Harvick confronts Logano for late tap

ByBob Pockrass ESPN logo
Sunday, February 15, 2015

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano traded heated words following the Sprint Unlimited after Logano got into the back of Harvick's No. 4 car with two laps remaining.

The two drivers have a history dating back to 2010 and an infamous incident in Pocono Raceway, and Saturday night they were nose to nose (Harvick still having his helmet on) after they had gotten out of their cars following the 75-lap exhibition event at Daytona International Speedway. At one point, Logano appeared to lunge toward Harvick before they were separated and returned to their cars.

"He's just Kevin," Logano said. "He's an instigator, right? It's the same thing he is every other time he talks to someone. It's the same old crap. It just happens all the time. It's no big deal."

Harvick, who was critical of Logano's blocking moves at Talladega in October, which he believed helped Logano teammate Brad Keselowski win the race, was upset because he felt Logano's move was silly.

"He thinks he was helping, but you can't just drive somebody straight in the corner into the fence," said Harvick, the 2014 Sprint Cup champion. "He kind of did the same thing to me at Talladega. I told him, 'The karma train is coming after you.' And it bit him right in the [butt]. ... I just didn't appreciate just getting straight drove into the wall."

Logano finished sixth; Harvick was 11th. Matt Kenseth won the race.

"I don't know," Logano said. "It's just the same old stuff with him. I just was trying to work our way up there and had a good run down the backstretch pushing him and once he got into the corner, his car got tight.

"He's got a lot of damage on his car. That could have been why, too. ... It's unfortunate he got in the fence. [It was] not on purpose. Just trying to race to the front. All-star races like this really don't mean anything unless you win, so go for it."

Harvick said it being an exhibition event doesn't mean the Penske driver should just try anything.

"It is one of those deals where you just know that is not going to work," Harvick said. "Whether it's an all-star race or not, it doesn't really matter. You can't just take your head off and throw it on the floorboard and not use your brain."

In 2010, after the two drivers had words, Logano quipped that Harvick's wife "wears the firesuit in the family." After Logano got married in the offseason, Harvick's wife, DeLana, sent Logano's wife a T-shirt that was sold for charity after the incident that says, "I wear the firesuit in this family."

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