Joey Logano says coronavirus pandemic has been humbling

If there’s anything Joey Logano knows, it’s how to get around Las Vegas Motor Speedway and under the skin of Kyle Busch, one of the valley’s native sons.

Logano has won two of the past three NASCAR Cup Series races at the 1.5-mile oval, including the Pennzoil 400 in February. Last week at Bristol, Tennessee, he incited Busch’s ire by making his bright yellow No. 22 Ford hard to pass while running a lap down, rekindling memories of pit road fisticuffs after the two got together in the closing laps at LVMS in 2017.

But one thing he didn’t know was how much he would miss practice, qualifying and racing in front of spectators. All were virtually eliminated after the coronavirus pandemic shut down the sport in March after Logano won at Phoenix.

“We all want to go back to the old way of living,” said the 30-year-old 2018 series champ who will start Sunday’s South Point 400 fourth in points. “That was the biggest lesson learned for all of us: Not to take one moment in life for granted when something crazy gets thrown at you.”

That said, Logano said he was proud of NASCAR getting back to competition ahead of the stick-and-ball sports and personally contributing to the protocols that helped stock car racing do it safely. Jimmie Johnson and Austin Dillon each missed one race after testing positive for COVID-19; otherwise, drivers’ health records have been impeccable.

“All the race teams, NASCAR included, found a way to get back to the racetrack in a big way and put some good races on,” Logano said. “I feel way safer at the racetrack than I do at the grocery store.”

Silence is golden

It’s no secret that Kurt Busch has struggled mightily on his hometown track — he’s 0 for 21 in Las Vegas with only two top-five finishes. But at least the media was able to rephrase the question this time:

What if he wins the South Point 400 and there’s nobody in the grandstands to see it?

“I would love to win through the spirit of the camera and everything on NBC Sports, and I know the fans there will be watching and cheering on the Busch brothers,” the 2004 series champion said. “So that’s where I would connect.”

Down and dirty

The possibility of covering the iconic Bristol, Tennessee, oval with dirt for a Cup Series race next year has been met with mixed reviews. But at least one of the playoff drivers would like to see it happen.

“I’d race lawn mowers if I had to, (so) a Cup car on dirt … doesn’t sound so bad to me,” said Alex Bowman, who will drive the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on Sunday.

“Bristol is a great racetrack, and to see that track kind of lose a race, in a sense, would definitely be a bummer. But I’m just interested to see if something like that were to happen how it would all play out. It would be a lot of fun.”

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.