Joey Logano Admits He’s A “Sore Loser,” Says He Shouldn’t Have Been Mad At How Christopher Bell Raced Him During All-Star Race

Well at least he admits it.

I’ve never really been a big Joey Logano fan. The driver of the #22 Team Penske Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series is an aggressive driver himself, but always seems to be whining about how others race him. Just seems hypocritical to complain about how others race when you’re doing the same thing to them…which is exactly what he did this weekend.

Yesterday was NASCAR’s annual All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, and Logano ended up leading much of the race, pacing the field for 139 of the 250 laps. But when the “promoter’s caution” fell on lap 217 (literally, Michael Waltrip ended up dropping the yellow flag onto the track as he was waving it), Logano stayed out on old tires while Christopher Bell brought his #20 Joe Gibbs Chevrolet onto the pit road for two fresh right side tires.

When the race went back to green flag racing, Bell restarted in 6th, the first car on fresh tires. And he quickly made his way through the field, trying in vain to get around Logano on the outside as the #22 blocked him and ran him up the track.

But with 10 laps to go, Bell managed to get on the inside of Logano. And while Logano tried to hold Bell to the bottom of the track, the #20 car was finally able to run Logano up to the top of the track and get by him for what would ultimately be the race win.

It was Bell’s first win in the All-Star Race, but afterwards Logano wasn’t happy with the move and criticized Bell for…racing him too hard, I guess?

“He kinda just ran me up in the wall. If I coulda got to him he was going around after a move like that. I just couldn’t get back to him.”

And he also blasted NASCAR for their “gimmick” promoter’s caution (although it seemed like a caution was going to come out anyway for Larson).

For his part, Bell wasn’t sure why Logano was upset with the move:

“Joey was frustrated? He was frustrated? That is interesting. I genuinely would not have guessed that…

I had got to him a couple times before, and he made it very difficult on me, as he should. And I got my run and I took the moment, as I should. I don’t think that I did anything that Joey has not done, and I’ve seen Joey do much worse. So we will continue on.”

Of course Bell is spot on there: Joey Logano seems to be a guy who has no problem racing others hard and doing whatever it takes to win, but when somebody like Bell makes a (totally clean) pass for the win he’s upset about it? Can’t really have it both ways. I mean, just a few laps earlier in the race Logano pulled pretty much the same move on Bell to keep from getting passed for the lead.

And after watching the replay of the race, apparently Joey agrees that he was in the wrong, admitting to NBC Sports that he’s the one who “set the tone” that they were going to race like a**holes:

“When I went back and re-watched it, I was like, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it was. If he did that the first time he got to me, I’d be like, ‘Dude, why would you do that?’

But he made solid attempts to pass me. I ran him all up and down the racetrack. So I opened the door. Like at that point, I opened the door. I had to do that to try to maintain the lead…

I set the tone that we’re going to race like a**holes. It’s OK that he did that to me. But in the moment you’re just pissed, right? You’re just like, ‘He ran me up the track.’ Then when I watched it, I was like, ‘Nah, it’s probably warranted.’

So, I shouldn’t have said that. You’re mad. It is what it is. He knocked me up and then moved me up. Would I have done the same? Probably. Especially after someone ran me all over the racetrack like I did, I probably would have done the same.

I’m a really bad loser. I’m a sore loser. I can’t help it. It is who I am, but I think that’s also what makes us winners.”

Well, good for Joey for acknowledging he was wrong instead of trying to retaliate against Bell later on down the road when it wasn’t warranted.

The first step is admitting you have a problem…