Following the dramatic conclusion to the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, Joey Logano openly criticized NASCAR’s safety measures following two major crashes in the final laps of the race.

Chaos broke out with nine laps to go when Michael McDowell collided with Logano after contact with Austin Cindric. A few laps later, Josh Berry suffered a horrific accident when his car rolled over on the home straight and crashed into the wall after colliding with Cindric.

In a post-race interview with NBC Sports, as cited by Yardbarker, Logano explained:

“It’s hard to say exactly how it started. I guess he was pushed into a corner and he walked in front of me and I couldn’t do anything.

Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, enters his car during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 23, 2024 in Daytona Beach, Florida.


James Gilbert/Getty Images

“It’s the end of a drag race and you’re trying to position yourself in the best possible place to avoid an accident.

“He always starts in the lead, and you just saw another one there with Josh Berry, who I hope is okay. I think he’s okay.

“We have to figure out how to get the cars to the ground. We’re not doing very well at that part, so hopefully we can figure out how to do it better.”

Despite NASCAR’s attempts to improve safety by introducing a new air deflector on the right-side rear window at Daytona, the incidents involving Logano exaggerated the inadequacy of these measures under real-world racing conditions.

The accidents had a substantial impact on Logano’s race outcome. After leading the race for 34 laps, he was a strong contender for victory, but his hopes were dashed and he was relegated to 31st place.

These back-to-back accidents not only jeopardize driver safety, but also raise questions about the effectiveness of NASCAR’s current safety measures.

NASCAR Cup Series: Coke Zero Sugar 400 results at Daytona International Speedway

  1. Harrison Burton – 20 | Running
  2. Kyle Busch – 11 | Running
  3. Christopher Bell – 27 | Running
  4. Cody Ware – 33 | Running
  5. Ty Gibbs – 26 | Running
  6. Bubba Wallace – 18 | Running
  7. Parker Retzlaff – 29 | Running
  8. Brad Keselowski – 12 | Running
  9. Daniel Hemric – 28 | Running
  10. Chris Buescher – 13 | Running
  11. Carson Hocevar – 37 | Running
  12. Ross Chastain – 24 | Running
  13. Zane Smith – 30 | Running
  14. Chasing Briscoe – 6 | Running
  15. Juan H. Nemechek – 31 | Running
  16. Alex Bowman – 21 | Running
  17. Erik Jones – 40 | Running
  18. Austin Cindric – 8 | Running
  19. BJ McLeod – 38 | Running
  20. Joey Gase – 39 | Running
  21. Kyle Larson – 9 | Running
  22. Austin Dillon – 16 | Running
  23. Todd Gilliland – 2 | Running
  24. Martin Truex Jr. – 17 | Running
  25. Austin Hill – 23 | Accident
  26. Josh Berry – 5 | Accident
  27. William Byron – 7 | Accident
  28. Tyler Reddick – 25 | Accident
  29. Ryan Blaney – 14 | Accident
  30. Michael McDowell – 1 | Accident
  31. Joey Logano – 3 | Accident
  32. Justin Haley – 36 | Accident
  33. Ricky Stenhouse Jr – 35 | Accident
  34. Corey LaJoie – 34 | Running
  35. Shane Van Gisbergen – 32 | Engine
  36. Elliott Chase – 10 | Accident
  37. Noah Gragson – 15 | Accident
  38. Denny Hamlin – 19 | Accident
  39. Ryan Preece – 4 | VPP
  40. Daniel Suarez – 22 | Fire