Thursday, March 28, 2013

J.D. Gibbs: Logano Didn't Try to Hurt Hamlin

The president of Joe Gibbs Racing does not believe Joey Logano's motive was to keep Denny Hamlin from winning when the two wrecked on the last lap of Sunday's Sprint Cup race at California's Auto Club Speedway.

J.D. Gibbs also doesn't believe Logano knew Hamlin was injured -- as Logano has confirmed -- when he said his former JGR teammate got what he deserved in the wreck.

Hamlin crashed into a concrete retaining wall and suffered a compression fracture in his lower back that is expected to sideline him for at least the next five races, beginning with the April 7 event at Martinsville.

Since then, speculation on what happened between the two drivers who feuded a week earlier at Bristol has escalated.

At Bristol, Hamlin wrecked Logano while Logano was racing Jeff Gordon for the lead late at Bristol, leading to a shoving match on pit road between the team crews and a war of words on Twitter between the drivers.

Afterward, Hamlin said Logano told him he was coming for him.

"I think [Logano] was definitely racing for the win,'' Gibbs said during a Thursday conference call. "He was going for it. He's had some fast cars both those last couple of races. I don't know how much the week before played into it. ... My guess, whoever it was [next to him], he was going to try to win that thing.''(ESPN)