"I shouldn’t have shoved him": When Joey Logano’s calm chat with Denny Hamlin exploded in the final second

Almost six years ago, Joey Logano was involved in a heated exchange with Denny Hamlin after the first race of the Round of 8 at Martinsville Speedway. After the run-in, Logano said that he wanted Hamlin's side, but his tone fell short of an apology.

In late October 2019, Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota left Logano with a rubbed tire and a spin. They met briefly on pit road to sort things out. The chat at Martinsville looked calm for 29 seconds, but ended with Logano shoving Hamlin on the shoulder and walking away. The latter then lunged toward the Team Penske driver, and crew members stepped in. The No. 22 team's tire technician was later suspended for one race for grabbing Hamlin by the back of his fire suit and pulling him to the ground.

"I was frustrated about the situation, obviously. I just really wanted to go over there to talk to him and get his side of the story on what happened, and he just said 'I ran you up in the wall' basically. It wasn't as apologetic as I was looking for, and that probably escalated the situation too much," Joey Logano said (via NASCAR.com).

"I shouldn't have shoved him. For all the kids watching, that wasn't the best thing to do. But I was frustrated, tempers were high and it's the playoffs, so that's what happens," he added.

The Martinsville fracas was one chapter in a long series of clashes between the two drivers. They tangled on short tracks again that season.

"He didn’t gain anything" - Denny Hamlin on Joey Logano's 'lack of philosophy'

At Dover in the Round of 12 of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season, Joey Logano faced an early setback when a rear axle failure sent him to the garage and 24 laps behind before the race even began. But he returned and chased down cars to ultimately finish 34th. Hamlin, who dominated most of the race from the pole, lost his place when Logano raced aggressively while lapped.

"I get it. Everyone races hard. If you’re one lap down I get it. Even two, just not 24. It frustrates me because it’s just a lack of philosophy. All he did was piss some people off and what did he really gain? He didn’t gain anything. But he just pissed off some guys that he’s racing with now," Hamlin said (via NASCAR.com).

Logano defended his effort and cited playoff pressure.

Hamlin scored six wins that year and finished fourth in the Cup standings. He reached the Championship 4 and often ran at the front. Logano logged two wins and ended the year fifth in points.