By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer
MARTINSVILLE, VA – The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of Eight started with a band as Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano came to blows post-race.
While both drivers finished inside the top-10, an incident on lap 459 led to the confrontation. Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry squeezed Logano’s No. 22 Shell / Pennzoil Ford Mustang against the wall on the frontstretch. The No. 22 spun a lap later.
Hamlin emerged unscathed and finished fourth. Logano, who had been running fifth, dropped to 19th on the running order. After a pit stop for fresh tires, he climbed up to eighth when the checkered flag waved at Martinsville Speedway.
On pit road post-race, Logano confronted his Playoff Grid rival on pit road. After an exchange of words, and a shove, fists were flying. NASCAR officials, worked to break-up Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing crew and the crews of Team Penske’s Logano and Ryan Blaney.
Hamlin explained that it started as a discussion until Logano went too far.
“I mean, I understand him coming over and talking. I stand there and I’ll have a discussion with them, but everything was fine, and I think he didn’t get me agitated enough.
“So, he says something and then pokes a little bit and then runs away. Trying to get me to come to (after him), so he could hide behind his guys. He’s just not that tough and he won’t stand face to face. That’s just got to stop.”
Logano, meanwhile, explained that the situation escalated too far.
“I was frustrated about the situation obviously. I just really wanting to go there and talk to him and get his side of the story on what happened, and he just said, ‘I ran you up into the wall.’ It wasn’t apologetic. I was looking for, and that probably escalated the situation too much. I was frustrated. Tempers are high and it’s the playoffs.”
The two rivals have a history in recent weeks. Hamlin was critical of Logano’s racing at Dover International Speedway. The Team Penske driver circulated to gain positions after he suffered a broken axle prior to the start of the race at Dover. He blocked Hamlin for several laps at Dover.
Although Hamlin accepted blame for the initial incident, he blames Logano for the ensuing fight and pointed to the former teammate’s conversation after Dover.
“I told him that it’s my fault. I came up the racetrack, we made contact obviously. But that the end part is his fault. I mean, we can have a discussion.
“I had a discussion with him over two or three times about him blocking me and what is he doing at Dover. That’s the discussion that men have. But he handles it differently because he’s immature.”
Following the events of Martinsville, Hamlin is now 10-points above the cutline that Logano now holds. Logano, on the other hand, has a 14-point cushion over those below the cutline.