Denny Hamlin questions 'odd' Joey Logano interview, frustration with Christopher Bell after All-Star Race

Joey Logano couldn’t hide his frustration after Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. After losing out to Christopher Bell in the $1 million exhibition, Logano took part in a pit road interview with Regan Smith of FOX Sports.

A “pissed off” Logano accused Bell of running him into the wall to take the lead in the closing laps of the race. He added he would have spun Bell out had he gotten back to his bumper. Denny Hamlin listened to the interview, and said on Monday’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast he felt like Logano’s anger towards Bell was unwarranted. Hamlin did say that Logano was fresh out of the car and hadn’t gotten a chance to see how the final laps unfolded. Still, he came away thinking it was an “odd” interview.

“That was an odd interview. I listened to it, and I just didn’t know how to take it because I was listening to Joey, and he made it sound like the 20 [Bell] wiped him out or something,” Hamlin said. “And then he was all pissed saying, ‘I would have wrecked him if I got back to him.’ The whole thing was odd. I felt like he was raging on the inside. It was odd to me. … Especially in an exhibition All-Star Race; it’s not a points race. He didn’t wreck you, it didn’t cause you to have a bad finish or any of those things.

“I know only winning matters in this particular race. But I don’t know, something didn’t seem quite right to where I felt like when I was listening to him, he was fighting himself on the inside to not just lash out in anger, but I just didn’t see what he was so upset about. You got to, at this point, say surely, he’ll go back and see that Christopher Bell did the same thing that Joey did which was kind of run him up into Turns 3 and 4. I don’t think there’s a question what Joey would do in the same scenario with fresh tires and a guy holding him up. He would have shipped him. Only results prove that.”

Joey Logano slams NASCAR Promoter’s Caution after All-Star Race

Logano obviously took issue with Bell’s tactics. But perhaps more frustrating was that he was the dominant car for much of the night. He led a race-high 139-of-250 laps; the Promoter’s Caution changed everything. Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith ordered Michael Waltrip to throw the yellow flag at Lap 216. That brought the field down pit road one final time.

That is, most of the field. Logano and Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney stayed out. Logano blocked Bell as long as he could on old tires. Bell cleared him with nine laps to go. Does Logano win if that race stays green to the finish? Perhaps, and Logano certainly isn’t happy with Smith.

“Yeah, I’m all about no gimmicks with the caution,” Logano said of the Promoter’s Caution. “I am all about that. I’m a little — me and Marcus Smith aren’t seeing eye to eye right now, OK? I’ve got to have a word with him.”