Joey Logano ‘earns’ another ‘friend’ in Aric Almirola after Texas

Joey Logano’s target may have gotten bigger late Sunday in Texas. A week removed from his infamous, or famous depending on your view, last lap pass that left Martin Truex Jr. fuming and vowing revenge, Logano was making some more “friends” on another last lap pass.

On the final overtime restart Sunday in Texas, Logano got together with Almirola going into turn 3. Almirola was knocked up the track and slowed as Logano rocketed by.  Logano ended up third, Almirola 8th.

Needless to say, Almirola was none too happy after it was over.

“We were a third-place car and that restart there where we finally were in position,” Almirola, who was forced to start at the rear of the field after unapproved adjustments, said. “We fought all day from the back and started at the tail and worked diligently all day to get up to the front and finally got ourselves in position to at least have a shot and race with those guys.”

“The 22 just went down in turn three and put it right on my door and about wrecked us both,” he added. “I am not sure. I will have to talk to him. He just continues to make things harder on himself. If that is the way he wants to race me when he is already locked into Homestead and we are out here fighting for our lives, that is fine. When Homestead comes around if I am not in, he will know it.”

How Logano will know it wasn’t quite clear.

“I will just make it really difficult on him,” he said. “He made it really difficult on me today which was really unnecessary. He could have run fourth, fifth, 11th, it doesn’t matter. He is still going to go to Homestead and race for a championship, it is just not smart.”

Almirola heads to the final race in the Round of 8, seventh in the Playoff standings 57 points below the cutoff; Logano is already in the Final 4 thanks to his Martinsville win.

“I am fired up,” Almirola said. “Let’s go.”

Logano left the track without comment.

Greg Engle