Denny Hamlin says he’s not sure what factors have stoked his rivalry with Joey Logano, a feud that sparked anew after their post-race squabble last weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Five days after the altercation, Hamlin still had testy words for his adversary and his Team Penske crew.
“It’s really tough to say. I’m not sure but I think he really breeds those type of things,” Hamlin said. “He’s gotten into it really with a ton of people. I have my fair share as well, but I don’t know what it is, but I certainly don’t agree with it, for sure.”
Hamlin’s remarks came during a no-nonsense media availability Friday before the first of two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practices at Texas Motor Speedway. The 1.5-mile track hosts Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the second race in the postseason’s Round of 8. Hamlin and Logano remain playoff-eligible, and both are aiming to advance to the title race Nov. 17 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
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Hamlin and Logano made contact late in last Sunday’s race at Martinsville, with Logano’s No. 22 Ford getting the worst of their collision. He spun and rallied from 19th to finish eighth, while Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota continued on to finish fourth.
The two drivers met for a pointed conversation on pit road after the First Data 500, a chat that escalated after Logano pushed Hamlin’s right shoulder. The two had to be separated by their crews, but both expressed a desire to fight it out.
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On Monday, NASCAR officials suspended Dave Nichols Jr., a tire technician with Team Penske’s No. 22 team, for this weekend’s race at Texas. Nichols grabbed Hamlin by the back of his fire suit and threw him to the ground.
When asked if the one-race suspension was a fair penalty, Hamlin said “sure” but also knocked No. 22 crew chief Todd Gordon for a lack of control over his crew.
“My agitation with that guy (Nichols) is he’s the first one in in all Joey’s confrontations if you go back and look,” Hamlin said. “He dives in there and then starts most of this stuff.”
When asked if he thought Logano was purposely agitating him as part of a distraction strategy or mind game, Hamlin bristled. “No, he’s not that smart,” he said.