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Episodes, incidents in the racing careers of Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano
By Zack Albert | Published: October 30, 2019 6
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Matt Sullivan | Getty Images
A series of events have resulted in friction between drivers Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano over the course of their NASCAR careers, including the latest incident at Martinsville Speedway last weekend. Here is a look at the episodes and altercations that have marked the on-again, off-again rivalry in their time in NASCAR.
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Daytona International Speedway, 2013: Logano and Hamlin both drove for Joe Gibbs Racing from 2008-12. While Hamlin remains with JGR, Logano left for Team Penske in 2013. Their first season on opposing teams was marked by conflict.
In the 2013 Daytona 500, Hamlin let loose on Logano through Twitter, telling Brad Keselowski his new "genius teammate" had gummed up their aerodynamic draft. Logano fired back: "I remember when you were MY genius teammate. #LoveYouMeanIt"
In the 2013 Daytona 500, Hamlin let loose on Logano through Twitter, telling Brad Keselowski his new "genius teammate" had gummed up their aerodynamic draft. Logano fired back: "I remember when you were MY genius teammate. #LoveYouMeanIt"
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Bristol Motor Speedway, 2013: One month later, the former teammates flared up again after a bump from Hamlin sent Logano spinning two-thirds of the way home at Bristol. Logano yelled at Hamlin post-race before crew members separated the two.
Their sparring spilled over to Twitter later, with Logano chirping, "Hey @dennyhamlin great job protecting that genius brain of yours by keeping your helmet on." Hamlin told him to contact him by direct message or cell phone, "Otherwise hush little child."
Their sparring spilled over to Twitter later, with Logano chirping, "Hey @dennyhamlin great job protecting that genius brain of yours by keeping your helmet on." Hamlin told him to contact him by direct message or cell phone, "Otherwise hush little child."
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Auto Club Speedway, 2013: One week later, the two drivers found themselves locked together again, this time in a final-lap battle for the win at Auto Club. Their contact through the final set of corners allowed Kyle Busch to scoot through for the victory.
Logano scraped the wall and finished third, but Hamlin got the worst of the incident. His No. 11 veered to the inside retaining wall, and a hard impact left him with a compression fracture in his back. Hamlin missed four races recovering from his injury. Logano's driving also drew the ire of Tony Stewart, who charged him after the finish before crews stepped in.
Logano scraped the wall and finished third, but Hamlin got the worst of the incident. His No. 11 veered to the inside retaining wall, and a hard impact left him with a compression fracture in his back. Hamlin missed four races recovering from his injury. Logano's driving also drew the ire of Tony Stewart, who charged him after the finish before crews stepped in.
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Dover International Speedway, 2019: The Hamlin-Logano feud lay dormant for multiple seasons until the 2019 playoffs at Dover. Pre-race axle trouble on the No. 22 Ford kept Logano behind the wall before the start, but he returned after repairs to salvage as many points as possible. Hamlin and others grew frustrated when raced hard by Logano, who was 24 laps down and out of contention.
"I'm still racing. I ran as hard as I could this whole race," Logano said post-race, explaining he hoped to leapfrog early retirees in the finishing order. Hamlin's reply, which he quickly retracted and couched: "It's not your day, you had bad luck. We get it. But why? I don't understand that at all. That's just a stupid statement by an idiot."
"I'm still racing. I ran as hard as I could this whole race," Logano said post-race, explaining he hoped to leapfrog early retirees in the finishing order. Hamlin's reply, which he quickly retracted and couched: "It's not your day, you had bad luck. We get it. But why? I don't understand that at all. That's just a stupid statement by an idiot."
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Tyler Strong | NASCAR Digital Media
Martinsville Speedway, 2019: A late-race collision between the two playoff combatants sent Logano spinning with less than 50 laps remaining at Martinsville. Hamlin owned up to forcing their on-track contact in a post-race discussion, but a chat-ending poke by Logano transformed their meeting into a physical clash.
Hamlin and Logano were eventually separated, but their war of words continued in post-race interviews. "Denny's Denny, you know. He's a little bit arrogant sometimes," Logano said, adding he regretted escalating their talk with a shove. Hamlin countered by hinting Logano sought refuge behind his No. 22 crew: "He's just not that tough. He won't stand face to face, and that's just his style."
Hamlin and Logano were eventually separated, but their war of words continued in post-race interviews. "Denny's Denny, you know. He's a little bit arrogant sometimes," Logano said, adding he regretted escalating their talk with a shove. Hamlin countered by hinting Logano sought refuge behind his No. 22 crew: "He's just not that tough. He won't stand face to face, and that's just his style."