Joey Logano Lets Go of His Villain Era as He Buries the Hatchet With Jimmie Johnson’s Driver

After the Phoenix race, it’s obvious that Joey Logano is not having a good start to the 2024 season. With three crashes in the first four NASCAR Cup Series races, he’s been having a tough time. Moreover, the Phoenix race added to his frustrations, especially with Jimmie Johnson‘s driver, John Hunter Nemechek, whom Logano felt was responsible for his latest trouble on the track.

Although it didn’t look like they had a chance to hash it out immediately after the race, Joey Logano didn’t hold back in expressing his displeasure towards Nemechek. However, the latest buzz is that they’ve managed to clear the air and smooth things over.

The effects of the post-race apology

Joey Logano’s day at the Phoenix Raceway ended sooner than he hoped, thanks to a tangle with John Hunter Nemechek during the Shriners Children’s 500. Starting P23, Logano’s race went south on Lap 206 when Nemechek clipped him, sending the #22 car spinning and drawing in Josh Berry, Corey LaJoie, Derek Kraus, and Zane Smith into the mess.

While Logano was still in his car after getting spun, his spotter, Coleman Pressley, dropped the news, “#42 just wrecked you,” lighting a fire under Logano. After climbing out of his wrecked ride, Logano didn’t hold back with the press, expressing frustration over racing at the back and getting caught in the chaos.

And then, Logano’s frustration leveled up when he got to know that Nemechek had radioed an apology, blaming the crash on Logano slowing down too soon. Logano’s reply? Straight up—Joey Logano said that Nemechek drove straight in the back of him, and the latter needs to be man enough to own that.

Fast forward a bit, and it seems the air has cleared. According to Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass, Logano and Nemechek have hashed it out and are on good terms now. But it leaves us wondering: If the tables were turned, would Logano seize a chance for a little payback? Meanwhile, Nemechek faced the music in his post-race chat, admitting his blunder.

John Hunter Nemechek apparently is ‘man enough’ to own his mistakes

After the dust settled from the race, John Hunter Nemechek took a hard look at what went down, owned up to his role in the crash with Joey Logano, and told reporters he’s planning to make amends directly with Logano and the Team Penske crew. Nemechek also admitted that he wanted to apologize to the Team Penske driver and everyone else. He said that he would reach out to the #22 driver.

Admitting his on-track mistake, John Hunter Nemechek said that he probably just misjudged it. He said that it looked like he hit the brake pedal pretty hard, and it didn’t really slow down, and he got in the back of Logano. Owning up to his mistake, he stated, “I made a mistake, and I’ve got to learn from it and own it.”

Read More: Infuriated Joey Logano Ruthlessly Trashes John Hunter Nemechek’s ‘Slow’ Claims in 7-Words

While Nemechek and Logano have smoothed things over, Logano’s got bigger fish to fry this season. It’s been one headache after another for him and his #22 crew. Despite showing promise with front-row qualifiers and grabbing poles early in the season, they just can’t seem to translate that into solid race-day performances. Joey Logano’s got to shake off these setbacks fast if he’s gunning for the championship.