Harvick brings up 'Dega incident involving Logano at Championship Media Day
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DORAL, Fla. – Joey Logano takes it as a compliment. Single out the one you perceive to be your toughest competition and try to get inside his head.
One team owner said not so fast, instead describing it as "going after the low-hanging fruit."
But the verbal jabs Kevin Harvick lofted Logano's way during Wednesday's Championship Media Day at Trump National Doral Miami had more to do with what has already taken place than what might unfold this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
It's all about karma, Harvick said. It'll catch up with you.
"I told him that after Talladega," the Stewart-Haas Racing driver said. "… He knows I wasn't joking."
Harvick, Logano (Team Penske), Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing) and Ryan Newman (Richard Childress Racing) have survived nine weeks of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, and one of the four will walk away from Sunday's Ford EcoBoost 400 (ESPN, 3 p.m. ET) bearing the title of 2014 Sprint Cup champion.
At Talladega in October, Brad Keselowski pulled off a victory that sent him into the Eliminator Round. It was Harvick's contention that Logano held up the outside lane on a final restart, enabling Keselowski to collect the victory.
And Harvick was quick to reference the situation during Wednesday's initial interview session.
Asked how the finalists planned to race each other if they should find themselves nose-to-tail in the closing laps, Logano noted how much was on the line, "and we'll be racing each other really hard, I'm sure, but we want to be able to win the championship the right way."
To which Harvick quickly replied: "I thought you were going to say you were going to send Brad out to be the moving chicane like you were at Talladega."
Logano: I don't know what you're talking about, Kevin.
Harvick: Maybe you should ask Roger (Penske, team owner)."
Afterward, Logano brushed the exchange off as much ado about nothing.
"Obviously when you've got four guys racing for a championship in one race, anyone could have seen that one coming," he said.
"He's just being Kevin. To me, I think it's awesome because I'm one of the drivers racing for a championship; I'm racing against the best. That's awesome. And I've got one of them nervous about me; I think that's even cooler."
Maybe he's too young to know better, or maybe it's confidence that comes with winning five times for the first time in one's career and being just days away from racing for the championship.
Harvick's attempts, Logano said, were real enough. But he downplayed any impact the comments might have had.
"Yeah he's trying, for sure," Logano said. "I think it's cool he's trying. It's a compliment more than anything. If anything it builds confidence in me and my team that he feels like we are a threat for the championship.
"I'm 24 years old; I'm having fun with this. It's an amazing opportunity; make sure I enjoy it … you never know when it's all going to end. Also I am a very hard worker and know I'm going to make the most of this opportunity."
As for the gamesmanship?
"That's just part of the fun," he said.
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