There isn’t really much that beats the thrill of a last lap drag race along the back straightaway with side by side action in one of the last turns on the white flag lap of a race to get your adrenalin flowing… That is, until a driver with an engine that is about to crap out on him realizes that he is racing against perhaps his biggest nemesis in racing today and purposefully drives up the track and wrecks them both! Now I know what you are saying, it is racing it happens all the time. And yes, it does happen all the time – however let’s be fair, generally it is a little bump and run or a small squeeze. It also would not have been such a big deal if A – it wasn’t between Logano and Hamlin who have been feuding over social media in the last few weeks like a pair of teenage girls fighting over being prom queen; or B – Logano’s car wasn’t about to explode. Steam was pouring from his engine; he knew that Hamlin’s car was faster. Hamlin had caught up to him and was about to pass for the lead. That is what made his move dirty.
Now before you all go crazy – I know that crashing is a big part of the race – there are many people who tune into Talledega just to wait for the “big one”. And while I am not against the crashing as a rule, this time, I take offense. I could care less what Logano says, he wasn’t racing for a win, he was driving to stop Hamlin from winning during that last lap. Logano’s antics have resulted in a driver, who as of 10 am this Monday morning is still is hospital under observation, as well as ticking off a few other drivers (Tony Stewart for one).
I won’t take away from the fact that Logano is one of the better up and coming racers in the sport. Perhaps he could focus a little more on honing his skills and less time with the on-track antics that land him in such hot water with the general public and other racers. Playing bumper cars on a track going almost 200 miles an hour is not the wisest game he or Hamlin (who is not innocent in all of this) should be playing.
