Kyle Petty backs Joey Logano’s ‘deserved’ outburst on Austin Cindric

NASCAR veteran and son of legendary driver Richard Petty, Kyle Petty, has argued that Joey Logano deserved to lash out at Austin Cindric at Talladega Superspeedway. Logano threw expletives over the team radio when his Team Penske teammate didn't help him secure a stage win over 23XL's Bubba Wallace.

During the Jack Link's 500 on Sunday, April 27, Logano launched a rant against Cindric for not helping him overtake Wallace on the final lap of Stage 2. The No.22 driver expected his teammate to bump draft him, a move Cindric avoided in favor of a clean race to the checkered flag.

In an episode of NASCAR Daily, Petty backed Logano and provided context for why such a heated moment should be allowed.

"I don't think those comments are uncalled for at all. Here's the difference, those same comments have been going on in this sport ever since we've had team mates. The difference is we just didn't have access to it like the public. We didn't have it where we could play it back on a monday morning and crucify Joey or crucify somebody down the line," Kyle Petty said (3:32 onwards).

"You're not sitting in that car at 130 or 40 degrees at 200 miles an hour with an helmet on in close quarters trying to win a race. And that's where they are, right on the edge and they deserve to be able to make those comments and vent any time they want to," he added.

NASCAR expert Jeff Gluck recently defended Austin Cindric's choice not to help Logano, suggesting that the risk of causing a wreck outweighed any potential benefits in that situation. His decision paid off as the No.2 driver went on to secure his first win of the season at the 188-lap event.

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Kyle Petty says he's not worried about Joey Logano's poor results

Kyle Petty brushed off concerns over Joey Logano's poor showing so far in the 2025 Cup Series season. The reigning Cup champion has launched a dismal bid to his title defence, managing to log just one top-10 result from his 10 starts, beginning with a finish outside the top-30 at the Daytona 500.

During a recent episode of NASCAR Daily, Petty shared his take on the 34-year-old's performance after his disappointing bout at Bristol Motor Speedway.

"I don't worry about Joel Logano, Joey will go down in history as one of the greatest race car drivers to ever sit in the seat of a race car. He is focused, he is determined and he does not let bad weeks like this get in his head," Kyle Petty said (04:54 onwards).

Logano finished 24th at Bristol after a poor qualifying at 38th. In his next race at Talladega, he initially secured his second top-five result in fifth, before getting disqualified over a post-race inspection. Consequently, he dropped to the tail end of the field at 39th. The result dropped him two spots in the drivers' standings to land at 11th, three spots below his teammate Ryan Blaney.