NASCAR champion Joey Logano reveals 'hurt' over Cup Series disqualification

NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano has opened up on the impact of a penalty he received at last weekend's race.

Logano's #22 car was disqualified after post-race inspection for a loose rear spoiler bolt, losing his fifth place finish and being relegated to 39th.

The reigning champion has only taken one top-10 finish this season, that coming when he finished eighth at Martinsville, and he currently sits 11th in the regular season standings – albeit with a 36-point buffer to the playoff cut line.

The three-time champion admitted on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this week after the race that the penalty 'hurt' him and his team, but admitted there was little they could do other than accept it.

Logano: Team Penske are not cheats

The 34-year-old said: “There’s a lot of bad things that come along with the penalty. And, you know, Team Penske, we’re not the people that, like, blatantly are going to go out there and cheat. It’s not who we are.

“It was a mistake that essentially, the nut came off the bolt back there on the brace, and the bowl was still in there, but it does – and I said on the radio show this morning – it does cause a little deflection, I’m sure, in the spoiler.

“Does it give you a competitive advantage? I’m sure it does a little bit. Did it change where we finished in the race? No, because everyone was locked down two-wide, so it doesn’t make a difference, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s not by the rules, so you’ve got to accept the penalty.

“And the penalty, I mean, it hurts. There’s no doubt.”

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