Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway had quite the finish, with eventual winner Joey Logano bumping William Byron on the next-to-last lap and then overtaking him to garner his first win of the season. Meanwhile, Byron hit the wall and eventually finished 13th and he wasn’t happy about how things went down, saying afterward that Logano is “a moron.”
"[Joey Logano]'s just a moron … He didn't even make it a contest."- William Byron pic.twitter.com/88WPpLBdTW
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 8, 2022
“We were really close off of Turn 2 and I think it spooked him,” Byron said. “Got him tight and he was right against the wall and I got the lead and he’s just an idiot. He does this stuff all the time. I’ve seen it with other guys. He drove in there 10 mph too fast. With these NextGen cars, he slammed me so hard he knocked the whole right side off the car. He’s just a moron. He can’t win a race, so he does it that way.”
Logano justified the move, saying that Byron squeezed him against the wall on a final restart and that all’s fair in love, war, and NASCAR.
Joey Logano’s reaction to William Byron calling him “a moron” and why he felt he had to make the move he did. pic.twitter.com/8NUE7vhlga
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 9, 2022
“There’s something to be said for an angry race car driver,” said Logano. “If someone’s going to be willing to do that to you, then the gloves are off.”
“I’ve been called a lot of things, a lot worse than moron,” Logano said.
Fans booed Logano when he got out of his car, letting him know what they thought of the maneuver.
“It’s obvious,” Byron as fans boo Logano. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/Ibl0c9Zk1B
— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) May 8, 2022
Meanwhile, plenty of others around the NASCAR world didn’t appreciate Logano’s move, including Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon.
Jeff Gordon talked about what he thought on Logano’s bump and run on Byron.
“Logano had a shot to do it clean. He chose to do it a different way. … I’m sure Joey’s going to justify it. William’s got a payback for Joey coming at some point.”#NASCAR #Goodyear400 @Frontstretch pic.twitter.com/v5JVPfglAA
— Dalton Hopkins (@PitLaneLT) May 8, 2022
Keep an eye on these two drivers in their next race, which will take place at Kansas Speedway next weekend.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.