Talladega Superspeedway is one of Joey Logano’s best tracks. The Team Penske driver has won three times at the 2.66-mile track in his career and the reason for his induction into the Talladega Walk of Fame on Saturday.
Heading into Sunday’s race, the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion was hoping to find some of that success he’s had in the past, which has included 10 top fives or a finishing position he had surprisingly yet to achieve through the first quarter (nine races) of the 2025 campaign.
When the cars completed the 188 laps and 500 miles in Alabama, the No. 22 driver had done just that. He finished fifth.
It happened on the final lap in the second stage when Logano was trying to catch up and pass leader Bubba Wallace to win the stage. The No. 2 pilot was behind Logano but didn’t give him the push needed to pass the 23XI Racing driver.
Joey Logano (L) and Austin Cindric talk on the grid at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Alex Slitz/Getty Images
While the No. 22 driver’s result was a positive storyline, it’s not the story fans were talking about after the race. Instead, they were focused on his profanity-laced tirade at the close of Stage 2.
“Way to go Austin,” an angry Logano said over the team radio. “Way to go you dumb [expletive]. Way to [expletive] go. What a stupid [expletive]. God. He just gave it to him. Gave a Toyota a stage win. Nice job. Way to go. What a dumbass.”
While Logano seemed relatively calm in his post-race interview on the Fox broadcast, he was still noticeably frustrated in his post-race conversation with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio when asked about the subject.
“ You were pretty hot at the end of the second stage,” reporter Lee Spencer said. “The Penske teams historically have worked so well together. Are you gonna have a discussion with Austin Cindric this week?”
“Absolutely,” Logano replied.
“Anything else you wanna explain on that?” the reporter asked.
“No,” the driver said. “That’s between me and him.”
Should make for an interesting competition meeting this week at Team Penske.
