Logano was simply harboring envy. “Looks like some one is jealous here..🤣” Another fan quipped, “Why don’t you people quit f**king crying.”

Then one fan ruled Logano as being cold, given Larson’s tremendous effort at the Double. Trying to be the fifth driver ever to do this feat is remarkable in itself. “This comes off as Joey being a hater… wtf are we even talking about here? The best driver in the sport ran a historic race and flew all the way to Charlotte only for NASCAR to call the race. So tired of all the odd bitterness from the other drivers.”

Another fan scaled up the bitterness, personally attacking Joey Logano and comparing his talents to Larson’s. “All these guys just don’t want to compete against Larson in the playoffs. He’s already qualified, why should he have to start races after the fact after doing the job to qualify. @joeylogano is soft, and knows his Ford is a tractor so this is the easiest way to win for him.” 

Joey Logano drew a lot of flak for his unintentional views on Larson. Now we can only wait and see how NASCAR treats Kyle Larson’s unique waiver situation. What do you think will happen here?