The Martinsville Speedway’s Cook Out 400 on March 30 was a classic half-mile slugfest, and things got heated fast. On Lap 317, Ross Chastain dove low to block Chase Briscoe, setting off a chain reaction that sent Joey Logano spinning from sixth place after Briscoe clipped his bumper. Logano rallied to finish eighth, but his blood was boiling. Over the radio, he didn’t hold back: “Ross just sticking it in a tight spot. He did it to me on the restart before… He just races like a j—— every week, and I keep paying the price.” It was pure Martinsville, tight, aggressive, and packed with hard feelings.
Chastain, caught off guard, fired back in a post-race NBC interview: “I’m confused by what he’s said… He’s a three-time champ… to just call me those names is not appreciated. Not warranted, I don’t think.” The tension didn’t cool off there. Fast forward to the Chicago Street Race on July 6, and the feud reignited in the urban jungle. Now, Logano’s got a fresh take on their clash, and it’s as spicy as ever, with a pointed warning for Chastain that’s got fans buzzing.
Joey Logano’s take on the altercation
At Sonoma, when a reporter asked Logano if he and Chastain had hashed things out after Chicago, his response was ice cold: “We haven’t talked. It is what it is. He made his choices. I said it, I am just here to race my car.”
The Chicago incident was a mess, with 12 laps remaining. A restart pileup involving Austin Cindric and others saw Chastain spun near Turn 1, blaming Logano. Seconds later, Chastain retaliated in Turn 2, bumping Logano’s No. 22 into Ricky Stenhouse Jr., slamming them into the tire wall. Logano’s radio erupted: “Ross better get the f——- information right before he goes and wrecks somebody… and then he destroys me from four back. That m———-.”
Post-race, Logano stormed into the pit lane, finger pointed, saying, “He admitted he wrecked me on purpose… which means he should get fined… It’s just typical Ross. He just sees red and does dumb stuff.” Chastain, unfazed, shrugged, “He must be hearing footsteps when I’m not there.”
.@joeylogano and @RossChastain talk about the incident last week at Chicago and whether anything will continue this weekend at Sonoma. pic.twitter.com/djaPtmwJpq
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) July 12, 2025
When the reporter kept pressing, asking about Chastain’s 2023 Kansas clash with Noah Gragson, Logano leaned into his wit: “It’s a lot more fun when you’re not involved in it, I can tell you that much.”
That Kansas race saw Chastain squeeze Gragson off Turn 4, spinning him into the wall. Gragson, livid, grabbed Chastain’s firesuit on the pit road, yelling, “What the f—’s your problem?” Chastain pushed back, then landed a right hook when Gragson kept coming. Security broke it up quickly, and Chastain later called it self-defense on The Pat McAfee Show: “It was just punch or be punched.” Logano’s quip nails it—watching Chastain’s chaos is way more fun when you’re not the one spinning.
NASCAR is keeping a close eye on both
The Chicago clash didn’t end on the pit lane. Logano took his case straight to NASCAR officials, arguing Chastain’s intentional wreck deserved a penalty. On the Hauler Talk podcast, NASCAR’s Mike Forde addressed it: “I would be fairly surprised if we don’t have conversations with both those drivers, whether that’s going to be together or separately, in Sonoma, to let them know that our eyes will be peeled on both the 1 and the 22 to make sure that nothing unsavory happens at Sonoma and beyond.”
Forde praised Logano for handling it privately rather than airing more dirty laundry, saying, “Logano probably more than most takes advantage of that opportunity.”
Forde noted NASCAR prefers drivers bring issues directly to them, as Amanda Ellis has emphasized: “If you have a problem, if you have a critique, a criticism, whatever, our doors are open.” Logano’s a leader in this, sitting on the driver advisory council with Jeff Burton and others.
While driver disputes reaching officials are rare, Logano’s proactive approach, calmly taking his case to NASCAR, shows why he’s respected. As Chastain’s aggressive style keeps sparking feuds, Logano’s warning, “He made his choices,” signals he’s not backing down, setting the stage for a tense Sonoma showdown.
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