The 2024 NASCAR Cup champion, Joey Logano, recently spoke about his ongoing feud with Ty Gibbs before The Clash race, noting that despite several private conversations, the issue remains unresolved. Logano reflected on the incident from last year’s Clash at the Coliseum where he felt Gibbs had overstepped the bounds.
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Logano explained, “It’s obviously something that’s always in the back of your mind. It’s a thought that goes through your mind every time you see that car and that’s just racing. It’s what our sport is. Everyone is gonna keep a score sheet on each other and that’s just what it’s like, but I felt like that was too far. If you want to know where the line is, that was too far. He didn’t even win the race, either, so it wasn’t smart on his part, either.”
Logano, fully cognizant of the inevitable jostling that accompanies racing in the confined quarters of Bowman Gray, also issued a clear caution — actions taken here could echo into the regular season. He remarked on the nature of the track, suggesting it is a place where drivers might easily make enemies or execute numerous passes, some potentially without contact.
However, Logano underscored that there are boundaries that should not be crossed. According to him, there’s a general understanding of what’s acceptable and what isn’t in racing, and all the drivers know where that line is, most likely subtly referring to Gibbs.
What happened between Logano and Gibbs?
The tale between Logano and Gibbs traces back to the 2023 season, reaching a flashpoint when Logano spun Gibbs during the Martinsville playoff race last fall. Although the drivers subsequently discussed their differences, tensions flared anew during the Clash. They found themselves side by side on the front row for five restarts at last year’s Clash in Los Angeles.
During their final restart, with just 10 laps remaining, Gibbs, positioned on the inside, and Logano, on the outside, ran tightly together. As they navigated Turns 1 and 2, contact was made, pushing Logano up the track where he was subsequently hit from behind by his teammate, Ryan Blaney. The altercation caused the Team Penske driver to drop to P6, although he managed to claw back to a P4-place finish.
Logano reflected on the recurrent rivalry following the Clash race in LA, noting,
“Ty and I have raced pretty hard with each other since last year [2023], and we’ve tried to have a talk to where ‘OK, we’re going to start at zero.’ Then three weeks in a row where he was completely using me up… I had enough at Martinsville…”
Adding, “He called me afterward… we talked for about 30 minutes. And only for the first opportunity for us to race each other since that conversation to get completely used up on the restart.”
With both drivers scheduled to compete on the compact track at Bowman Gray, it remains to be seen how their fraught will develop in such a tight racing environment.
