Kevin Harvick calls out NASCAR officiating following Joey Logano penalty: 'Absolute crap'

Coming out of the Shriners Children’s 500 in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix, many were up in arms over the penalty issued to Joey Logano for jumping the yellow line before the start/finish line. The penalty sent Logano to the back of the pack in the race and significantly altered his race strategy.

But the criticism that has flowed in for NASCAR since that call aren’t so much about the call itself as the pattern that has developed. Well, the lack of a pattern, really.

“Well this is one of those, it’s a black-and-white call with the way that this rule is written,” Kevin Harvick said on the Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast. “But if we’re going to call the black-and-white call here, there was definitely a couple situations on the restarts that I would consider questionable. The video right here (of Logano), I mean you can see the car is over the yellow line before the start finish line.

“That’s the rule. I’ve got no problem with black-and-white calls, as long as we call the black-and-white calls all the time. Let’s be consistent. Figure out a way out of this one and not that one. Because there’s not that iron fist that is just ruling these Cup Series races and calling those calls like they need to be called. But there are a lot of things that are black and white, and rules on the restart, rules on the yellow line, if we’re going to call all the black-and-white calls like that one then we need to call them all.”

In other words, the Logano incident was really just a jumping off point for Harvick to blister NASCAR over its inconsistent rulings. And he did not disappoint.

Harvick demonstrated that a little consistency could go a long way for NASCAR. Instead, inconsistency has led to confusion.

“It’s super easy. That call is super easy,” Harvick said. “Did we see anybody else get close to the start/finish line below the line for the rest of the day? No. Nobody close. Nobody was even close the rest of the day. It’s just like the restarts. There were a couple of those restarts at the end I was like, ‘Man, it looked to me like the outside guy jumped the inside guy or entered the zone and took off before the control car did.’

“Those inconsistencies, like when they didn’t make that call with Denny (Hamlin at Richmond), that’s the kind of crap I’m tired of. I’m tired of the inconsistencies that go with the officiating. It has been absolute crap.”

Harvick even outlined more examples of inconsistency from NASCAR. There have been quite a few.

“I think when you look at the throwing the caution in the Duel, not throwing the caution at the Daytona 500, not throwing the caution at the Atlanta Xfinity race, then we throw the caution for the Cup race,” Harvick said. “The reason that you’re getting trashed is because of the fact that you’re not consistent. You’re not doing it the same.

“Don’t give me this garbage that every scenario isn’t the same and we’ve got to talk through this. No, that’s not right. Atlanta was very simple, the Xfinity race. The Daytona 500 was very simple to throw the caution flag. You look at Joey Logano’s, that was a simple call. Just make it.”