Winner of Sunday evening NASCAR Cup Series Denny Hamlin says he had no issues lapping #22 Joey Logano in the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway however Logano wasn’t gonna give the same favor to Chase Elliott.
Joey Logano was accidentally taken out of the recent race at Bristol by Chase Elliott. Even though they did discuss the matter after the race, Logano said he had to “force an apology” from #9 Chase, which clearly got him upset.
The Middletown, Connecticut native suffered damage in a pit-road incident in stage 1 at Homestead Miami Speedway, which ruin his Penske Ford to put him way off the leading pace. He had already bumped into Chase Elliott from behind at Turn 3 in the final stage, and when Chase came up to lap Logano for a second time, the #22 Ford refuse to give up the lane he wanted to pass him.
Payback https://t.co/05Ld2XTrHz
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After the race, Hamlin said: “I’m sure that Joey probably ran him pretty hard there. I think most people would, given the Bristol situation. You almost as a driver kind of got to expect it.
“I don’t think it cost Chase the win. We had already ran him down. Yeah, we were in the middle of battling him, but I don’t think it cost him the race. Maybe, maybe not. It’s all speculative.
“You kind of have to ask Joey. The way I saw it, he was very generous to me. That’s all I know. I appreciated that. I don’t think he really ran Chase hard; he just didn’t let Chase clear.
“If Chase could have cleared him… I don’t think he really held him up, he just didn’t give him the spot.”
One of the ? moments from Sunday's race. pic.twitter.com/zA9omhz6Yg
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That cost Elliott crucial momentum, and allowed Hamlin to get a run and overtake him for the lead. Hamlin, who Logano didn’t resist, went on to take the win, with Elliott finishing a close second.