NASCAR’s Blatant HMS Favoritism on Display as a Desperate Joey Logano Gets Snubbed for the Poster Boy

“I don’t think I’ve seen them turn the yellow flag on and allow guys to work on cars while other guys are just sitting there.” Even race winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s crew chief was amazed to see the chaotic situation at Talladega. The largest “Big One” unfolded with five laps to go at the YellaWood 500, engulfing 28 cars. But most of those cars sat for longer than expected during the red flag period, including Joey Logano.

NASCAR tested Team Penske’s driver’s patience along with others, even while showing preference to Rick Hendrick’s driver. Chase Elliott was apparently the first to get his No. 9 car towed to pit road, while his rivals sat on the racetrack, wrecked and unable to move. This situation amused an Xfinity veteran recently.

The blind eye turned to Joey Logano amidst Hendrick’s priority

Team Penske was in a position to notch good spots on Sunday. They paced the field 19 different times all throughout the YellaWood 500. Austin Cindric led a race-high 29 laps, won Stage 2, and was in contention to win the race. Joey Logano was running fifth on lap 183; only Ryan Blaney got knocked out earlier. But the massive wreck buried both Logano and Cindric’s chances. Even Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott was caught in it. However, the discrepancy emerged when Elliott got the preference to possibly continue driving after repairs.

This controversial decision to sideline the damaged cars of Joey Logano and others while Elliott got the upper hand baffled people, including Kenny Wallace. The Xfinity veteran described the dramatic situation in a Dale Jr. Download episode. “We have a 28-car wreck, and Joey Logano’s in-car camera, he’s screaming through his helmet. ‘Pick me up! Get me going!’ It’s like a Mad Max movie where there’s only one gallon of gas left in the world and everybody’s fighting over that…so the whole field wants to be towed in. And in front of Joey Logano’s in-car camera is Noah Gragson just obliterating his motor…He’s trying to get his car out of the grass.” 

Then Wallace added how Rick Hendrick’s golden boy was the chosen one: “Guess whose car they picked up pretty much first? …(the No. 9). ” But Wallace also empathized with Elton Sawyer, who was probably not so happy to see this happening. “We got guys that spin out, and now you’re kidding me. This is the perfect storm – the tow truck driver picks up Chase Elliott, our most popular driver after Dale Jr retired. This is bad optics, and you know Elton is going, ‘Oh my gosh. Could you have please just picked somebody else?’” While Joey Logano landed a 13-point deficit, Elliott still has comfort with a 13-point cushion above the cut line.

Chase Elliott was not the only one who got the golden ticket. NASCAR also towed a Stewart-Haas Racing driver to pit road. But he was left scratching his head.

Mass confusion followed the wreck

Well, when you register a 28-car wreck for the first time in NASCAR history, things may get awry. When Brad Keselowski hit Austin Cindric in the rear and sent him pinballing, fans held their breath. The four-wide racing pack quickly turned into a massive pile of rubble and smoke. It altered the fortunes of nearly half of the 11 drivers racing for the final seven spots in the next round. It also altered NASCAR’s smooth decision-making process—officials were in a fix about how to tow all the cars back. The choice of cars was also difficult, which is why Joey Logano was sidelined for a more popular driver.

Yet even Chase Briscoe was NASCAR’s choice for the pit road trip. The No. 14 Ford driver scratched his head at the utter confusion that ensued following the wreck. “We had 10 different stories of what to do between they’re going to do the air jacks and then you had to get out, then they’re going to push you and then they were going to tow you, then they’re going to push you again. It just constantly kept changing.” He continued, “The guys working the crash they’re at the mercy of whatever they get told, so I know they’re doing everything they can but definitely probably need to figure out just a better way to do that.”

Evidently, the Talladega wreck brought out several unknowns. From sidelining Joey Logano to confusing Chase Briscoe, NASCAR had a hard time appeasing drivers. Hopefully, this precedent will pave the path for smoother times.