Joey Logano Acquits Brad Keselowski of Talladega ‘Big One’ Blame Despite Ruined Playoff Run

The 'Big One' was inevitable.

Talladega Superspeedway has a reputation for high-speed, multi-car wrecks on the 2.66-mile oval and the 2024 YellaWood 500 lived up to that expectation. Joey Logano, who is battling for the championship qualified in sixth place, but couldn't maintain his track position in the second Round of 12 race. The Team Penske driver won the opening postseason fixture of the ongoing Cup Series season but has struggled since then and was forced to retire on Lap 183 due to an on-track incident.

The wreck involved 28 cars including playoff contender Austin Cindric, who had led for 29 laps until that point. It all began when Brad Keselowski nudged Cindric's No. 2 Ford Mustang, sending the Team Penske driver for a spin and into eventual race winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Other title aspirants such as Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe, Alex Bowman, and Chase Elliott were also caught in the crossfire.

In the post-race interview, Joey Logano refused to pin the blame on RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski, who finished runner-up. The Team Penske driver said, "Everyone gets more aggressive at the end of the races. The #2 got out there a little bit more than what he has been and #21 gave me a shove and transferred that to the #6. It got to the #2, fair amount of steam there. It was not his fault, it was not Brad's fault. It was not anybody's fault. Just a product of racing. It was getting more and more aggressive as the laps went down. It happens."

Logano's 33rd-place finish was a major blow to his championship hopes. It was his worst result since the postseason began and puts the Connecticut native in a precarious position going into the final Round of 12 race at the Charlotte Roval. Four drivers will be eliminated from the playoffs in next Sunday's Bank of America ROVAL 400 and as things stand, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric, and Chase Briscoe are below the elimination cutline. Could the Team Penske driver secure another surprising result like he did at Atlanta Motor Speedway and turn his season around? Time will tell.