NASCAR bosses have revealed the glove driver Joey Logano during last weekend’s qualifying in Atlanta.
Managing director Brad Moran showcased the glove to reporters after it was found in Logano’s car. Fellow driver Denny Hamlin had suggested it was found following a tip-off by a rival team.
Logano wore the glove on his left hand, placing it outside the window of the car during last Saturday’s qualifying, in a move suspected of helping to create an aerodynamic blocker.
It was black and webbed with an unknown material between every finger to optimise its effects.
Logano’s rival Corey Lajoie said in Las Vegas on Saturday that Logano did wear the glove and that his team – Penske – would have computer-simulated one before ever considering using it on track.
Moran said Logano’s was one of five cars pulled for random inspection after qualifying ended in Atlanta.
He said: “We spotted something that was honestly concerning.
“As you can see, the entire glove is webbed. The reason for that is you can obviously block more air, the drivers do put their hand up against the (window) opening, which we’ve never really had a rule against.
“This obviously goes one step further, and that glove becomes not only a competition problem but it goes one step further because it becomes a safety violation.”
Logano was forced to forfeit his second-place starting position and start from the back of the field for the Atlanta race last Sunday – as well as suffering a drive-through penalty.
Joey Logano drives in Las Vegas on Saturday. Pic: AP
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He commented: “As a driver, you work with the team and, hey, I’m going to take a portion of responsibility of that too, obviously. I should. I put the glove on.
“I didn’t build the glove or make it on my own. I can’t sew. We had conversations about it.
“What I’m proud about with this team is, yeah, that was a tough situation for us.
“It was hard to go through and embarrassing for sure, but the fact we got through it and just move on and focus on the next week, we showed that we have some speed in our race car and to be able to put it on the pole here, to me, is a statement type lap, so I’m proud of that.”
There are still questions over whether the material used was fire-retardant.
He added: “I would never have put myself in a situation where I feel unsafe.
“I have kids. I have a wife. I have a family that I care way more about than race cars, so no, I didn’t feel concerned about what we did. I didn’t race with it. Qualifying on speedways is pretty simple.”
