NASCAR has seen its fair share of heated rivalries, but few moments stand out like the dramatic altercation between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) in 2017. What started as a hard-fought battle on the track quickly turned into a post-race brawl, leaving fans buzzing and media outlets scrambling to capture every detail.
The Race: A Tense Final Lap
The 2017 Kobalt 400 at LVMS was shaping up to be an intense race, with drivers battling for every position in the closing laps. As the race neared its conclusion, Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Toyota and Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford found themselves in close quarters.
On the final lap, Busch was running in the top five when Logano made a bold move going into Turn 3. Contact between the two sent Busch’s car spinning onto the apron, costing him valuable positions and dropping him to a 22nd-place finish. Understandably furious, Busch stormed down pit road after the race, ready to confront Logano.
The Fight: A Right Hook Heard Around NASCAR
The post-race moment that stole the headlines occurred when Busch walked straight to Logano’s pit stall and, without hesitation, threw a punch at Logano’s face. Chaos erupted as Logano’s pit crew immediately jumped in to separate the two drivers. Busch ended up on the ground, emerging with a bloody forehead. NASCAR officials and team members broke up the melee, but the damage had been done—both physically and reputationally.
The Aftermath: Words, Warnings, and No Penalties
In the immediate aftermath, Busch made his feelings clear, stating, “I got dumped. Plain and simple.” Logano, on the other hand, played it down, saying, “It was just hard racing,” and claimed he had no intention of wrecking Busch.
Despite the physical altercation, NASCAR opted not to penalize either driver, calling it a racing incident and citing the sport’s history of heated rivalries. While Logano and Busch both moved on from the fight, the tension between them lingered for years.
Legacy: A Defining NASCAR Feud
The 2017 Las Vegas incident added another layer to the already intense rivalry between Busch and Logano. Fans still debate whether Logano’s move was intentional or just a product of hard racing. Either way, this clash remains one of the most memorable fights in modern NASCAR history.
Whether you were team Busch or team Logano that day, one thing was certain—NASCAR got its latest dose of high-speed drama at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
