Hamlin and Logano carry their Bristol feud into Fontana with disaster
as Kyle Busch capitalizes on it
By Lou Modestino
As usual in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, the strategy was to try and stay out of trouble at Fontana until the end. For some it worked, for others it didn’t. Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano got into it coming down the last lap when the two tangled and went out big time. Waiting for something to happen was Kyle Busch who seized the opportunity when the two combatants tangled. While Logano was out of his car and waiting for the track crew, Tony Stewart, who was miffed that Joey blocked his efforts, came over to Logano and roughed him up.
With a big grin, a pleased Kyle Busch exclaimed, “It’s a great day for me and I was lucky to get by Hamlin and Lagano. I wouldn’t have won here today unless they smashed up!” Kyle also thought his car was great, as he managed to pick up speed at the end. It was a double-header weekend for Kyle, as he also managed to win the Nationwide race at Fontana, his sixth victory there, while Sam Hornish, Jr., got leftovers.
Busch also made a point of the fact that both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup cars are closer together in terms of performance. “Right now I have to say that things are back to normal for me. Things are going good for me this year. Our cars are awesome. It’s been a big turnaround this year.”
In a walking conversation with Fox Sports reporter Steve Burns, Stewart angrily said,” What do you think I’m mad about? I’m going to bust his ass!” Later Tony said, “He’s just a little rich kid that hasn’t earned any respect. And the fact that he threw that bottle of water at me (during their dust-up) aggravated me more.” When Stewart was told that Logano was going to call him later during the week to apologize, “I won’t answer his phone call, ” he snapped.
Logano’s retort on Stewart’s anger about blocking him at the end was, “I was just protecting my line because it was the last lap. We also had a solid car here today.” Joey ended up sixth and now tenth in points. There was also concern about Hamlin’s condition. After he made that hard hit into the wheel fence, getting out of his wrecked racecar, Denny collapsed and was taken to the field hospital. Later he was airlifted to a local hospital. The injuries were said not to be serious but the air transport was due to the traffic. Dave Rogers, Hamlin’s crew chief, said, “I just hope that he (Denny) is OK.”
Kyle Busch’s win gave team owner Joe Gibbs his first win at Fontana and snapped a 31 race winless streak. The fact that Kyle swept the Nationwide and Cup races was another highlight. Comments from the anchor booth attributed the big wreck at the end to a “Refuse to lose” attitude by both Logano and and Hamlin.
Following Kyle Busch over the stripe was JR, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Logano, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman for the top ten. JR now leads the Sprint Cup point standings. The commentators raved on how it was a great race all afternoon long. We agree with their summation. But there was a significant amount of empty seats in the grandstands.
Elsewhere, Canadian James Hinchcliffe won the Indy Car opener at the St. Pete street course with Helio Castroneves getting the runner-up spot. Will Power won the pole in qualifying. In Malaysia, Sabastian Vettel won the F1 race there. Kyle Larson won a Sprint Cup race on the dirt track in Stockton, CA.
Not too much going on next weekend because of the Easter holiday. Check Jayski.com to see what’s happening in the world of motorsports.