Kevin Harvick declares Joey Logano was WRONG to slander Austin Cindric at Talladega

Kevin Harvick believes that Joey Logano's R-rated rant on the team radio against Austin Cindric at Talladega was completely unjustified.

Kevin Harvick declares Joey Logano was WRONG to slander Austin Cindric at Talladega

Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano (via IMAGO)

Joey Logano‘s cashout on team radio against Austin Cindric at Talladega has been met with immense criticism. Almost everyone in the racing community feels the rant on the team radio was unexpected and unwarranted. While the two teammates did not face a public fallout after the race, many notable figures have criticized the No. 22 driver’s actions. Amongst a sea of naysayers, Kevin Harvick has also issued a distasteful statement against Logano.

Joey Logano came clean after the culmination of the Jack Links’ 500 at Talladega and shared his side of the story. However, this still did not stop the wave of negativity hurled towards the 34-year-old. Even Denny Hamlin talked lowly of Logano’s harsh words on the team radio and condemned them. Now, Kevin Harvick shared his disagreement with the No.22 driver’s words at the end of the race.

Kevin Harvick issued a complete disagreement with Joey Logano’s assessment of the situation at the Talladega Superspeedway. Harvick believes that the condition was such that Austin Cindric had to checkup on Logano and potentially cost the latter crucial track positions. The three-time champion revealed that there were multiple cars lined up and crashing into the No.22 would’ve caused a much bigger problem than depicted on the track.

I do disagree with Joey’s assessment of that, It looked to me like there was so much momentum going forward that he had to pop out of line and put himself, you know, in a spot where he wasn’t just going to ram into the back of the No. 22. So, I felt like there were a couple cars behind him pushing, and a lot of times what happens in that scenario is, if you just try to hit the car in front of you, then it stacks you up, and you’re already being pushed.

Kevin Harvick said on the Happy Hour podcast.

Harvick assessed that the situation was more of a 50-50 in either driver’s favor. Unluckily, Logano received the short end of the stick and fell down the pecking order after Cindric’s move. Still, the Hall of Famer questioned whether the No.22 driver’s fallout on the team radio was legitimate or not. The two teammates have likely squashed the beef between them and are already looking up to scoring well at the upcoming Wurth 400 at the Texas Speedway.

So, it’s really kind of 50-50, as to whether you know that gripe from Joey is legitimate.

Kevin Harvick added.

Kevin Harvick claims he was ‘surprised’ after Joey Logano’s radio crashout

Austin Cindric also responded immediately to Joey Logano’s R-rated comment on the team radio. The No.2 driver clarified that his intention was not to sabotage Logano’s race and make him fall down the rankings. Kevin Harvick sympathized with the situation and pointed out his surprise after witnessing the public crashout between the two Penske teammates.

Joey Logano and Austin Cindric (via Athlon)
Joey Logano and Austin Cindric (via Athlon)

Kevin Harvick emphasized that a driver always felt ‘hung out’ by their teammate and thought that they could have received some help. Moreover, the teams have a specific plan laid out and aim to follow it through the race and maximize results. However, the situation at Talladega wasn’t as simple, and neither of the drivers was to blame. Still, Logano definitely went off too hard on the team radio and made the matter a bigger deal than required. As such, this surprised the three-time champion furthermore.

I think, from a driver standpoint, you always feel like you’re getting hung out like your teammate, or he could’ve helped you. You have this plan that’s laid out before the race with the manufacturers, and you’re expecting him to push you. I think there was more to it than just being able to push.  But Joey definitely went off. I was a little surprised that he went off on the radio like that.

Kevin Harvick noted.

Joey Logano ended the Jack Links’ 500 weekend on a massively disappointing note as he not only finished in P5 after Austin Cindric supposedly sabotaged his race, but also suffered from a DSQ. As such, the No.22 driver now hopes to score a massive comeback in results and aims to keep up with his championship-winning streak. The reigning world champion is currently suffering from a performance slum that he would very like to get out of soon.

Also read: Kyle Larson set to replace JRM’s Connor Zilisch for Texas Xfinity race