Joey Logano Did Not Behave Like a Champion in 2015

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By Jerry Bonkowski

Next to the Golden Rule (do unto others as you would like them to do unto you), we’re supposed to learn from our mistakes.

By doing so, we’ll become better people – and hopefully not make the same mistake again.

Joey Logano might be able to relate to that. Who would have thought an outside force like rain Sunday at Phoenix would prevent Logano from reaching this Sunday’s championship-deciding final round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup?

Right or wrong, Logano has been vilified by many for how he dealt with Matt Kenseth in the Chase race at Kansas, and how Logano’s failure to reach out to Kenseth likely led to Kenseth pile-driving Logano into the wall at Martinsville two weeks later.

I’m not saying I’m right, but I will suggest that if Logano had only reached out to Kenseth after Kansas, maybe the former – and even the latter – might both be headed to the championship round at Homestead-Miami.

I think Logano made a serious tactical error at Kansas – not so much for what he did by spinning Kenseth out en route to victory – but for failing to discuss their contact after the race.

Or at the very least, Logano should have reached out to Kenseth in the days after Kansas.

Granted, there are some – and Logano would likely fall into this category – who might say it was up to Kenseth to reach out to Joey.

Sorry, but I disagree. First of all, who spun whom?

Second, Kenseth is a former Sprint Cup champion. He’s won more than three times the number of races as Logano, not to mention he’s been in NASCAR’s most elite division nearly three times as long as Logano.

Those kind of career achievements command respect. Sure, Logano has had a great season with six wins, but he still doesn’t command the kind of respect Kenseth does.

If Logano wants respect, he should give it, as well. By failing to do so, it ended his season prematurely. So in the end, was it worth it for Logano to take the hard line approach?

I say not.