Published 01/21/2023, 10:45 AM EST
2022 was a polarly opposite season for Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. That term also aptly describes how the relationship has been between the (former) Joe Gibbs Racing driver and the Team Penske driver. But there are times when they support each other; rare but it happens.
On David Gravel’s YouTube show, which Kyle Larson was on too recently, Joey Logano was asked: “Maybe, that’s why you got the bad boy rap in NASCAR.”
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Kyle Busch & Co. – the bad boys of NASCAR?
I feel like for whatever reason, the tall skinny guys are always the villains. Keselowski, you, Kyle Busch… anybody that’s tall and skinny, everybody’s like they’re the villains.”
But the 2022 Cup Series winner was in no mood for self-flagellation. He answered, “Well, I don’t know if I’m the villain. I’m aggressive and I don’t take any crap. If you’re doing it to me, I’m doing it back to you. It’s gonna be like that. Boom, done. That’s who I am. If I did it to you, I expect to get pushed back a little. That’s fine with me.”
At the same time, he also understands the safety aspect of it. On most occasions, the ‘hate’ aggressive drivers get is because of the safety aspect.
But Logano clarified, “We can do that with our cars. You can’t do that with Sprint Cars, you’re gonna kill someone. You can’t have that. But in our cars, someone slides you, pushes you… okay, it’s coming back immediately.”
Yes, these are aggressive drivers. But in elite sports, one can’t let others just walk over them. And that aggression has surely paid off for them, combining for 5 Cup Series titles between them.
Judgments about Joey Logano were made early on
At the same time, Logano doesn’t shy away from the truth or the bitterness of his actions in the past. No one has forgotten the ugly fight between him and Kyle Busch from 2017 (surprisingly, this too was in Las Vegas).
Nov 6, 2022; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) celebrates with his crew after winning the Cup championship at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
He told Gravel, “So I think that gave me a little bit of a bad look. I think also the way I handled situations when I was young, to the point of doing things wrong and being very arrogant. I thought I knew everything. I’ve been in a lot of situations early in my career wrong, so a lot of people made judgments off of that”.
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“Once people made their mind up, there’s no changing it early. So… that’s part of growing up in front of everybody. Everyone’s done stupid things when they’re 18.”
“I’m aggressive… I am an aggressive driver and if you look back, six or seven years ago, I was the most aggressive guy out there. By a long shot. Now, uh uh. I’m average at this point,” he said with a smile on his face.
“Not that I’ve gotten soft, everybody’s aggressive. They just realize they have to be that way now. The game has changed over time for sure,” Logano added.
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As the stakes keep growing higher and higher, and competitiveness increases, aggression will too. In a way, it’s good for the sport—it keeps drivers on their toes and fans on the edge of their seats. But controlled aggression is the key.