After trading barbs on Twitter a week ago, #11-Denny Hamlin and #22-Joey Logano actually traded paint on Sunday, throwing away their chances to win the Auto Club 400 by banging each other into oblivion on the final lap at Auto Club Speedway. But it was Loganos row with #14-Tony Stewart that led to the most heated exchange of the season so far, first as Stewart tried to get a piece of Logano on pit road and later as the three-time champion roasted the 22-year-old with criticism that turned very personal. The Hamlin-Logano feud, which began last week at Bristol when Hamlins attempted bump-and-run sent Loganos Ford spinning into the wall, escalated at Fontana, as Hamlin drove to the outside of Logano to start the final lap and the drivers traded shots until they wrecked in Turn 3 “ to the benefit of Kyle Busch, who was running third at the time and won the race. Logano was credited with a third-place finish, but Hamlins car slammed nose-first into the inside wall. Hamlin was airlifted to a local hospital for precautionary evaluation. But it was Loganos block of Tony Stewart on the final restart on Lap 190 that had Stewart seething after the race, to the point where he nosed in front of Loganos car on pit road (stopping its progress), climbed out and confronted the young driver before crew members intervened. Logano acknowledged that the block was a deliberate attempt to win the race. ‘I had to throw the block there’ Logano said. ‘That was a race for the lead. I felt if the 14 (Stewart) got underneath me, that was going to be the end of my opportunity to win the race, so I was just trying to protect the spot I had. I was actually pedaling, because I couldnt keep the 18 (race leader Kyle Busch) aligned (in front of Loganos No. 22 Ford, as the rules require on a restart). I was actually faster than the 18 getting our tires hooked up. And then Im trying to stagger myself making sure I dont beat him to the line, and then I had to block the 14 because I was pedaling it. Ill talk to him and well see what happens.” Stewart was having none of it. ‘Hes going to learn a lesson’ Stewart said. ‘Hes run his mouth long enough& Hes nothing but a little rich kid whos never had to work in his life, so hes going to learn what us working guys who had to work our way up& how it works. He has the choice to do that. Hes in control of his car. But if he ever turns down across in front of me again “ I dont care what lap it is “ he wont make it through the other end of it& Im tired of these guys doing that stuff, especially out of a kid thats been griping about everybody else “ and then he does that the next week& send Denny to the hospital and screw our day up. Hes talked the talk, but he hasnt walked the walk yet. Hes always got his crew guys walking the walk for him.”( NASCAR Wire Service )
