Altercations between drivers are a common occurrence in NASCAR and are often captured on camera. But on one occasion, the broadcasters failed to cover the fight that took place between Kyle Larson and Joey Logano. The incident took place several hours after the 2017 Daytona 500 and it was so intense that even Larson’s wife was not happy with the two-time Cup Series champion.
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In a recent interview with The Athletic, Larson opened up about the altercation in great detail. In the middle of the race, Larson and Logano were fighting for the lead and the former ended up pinching the latter as the unlapped car of Ryan Newman came into view. Logano was not happy at all with the lack of space Larson had given him at that moment and he was sure to put his point across.
2017 #Daytona500Winner 🏁
Kurt Busch won his first Daytona 500 in 2017, and he only led one lap. Chase Elliott ran out of gas with 3 to go, Martin Truex Jr ran out with 2 to go, and Kyle Larson ran out on the last lap. Kurt Busch didn't run out! 🏁 pic.twitter.com/IVlJnSO9W4
— NASCAR Legends (@LegendsNascar) February 12, 2021
“I rode back to the bus and got off the golf cart with Katelyn and (son) Owen — we just had Owen at the time. So I get off and Joey ran over to me and he’s way taller than me. He’s like towering over me, in my face, cussing me out. I was like “What are you talking about …?” (The on-track incident) had happened hours before when I did this to him, but he was like fuming and cussing me out. Lots of profanity,” he said.
Ultimately, the victor of the race was Kurt Busch, who was able to pass Larson on the final lap after the latter ran out of fuel.
Why was Kyle Larson’s wife not happy with Joey Logano?
There’s a good reason why Larson’s wife Katelyn was upset with the altercation between the two drivers. The couple had their son Owen with them when Logano showed up raging in her husband’s face, who at the time was only two years old. Considering how Logano did not hold back at all with his profanities, Katelyn did not appreciate the behavior one bit. According to her husband, it took a while for her to forgive the two-time Cup Series champion’s behavior at the time.
“But that was one where the cameras didn’t catch anything and I wasn’t ready for it either. And Katelyn was very mad at Joey because Owen was only (2) years old and he’s standing right next to me and (Joey was) cussing, saying all these words and stuff. She was not happy with him for a little while,” he added.
Both racers are considered to be among the best in NASCAR today and there is a lot of mutual respect between them. But their altercation sounds like one big moment that the fans had to miss out on.
