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NASCAR.com editors Pat DeCola and Maggie MacKenzie are here to give their opinions on Joey Logano's race-winning, controversial move to get past Matt Kenseth at Kansas Speedway. Check out their take, then vote in our poll and let us know your view in the comments section below.
DeCola: OK, I think we all knew this was coming -- the head-to-head debate about Joey Logano's controversial move in the closing laps of Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway that put him in Victory Lane and Matt Kenseth on the edge of elimination.
Considering Logano already has a win in the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, it's easy to point out his risky move as unnecessary and unsportsmanlike. Others tend to think it's just hard racing for a win, no matter what. I'm in the camp of the former -- Logano must have been upset that Kenseth had been blocking him, but still had a few laps to get by him cleanly in what appeared to be the faster car.
What else was Kenseth supposed to do, but block? He all but needed the win to advance to the Eliminator Round and couldn't afford to let Logano by.
Had the pair been battling for a make-or-break win, I'm fine with that, but given Logano's cushion, it felt aggressive to me.
MacKenzie: Hey Pat, it's so nice to see you in this head-to-head debate with me. I understand your viewpoints on this touchy matter, but I am simply Team Logano. This may be the more unpopular side to be the spokesperson for, but I'm standing by the driver of the No. 22.
Yes, Logano won at Charlotte and locked a position in the Eliminator Round, but that doesn't mean he should play nice when he's fighting for a championship. Now with Kenseth, one of the field's top competitors, at the bottom of the Chase leaderboard, Logano has a relatively clear path to that nice, shiny trophy.
And we shouldn't lose sight that this is a competition, not a lesson on manners and etiquette.
DeCola: That clear path may not be as clear as it looks right now, however. Sure, if Kenseth is able to come out of Talledega still in the hunt for a title, he'll have no choice but to race Logano cleanly, but in the other -- more likely -- scenario, Kenseth will have four races to ensure Logano isn't the one holding said "nice, shiny trophy."
It's clear Logano added an enemy on the race track on Sunday, and with the volatile nature of the new Chase format the more cars aiming to take you out on the race track, the less chance you have to be holding the trophy at Homestead.
That said, if Logano continues to be faster than everyone else, it's almost a moot point -- but rest assured, Kenseth will have an opportunity to exact revenge on the No. 22 at some point before 2015 is up if he chooses.
And that risk doesn't seem worth it to me for Joey.
MacKenzie: It is definitely apparent that Logano made a foe in Kenseth. There is no doubt about that, but this is what makes this sport so great.
Logano needed to do what was necessary in order to secure his fifth win of the season. In my opinion, it doesn't really matter that he visited Victory Lane at Charlotte and is already advancing in the Chase. He did what he needed to do to lock up another win. Isn't that what NASCAR is all about -- winning? Because when it comes down to it, Logano's resume will show his wins, not the means he took to get there.
And something tells me that if the Team Penske driver comes into contact with his "enemy" he'll be able to handle himself just fine. So the "risk" of him facing off against an unhappy peer in the upcoming races is well worth it.