Joey Logano says NASCAR rival Ross Chastain "races…

Joey Logano won the opening stage at Martinsville Speedway and went on to earn his first top-ten finish of the year, but he still leaves the Virginia short track frustrated.

The three-time and reigning Cup Series champion was battling hard on a late-race restart when Ross Chastain cut down in front of Logano, in an effort to get back to the bottom lane on a restart. He did clear the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, but Logano then got into the back of Chastain to show his displeasure with the move.

On the following restart, Chastain was in a similar position again with Chase Briscoe. He again found a small hole to get to the bottom and Briscoe -- like Logano -- decided to send a message with his front bumper. However, all Briscoe ended up doing was running over the curb and shooting up the track ... directly into the side of Logano's car.

Logano went spinning, forcing the final caution flag of the race. Impressively, he drove all the way back up to eighth in the final running order, but that did little to ease his disappointment.

"I'm sick of paying the price"

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford (Photo by: Logan Riely / Getty Images)

“It seems like it’s been a typical 2025," said Logano. "A pretty solid car and then something happens ... We went for that stage win early in the race in Stage 1. I think that was the right call. We got ourselves back in the ballpark there and the long haul was pretty good. It was just kind of like a pick them off one at a time kind of thing and then Ross just sticking it in a tight spot. He did it to me on the restart before.

“I can’t even blame Briscoe for shipping him. I think he got himself in a bind trying to ship him. [Chastain] just races like a jackass every week and I keep paying the price. I’m sick of paying the price.”

Both Chastain and Logano have a reputation for being two of the most aggressive drivers in the Cup Series, but a run-in between them has been a rare occurrence. Asked in a post-race media scrum if he had anything he wanted to say to the driver of the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, Logano smiled as he replied: “Not at the moment. Nothing good.”

Logano wasn't the only driver aggravated after 400 laps of short track racing. Tyler Reddick and Ty Gibbs engaged in a post-race conversation following an on-track incident, as did Chris Buescher and Noah Gragson.