"No one gives a f*** about Joey Logano" - Denny Hamlin believes Busch-Stenhouse drama overshadowed the Team Penske driver's All-Star triumph

NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin has openly stated that the brawl between Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. post the All-Star race stole the limelight from Joey Logano. Logano, driving for Team Penske, won the $1 million race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Starting from pole position, former two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano claimed his first victory of the season. The 33-year-old dominated the field on Sunday night, leading 199 of a total of 200 laps before entering the victory lane.

However, the talking point from the weekend emerged to be a massive brawl that erupted between veteran drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch.

The drama erupted after the race when Kyle Busch, still in his racing gear, confronted Ricky Stenhouse Jr. over a “wrecking” incident during the race. Captured live by a TV crew, the confrontation quickly escalated. Stenhouse Jr. threw a punch at Busch, striking him in the jaw amidst the backdrop of post-race fireworks. The scuffle continued with Stenhouse Jr. landing another punch and shoving Busch, who stumbled over a tire. Race officials and team members intervened to separate the drivers.

Speaking on his podcast, "Actions Detrimental", Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin expressed his views on the incident:

"No one gives a f*** about Joey Logano winning the All-Star race. That's a fact. With all due respect to the #22. No one gives a s***. It's just a fact, and if it was the #11, no one would give a s*** either. It's just that, this was the story out of it."

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Denny Hamlin on why Ricky Stenhouse Jr. threw the first punch on Kyle Busch

Denny Hamlin elaborated on why Ricky Stenhouse Jr. initiated the physical altercation, suggesting that Stenhouse felt compelled to act based on his previous statements. He said:

"Before his face-to-face with Kyle, he put himself in a box. He put himself in a box on TV by saying he was going to do something. Ricky is one of those standup humans that when he tells you he’s going to do something he’s probably going to do it." (48:08)

Elaborating on Kyle Busch's point of view, Hamlin further noted that the Richard Childress Racing driver appeared to be on the verge of settling the issue when Stenhouse punched him. He said:

"He was just about to make the turn into the relationship where he was like, ‘Okay, you’re right. I apologize. I’ll look at it if that’s what happened, sorry.’ He just never got the chance to say it because Ricky saw the opportunity to throw this punch starting to dwindle and he says, ‘Well, I said it. I guess I gotta do it.'" (49:20)

Denny Hamlin finished second in the NASCAR All-Star race. Chris Buescher, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top 5.