“I hope that doesn’t happen to anybody.” Those were the somber words of Joey Logano years after one of the most terrifying moments of his early NASCAR career. Just 19 years old and in his first full-time Cup Series season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Logano entered the 2009 race at Dover with high hopes and rising potential. Known as ‘sliced bread,’ for being the greatest thing since, the youngest driver in the field had already shown flashes of brilliance and carried the weight of great expectations on his shoulders.
What unfolded that day at the Monster Mile would not only test Joey Logano’s physical endurance but also become a defining visual in NASCAR crash reels. While the crash itself has been replayed endlessly, few recall how it all started, with a bump from Tony Stewart, the very man Joey had replaced at Joe Gibbs Racing.
19-year-old Joey Logano was scared
When Tony Stewart departed Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of 2008 to launch Stewart-Haas Racing, Logano was chosen to inherit Stewart’s iconic No. 20 car. The move placed immense pressure on the teenager to perform at NASCAR’s highest level quickly. At Dover, everything was going smoothly, and a collision changed the day’s narrative. Joey Logano started 11th at the 2009 AAA 400 for Joe Gibbs Racing. Meanwhile, Tony Stewart rolled off 22nd in his Stewart-Haas Racing car.
On lap 31 of the September 2009 AAA 400 at Dover, the field was tightly packed down the backstretch. Logano, driving the No. 20 Toyota, slowed abruptly to avoid Bobby Labonte, creating a bottleneck. Tony Stewart, who was close behind, made contact with Logano’s rear quarter panel as they approached turn 3, enough to send the rookie’s car spinning into the infield grass.
As his car slid across the grass, it rebounded back onto the steep banking, where Reed Sorenson’s No. 43 clipped him at speed. That second impact launched Joey Logano into the air, triggering a violent sequence of eight barrel rolls down the 24-degree banking. A horrifying sight triggered by the initial bump, Tony striking Joey’s quarter panel, that set everything in motion.
DOVER, DE – SEPTEMBER 27: Joey Logano, driver of the #20 Home Depot Toyota stands by his car before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on September 27, 2009 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR)
The crash was powerful enough to draw a red flag while crews cleared debris. Even Tony Stewart’s car suffered damage, and he later apologized for the wreck, including minor damage to his car’s front and rear quarters. Stewart, admittedly scared, said, “I wish I had saw that coming. I don’t know how to say sorry enough to Joey. I don’t know what happened. He just had to check up, and I didn’t see it coming.”
The JGR driver later admitted he was shaken. Logano said, “It just scared the heck out of me. I haven’t seen a replay yet. I’m not sure I want to see a replay. It started rolling and I was in there like, ‘Damn, please make this thing stop.’” Still, he credited the improved safety features of the Car of Tomorrow with saving his life.
Logano walked away, shaken but unscathed, thanks to all the safety devices in the new car. Reed Sorenson, Martin Truex Jr., and Robby Gordon also avoided injuries even though their cars were caught up in the crash. However, this would only be the start of his on-track brush-ups with Tony Stewart. And while the incident at Dover was unintentional, some blatantly were.
The time Logano threw a water bottle at Tony Stewart
Joey Logano’s journey with Tony Stewart began as admiration, overshadowed by a bitter exchange that foreshadowed hostility. As a young fan eager to impress, Joey once chased Tony Stewart only to watch the champion walk past him without acknowledgement. Joey didn’t hold back and said, “Tony just walked right by us. I yelled, ‘Hey Tony, here, sign my hat.’ He didn’t even look at me, just b-lined right. Sc— this guy, that was my reaction. I don’t like this guy; that was my reaction. So I took all my stuff and I threw it in the garbage when I got home.”
During the closing laps of the 2013 Auto Club 400 at Fontana, tensions between Stewart and Logano sparked into a heated confrontation. Tony, fuming over being blocked by Logano during a late restart, pulled alongside Joey on pit road after the race and unexpectedly shoved him with both hands. In response, the now Team Penske driver threw a water bottle at Tony, igniting a brief scuffle that forced crew members from both teams to step in and separate the two.
The moment set the tone for their fiery relations. Following the scaffold, Tony didn’t hold back. Stewart later cemented his disdain at Auto Club Speedway in 2013, branding Logano as a “little rich kid who has never had to work in his life” after a hard block during late race restarts. Verbal attacks didn’t stop there. Stewart claimed that Joey was all talk and no racecraft. He said, “He’s nothing but a little rich kid… it’s time he learns a lesson.” After one race, Tony even threatened, saying, “If you block me, you won’t make it through the other end of it.”
Meanwhile, Logano remained steadfast in defense of his actions. He said, “I had to throw the block… that was a race for the lead.” Their rivalry spilled off track, with post-race exchanges escalating alongside physical track battles. Stewart and Logano’s feud was the start of Logano’s arc, where he got into the grills of nearly every driver he’s raced against. However, he has 3 championships to show for his efforts, which is more than most of his rivals can say!
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