Joey Logano finds humor in criticism

Following a spate of high-profile incidents, Joey Logano has no misgivings regarding his reputation among a large segment of NASCAR fans.

A point reinforced when after posting a benign message on social media while watching “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” with his wife Brittany, Logano showed her the comments that ensued, which were largely negative.

But the 25-year-old isn’t bothered about the venom directed his way. In fact, he often has the opposite reaction.

“I get a kick out of it,” Logano said Friday at Phoenix International Raceway. “I posted a picture on Instagram and then all of the comments come up on my phone. There were a lot of good ones. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of really nice ones -- I have great fans, awesome fans.

“But then, there are a few that just come up and I start laughing because it’s so creative. I’m like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know I sucked on so many different levels.’”

Logano drew the ire of many fans and competitors alike after he spun Matt Kenseth out of the lead with five laps remaining last month at Kansas Speedway. Kenseth needed the victory to maintain Chase for the Sprint Cup eligibility and was eliminated from NASCAR’s playoffs the following week at Talladega Superspeedway.

Beyond just the act of turning Kenseth, it was also how Logano conducted himself afterward that further frustrated Kenseth and others. Adamant he was just racing hard and that Kenseth was blocking him, Logano never apologized or showed any contrition.

That attitude, which Kenseth called “arrogant” in an interview with The Associated Press Friday, didn’t earn Logano much respect. And when Kenseth retaliated by intentionally crashing Logano, who was leading and poised to advance to the championship race, at Martinsville Speedway fans greeted the move with boastful cheers and drivers voicing their support fort Kenseth, who NASCAR suspended two races.

Even though Kenseth placed him in a situation where he must win Sunday or be eliminated, Logano has emphasized remaining positive throughout the ordeal.

“I use it as motivation,” Logano said. “I try to use everything and try to spin it into something positive. It’s something I’ve done in my life, especially recently, is spin things into a positive and try to look at the bright side of things. I think it really helps my attitude.

“A bad attitude is just as contagious as a good attitude, so I think making sure your head is in the right spot helps keep the rest of the team motivated and thinking positively as we should.”

Undoubtedly, Logano’s attitude would dramatically improve were he to win Phoenix, which would transfer him to the championship race next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Although he’s won a series-best six times in 2015 -- including the season-opening Daytona 500 -- Logano says a victory Sunday would be the biggest of the year and of his career because of the championship implications.

“The Daytona 500 is a big win, but winning here would set us up for racing for a championship at Homestead would be the biggest one of the year. That’s what this point system brings. It makes every moment the Daytona 500 moment.”