Joey Logano Calls for Less Gimmicks Amid All-Star Race Loss
“Glad you had a blast — I’m pissed off,” Joey Logano growled to reporters after finishing second in the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, as Christopher Bell celebrated in the distance. Logano was mad at Bell for moving him up the track to complete the race-winning pass, but he was even more furious at NASCAR. The frustration stemmed from what’s being called the “promoter’s caution.” This pre-planned yellow flag was added to this year’s All-Star Race format, giving track promoter Marcus Smith a chance to spice up the action during the second half of the race
When the caution did fly, it turned the strategy on its head, and for Logano, completely manipulated the outcome of his race. After defending the promoter's caution at the beginning of the week, Logano would need to eat those words, as his post-race comments were not very encouraging. “It’s frustrating when you lead that many laps, you had the fastest car, and a gimmick caution beats you,” Logano told reporters after the race.
Before the yellow flew, Logano was in command. He wasn’t as dominant as last year’s All-Star Race, where he led all but one lap en route to victory, but Logano had the best car all the same. Under the caution, Logano and team had a difficult decision to make, come pit for fresher tires and risk losing track position, or stay out and try to defend the lead on older tires? Logano stayed out, ultimately the wrong decision.
Despite Logano’s frustration, a caution at that exact moment seemed inevitable. Just seconds before it was thrown, Kyle Larson had tagged the wall and was creeping around the track with visible toe link damage. Even Ryan Blaney chimed in, sarcastically muttering, “How convenient,” as the caution bailed out Larson and his struggles, and who waved the flag? None other than Michael Waltrip, perched high on the flag stand with a backwards hat, sunglasses, and a big grin. Waltrip, long associated with the lighthearted side of NASCAR, was the perfect hype man for this scenario, until he wasn’t. Waltrip dropped the flag directly in the middle of the race track! The track cleanup crew had to come out and pick up the fallen caution flag, and drivers had to swerve to avoid it. “That was close.” John Hunter Nemechek shouted on his radio as the flag was dropped directly in front of him.
NASCAR had announced the installment of the promoter's caution weeks ago, but its dramatic impact, along with a built-in fireworks show, just screamed “gimmick,” and it sparked criticism. “We talk about wanting to grow the sport, wanting to bring in new fans,” Logano said, “But the people who love racing, real racing, they don’t want this stuff. They want to see the best drivers win because of their abilities, not due to race-altering decisions.” While the All-Star Race has always been a playground for experimentation, Sunday’s outcome added to a growing debate about how far is too far.
Logano, a two-time Cup Series Champion, has never been shy about speaking up, and while Bell got the trophy, it was Logano who likely spoke for a sizable chunk of the garage. “The racing was good. The track was great. The atmosphere was electric,” Logano said post-race, “But when it’s all said and done, let us race. That’s what we’re here to do.”
