While exiting Turn 2 on the final lap of the second Duel that sets the grid for the Daytona 500, leader Logano came under attack from Chris Buescher, who darted to the inside to attempt a pass.
In response, 2015 Daytona 500 winner Logano attempted to block Buescher’s advance but instead got hit from behind and was spun into the outside wall, which caused significant damage to his #22 Penske Ford.
RFK Racing Ford driver Buescher was leading at the time of the resulting caution and was declared the winner, while Logano was left as the first driver to move to a backup car.
He will will now start Sunday’s NASCAR Cup season-opener from the rear of the field.
When asked what happened, Logano said: “Driver screwed up, that’s really all there is to it.
“I thought I was still clear and the run came a lot quicker than I thought it would. I tried to block it a little bit and just got a tag in the left-rear and off it went.
“It’s my fault. It stinks because it tore up our car and kind of puts us in a spot as a race team. It’s just a dumb mistake.”
Logano said he felt he was “a bit of a sitting duck” on the final lap, but didn’t think Buescher would get as good as a run as he did so quickly.
Logano will have to switch to a backup car after the crash
Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images
Harrison Burton’s car collected damage in the incident but his Wood Brothers team believed it could repair the damage in time. Defending Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell nearly got caught up in the wreck as well but escaped unscathed to finish second, ahead of Burton.
“He didn’t fall back that far and it came to me so fast,” Logano said.
“I reacted to try to block it and I should have just let it happen and tried to race from there. I just messed up.
“The worst part is I put our team in a bad spot trying to fix this thing or get another car. I got the #21 too in it, so it’s a dumb mistake. That’s all there is to it. I’m not perfect.”
With backup cars at a premium as the Next Generation car is new for the entire field, Logano’s wreck put Team Penske in a difficult spot to kick off the 2022 season.
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Logano also loses what had proven to be a very competitive car during Speedweeks.
“It doesn’t help, but we’ll try to make it as best we can,” he said.
“We’ve got a couple days of practice to work on it and get it good and we’ll move on.
“There’s nothing I can do now. I wish I could reverse time, but I can’t.
“Like I said, it was just a mistake. We’ve got to move forward.”