Joey Logano growing up fast

Associated Press

Joey Logano made it clear on pit road at Pocono that he’s sick and tired of being pushed around.

Logano, the new kid on the playground, stood up to one of the neighborhood bullies by essentially telling Kevin Harvick he was done playing nice. If the confrontation following Sunday’s race wasn’t enough to make his point, Logano followed up with three pointed shots at the veteran driver in a live television interview.

Logano likely earned a fair share of respect for finally standing up for himself after a season-and-a-half of being polite. Problem is, his newfound moxie has been somewhat overshadowed by the presence of his father, Tom Logano.

The elder Logano learned a hard lesson last year, when NASCAR pulled his credential for entering pit road to confront Greg Biffle following the Nationwide Series race at California.

Yet there he was again on Sunday at Pocono, where he was the second to reach Joey’s car after he was spun by Harvick in the closing laps. The first was a Joe Gibbs Racing crewman, who made an honest effort to keep the driver from wading into the sea of yellow-clad team members who had formed a barrier around Harvick. The guy might have succeeded, too, if Tom Logano had not pried him away from his son.

What happened next is up for interpretation, but multiple replays seemed to show the father encouraging his son to confront Harvick with both a gesture and what appeared to be a shout of “Go Ahead!” Joey Logano never got that close to Harvick, but he was red-faced and shouting, behavior never before seen in NASCAR from the polite 20-year-old.

At some point in all the commotion, Tom Logano apparently shoved a television reporter out of his way, an action that earned the father his own trip to the NASCAR hauler.

There comes a point when it’s time for the family to step back, and Tom Logano’s constant presence became a topic of gossip early in last year’s rookie season. It was ratcheted up after the October incident with Biffle, and is front-and-center again after Sunday.

Has Tom Logano crossed the line? Absolutely.

Only this isn’t a case of an overzealous father living vicariously through his son. Pro sports are littered with over-the-top, micromanaging parents and, despite the reputation he’s built for himself, that’s not Tom Logano.

His actions are well-intentioned, albeit inappropriate, responses for a proud and supportive father. He’s earned the right to celebrate his son’s success and enjoy the ride so long as Joey allows him to ride shotgun.

However, Tom Logano has to figure out his role in his son’s career. He got him all the way to the top at a very young age, and he should entrust both the leadership at JGR and crew chief Greg Zippadelli to manage it from here.

Instead, he’s lurked backstage and intervened whenever his boy has been in a pinch.

If Joey Logano is truly going to be credited with taking a stand Sunday, then Tom Logano needs to give him the space to celebrate his newfound growth.