While little more than a trophy was on the line in Sunday's Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, that didn't stop the NASCAR Cup Series' preseason showcase from producing some hurt feelings. 16 caution flags meant a number of drivers were left unhappy with each other after on-track incidents, including two of the sport's most prolific drivers and multi-time Cup champions.
One of the 16 cautions during the Clash came out on lap 86 when Joey Logano turned Kyle Busch in Turn 4, a minor incident in the grand scheme of things as Busch came back to finish third while Logano finished well outside the top 10 in 16th. However, Busch made it clear during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that he was not happy with how Logano raced him, particularly after the two had exchanged pleasantries while serving as guests in Fox Sports' broadcast booth.
"It's really unfortunate to be raced by guys that are so two-faced," Busch said. "We were in the TV booth earlier in the night together, and when we were all done with that he was like 'Hey man, good luck tonight.' And I'm like, 'Okay, great, thanks, yeah, whatever,' and then lo and behold, there you go, he wrecks me. It's just, don't even talk to me if you're gonna be that kind of a--hole on the racetrack."
💭 "Don't even talk to me if you're going to be that kind of a**hole on the racetrack." 😳 #NASCAR
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) February 6, 2023
🔥 After working in the booth for @NASCARONFOX together hours before, @KyleBusch was surprised how @joeylogano raced him in the @nascarclash last night. pic.twitter.com/34fHcZdIzR
Logano would go on to respond on his own SiriusXM show, admitting that he made a mistake by sending his car too hard into the corner and into a slide, resulting in him subsequently tagging Busch in his left rear fender. Interestingly, though, Logano did not dispute Busch's insinuation that the two-time and defending Cup champion is two-faced.
"Am I sorry? Yes, I am. Am I two-faced? Yes, I am. And do I think anything's wrong with that? No, I don't," Logano said. "... I've said it throughout my career, I've heard Kyle say it before that I'm two-faced, and that's fine. I have a switch that I flip when it is time to go racing. I am out there to win, and yes, I have to do what I've got to do to win. I made a mistake, I didn't want to do that. But I still am going to be an intense racer no matter what.
"Luckily, I know how to shut that off to where when I get out of the race car, in Kyle's words, I'm not a complete a-hole all the time. That's better than being an a-hole 100% of the time. At least it's only when I'm in the race car. So that's where I'm at with it. Am I two-faced? I agree with him, 100%. There's nothing wrong with that."
Busch and Logano, who were once teammates together at Joe Gibbs Racing, have a history of on-track run-ins. The most notable incident between the two came at Las Vegas in the spring of 2017 when Busch threw a punch at Logano on pit road after Logano had spun him while racing for position on the final lap. The two are now the only active multi-time Cup Series champions, with Logano's second title last year putting him in leagues with Busch, who won his two championship in 2015 and 2019.
