Joey Logano took responsibility for the Lap 83 crash at Watkins Glen on Sunday that eliminated both Brad Keselowski and William Byron from the race.
In an interview with Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports following the race, Logano admitted that he should have slowed down more before making contact with Keselowski. He also criticized NASCAR for failing to clean the track before restarts, which he believes contributed to the incident.
“I just wanted to talk to him,” Logano explained. “Honestly, I’m not trying to make excuses—I needed to check up more. But the track was a mess. They should’ve cleaned it up. I got pushed into a four-wide situation at one point, tried to give room, and ended up in the marbles. When I turned back, my tires were covered in debris, and I ended up hitting him.
“It’s still on me,” he admitted, “but seriously, clean the track. I’ve mentioned it two or three times before restarts, but nothing was done.”
Brad Keselowski’s crew chief, Matt McCall, responded to the crash, saying, “Your buddy Logano ran you over.” Keselowski and Byron both crashed into the wall, with Byron’s right front wheel getting lodged into Keselowski’s window net. The wreck was triggered when Logano hit Keselowski’s left bumper, sending him into Byron and ultimately into the wall.
After the crash, Keselowski asked McCall what happened, to which he replied, “Logano ran over you.” Spotter TJ Majors added, “Cleaned out by Joey, 100%.”
Logano, who won the previous week’s playoff opener in Atlanta, finished 15th at Watkins Glen. Keselowski ended up 26th, dropping 12 points below the cutline, while Byron, credited with a 34th-place finish, remains 25 points above the cutline.
