Logano responds to Richmond penalty

Joey Logano says his team is taking the hit from the Richmond penalty which nullified his win for the playoffs and took away points in addition to suspending his crew chief. But he made it clear Friday at Talladega Superspeedway that Team Penske is not only owning up to the penalty but is prepared to move forward.

"I personally do, yes, because I think what happened was something that is very, very small," Logano said when asked whether he views the win like any other. "What we got in trouble for was something that really didn't make our car any faster – it wasn't enough to make it much faster. I still look at it as a win, but obviously, from the outside, we've lost all the benefits of the win.

"We've lost the playoff points, we've lost all the regular points, we've lost our crew chief for a couple weeks, we've lost some cash. The penalty is pretty severe. With that being said, it wasn't like it was a big thing but the rule is written in black and white, and we pushed a little bit too far, and we'll pay that penalty and move on and attack again ... Is it going to be tough? Yes. Do I feel like we're prepared as we possibly can be? Yes."

Crew chief Todd Gordon has been suspended for two weeks (Talladega and Kansas Speedway) and fined $50,000 while the No. 22 team lost 25 owner and driver points. Team Penske announced it accepted the penalty and would not be appealing. Logano will work with engineer Miles Stanley for the GEICO 500 with Greg Erwin calling race strategy.

The infraction was in the rear suspension. The NASCAR rulebook states that the spacer/pinion of the truck trailing arm has to be in "complete contact with corresponding mating surfaces at all points and at all times." Gordon told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Friday morning it was about a 1/32-inch gap.

"It has nothing to do with swerving," Logano said.

Although NASCAR monitors the action, drivers will often swerve post-race in hopes of setting the suspension before going through inspection. When that action was pointed out in two separate questions, Logano said that was not the issue with why his team had the infraction.

"We had a small gap underneath the truck arm to the housing, from what I was told and understand of it," Logano said. "And it's very, very small. The rule is black and white that it must be flush and it apparently had a little bit of gap."

Logano and his teammate, Brad Keselowski, are both working without their crew chiefs this weekend. Paul Wolfe of the No. 2 team will miss his second of a three-race suspension following a penalty after the race at Phoenix Raceway in March. Penske will have its final appeal of that penalty on Tuesday.

When asked if it was fair the organization has now developed a reputation for pushing the limits or wearing the sport's black hat, Logano asserted that Team Penske is the most professional organization in the garage.

"I think we push as hard as we can because we're looking for hundredths of a second – every race team is. The fact of the matter is we're winning right now, and when your car wins it gets put through tech a lot," Logano said. "That's the way I look at it, is we're successful right now and that's why our car has to go through tech, and that's just part of it. But we're gonna have to push as hard as we can to be successful, and sometimes you go over that line.

"Apparently, every now and again you may – but you have to find that edge and get right to it, and it's a fine line. If you go a little bit over, we're sitting with what we're talking about today. The communication is clear to the race team about that, but we have to get as close to that edge as we possibly can to be successful and to actually win races."

Logano is a two-time winner at both Talladega and Kansas.