Kyle Busch defends rival Joey Logano for break-checking at Fontana

Joey Logano and Kyle Busch are the only multiple Cup champions in the current Cup grid and are chasing a third title.

Kyle Busch defends rival Joey Logano for break-checking at Fontana

Kyle Busch and Joey Logano (Via IMAGO)

The Kyle Busch-Joey Logano has been a NACAR Cup series storyline for over a decade. From teammates to rivals, they have shared some of the most heated moments of the sport on and off track. The 2023 season has been no different as Bausch and Logano, who is the defending champion, had some aggressive on-track battles starting from the unofficial season opener LA Clash.

Logano is known for his aggressive style of racing and has never been shy to go the extra mile to take the win. He isn’t fazed by the criticism and knows that aggression is a necessary evil. Busch has a similar attitude, though he has been much calmer in recent years. Joey Logano, on the other hand, still remains the Mr. Matured aggressor on track.

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The most recent move that prompted Logano’s criticism came in Fontana, California. The No:22 car caused an accordion effect by blocking the run from drivers behind his back, causing a multi-car incident on restart. Now Kyle Busch has come forth defending Logano, to the surprise of many, pointing out that the ford just maintained its speed and NASCAR’s decision to extend the restart zone was the real cause.

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“No. I think all it’s done is caused that wreck at California. In my opinion, it’s done nothing different. Nothing on the positive end. It’s only added a negative end to it because at California, Joey was just maintaining his speed and everybody was gaining, gaining, gaining, closing up their gaps because they all try to lay back and then time the run,” Busch said.

“So, he just waited for everybody to run into everybody and then went at the end of the zone. And so the bigger you make that zone the more anticipation everybody has and the more accordion effect you get. I knew that going in and I was not a proponent of lengthening the zone but nobody tends to listen to me a whole lot,” Busch added.

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Joey Logano denied break checking and insisted that he was innocent after the incident

Joey Logano
Joey Logano

Logano denied break-checking anyone during the restart and pointed out that he just wanted to make sure he gets in Infront of what was inside of him. The defending champion gave a similar opinion as expressed by the Fontan race winner Busch that the incident has more to do with the extended restart zone that prompted drivers to over-anticipate.

“Go back and look at the data. I didn’t do anything. I just rolled it and went like everyone was anticipating it. It’s part of the new restart zone – it’s bigger – so you can’t anticipate as much as you used to without getting into trouble,” Logano said.

“I went late in the zone because the car to the inside of me was lying back, so I was waiting for him to get up next to me before I went. I didn’t brake check anyone. It might look like it, but you can go back and look at it and see it’s not there,” Joey Logano added.

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