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Joey Logano was seen driving aggressively on pit road following a controversial finish at the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. This risky move drew criticism from 23XI driver Bubba Wallace's crew chief, who expressed concern as people were crossing the road at the time.
Two-time Cup Series champion Logano pilots the #22 Ford for Team Penske, competing full-time in the Cup Series. Logano had started the Cook Out 400 in P9 and fought his way to the top of the field. As the race went into overtime, the #22 was leading the pack, with Austin Dillon just over a car's length behind him. As the white flag was waived, Dillon was in pursuit of Logano, and eventually bumped the rear of the #22 Ford, sending him crashing into the wall.
Logano had been in a comfortable lead and looked likely to win the Cook Out 400 but Dillon's aggressive move turned things around. Logano was witnessed driving recklessly on pit road on the way to his garage. Wallace's spotter Freddie Kraft criticized him for his risky maneuver, in a post shared on X(formerly Twitter). Kraft wrote:
"Move Victory Lane back where it belongs and that many people won’t be trying to cross pit road. But it’s still no excuse for what happened. Cannot be that reckless."
Logano currently stands at P15 in the Cup Series driver standings. In 23 race starts this season, the 34-year-old has secured 7 top-ten, and 4 top-five finishes. Moreover, he drove down Victory Lane in the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway earlier this season, confirming his spot in the 2024 playoffs.
"It's far from racing" - Joey Logano's crew chief criticizes Austin Dillon's controversial move at Richmond
While Joey Logano looked to be only a few car lengths away from the win at the Richmond Raceway, by the end he barely managed to secure a P19 finish in the Cook Out 400. Logano appeared to have a comfortable grip on securing a win before RCR's Austin Dillon wrecked him and JGr driver Denny Hamlin, right before the finish line.
Logano's crew chief Paul Wolfe criticized Dillon in a post-race interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Wolfe said:
"It's just unfortunate what it turned into there on the last corner of the last lap. I'm not sure really what to say about that. I mean, it's as far from racing as you can get, and it's really disappointing that NASCAR allows stuff like that to go on.
"That wasn't a racing incident. Anyone can see that. So I guess what I'm asking NASCAR is what have we gotten to? Is this not racing anymore? At some point, we're going to have to not turn into a circus here," he added.
Dillon's victory at Richmond marked his fifth in the Cup Series and secured his seat in the playoffs.
