Joey Logano didn’t explicitly say that the criticism surrounding his comments about teammate Austin Cindric lit a fire under him at Texas Motor Speedway, but he did recently acknowledge that outside noise often serves as fuel for his drive to succeed. When the pressure mounts, he channels it into performance.
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During the Talladega race, Logano erupted over the radio when Cindric didn’t help him secure the Stage 2 win. The #22 driver vented his frustration by calling his teammate a “dumba**”. Cindric, however, kept a level head and noted they would sort it out, emphasizing that their long-standing teamwork outweighed a single heated moment.
But while Cindric played it cool, former MLB star Chipper Jones didn’t hold back. Without naming names, he called out Logano’s conduct, saying, “Good teammates are hard to come by,” and pointed out that Logano hadn’t even congratulated Cindric after the latter’s win at Talladega.
Logano later responded, expressing surprise that a professional like Chipper would throw shade publicly, especially knowing the emotional toll of competition. He went a step further, suggesting that Jones might be making such remarks just to stay in the spotlight.
After Joey Logano’s victory at Texas, Chipper Jones took a complete U-turn from his earlier stance, posting on X, “Congratulations to @JoeyLogano. A HOF driver with a masterful win. This is what NASCAR fans expect from you. Hard charging wins and gracious top 5s and 10s. Well done!”
However, in his post-race interview, Logano acknowledged the influence of outside voices, admitting he uses criticism as power. “I think any time somebody says something about you, you can use it as motivation, whether it’s good or bad. When you have some negative comments and things like that, you have a chip on your shoulder. Well, I’ll prove you wrong,” he said.
Logano clarified that he doesn’t consciously push harder only on race week when someone criticizes him, but noted that something stirs deep down when the pressure’s on, whether it’s the playoffs or pointed remarks. He likened it to a writer responding to negative feedback by sharpening their next piece, “Oh, watch this, maybe I’ll write a better one.”
That same instinct kicks in for him behind the wheel, turning doubts into determination to succeed.
