No Father’s Day for him

BROOKLYN, Mich. – T-shirts might not be the last NASCAR fans see of the dust-up between drivers Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano.

One thing is certain: Joey’s dad, Tom Logano, won’t be involved in any on-track confrontation between the drivers this week.

Several sources said Friday that NASCAR officials at Pocono (Pa.) “suggested” it might be a good idea for Tom Logano to take a break from the track.

When asked, NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said, “Our policy has always been and continues to be that what is discussed in the Cup hauler stays in the Cup hauler.”

Tom Logano was not formally penalized for his postrace actions Sunday, which included a run-in with TNT reporter Ralph Shaheen, but sources said he is expected to remain out of the competition area for several Cup races.

Joe Gibbs Racing team officials confirmed the elder Logano would not be at Michigan International Speedway this weekend.

Joey Logano and Harvick took turns Friday offering additional perspective on their clash at Pocono. Logano refused to give an inch, and Harvick maintained Logano must get his dad to stop meddling in his racing career.

Logano will start 12th in Sunday’s Heluva Good! 400. Harvick, the series points leader, will start 31st. Kurt Busch won the pole on Friday, his second of the season and 12th of his Cup career.

“I don’t take nothing back. I’m a man of my word. I said what I had to and that’s it,” said Logano, 20.

Joey Logano’s comment that Harvick’s wife, DeLana, “wears the firesuit in that family” even turned into a T-shirt money-maker for Harvick’s charity foundation.

Logano tried to confront Harvick on pit road last weekend after Harvick had nudged him out of the way for fifth place late in the race. Logano was restrained by members of Harvick’s crew. Tom Logano appeared to incite his son, then had the run-in with Shaheen.

“A lot of the fathers are still here at the race track. Not even for a 20-year-old kid, but for the older guys too, they still come to the race track,” Joey Logano said. “There’s nothing different there than everybody else.”

Harvick would hear none of it.

“He’s getting pushed, and it’s very evident who’s pushing him the most, and that’s his dad,” Harvick said of Joey Logano. “His dad shoved him into a pile like a dog chasing after a bone last week to go over there and want to fight.

“His father has no place in this. His father needs to step back and act like the rest of the dads and be happy that his kid is here. This isn’t Little League baseball anymore.”

Logano said he was surprised by the reaction his run-in received.

“I felt like I was done wrong out there and that’s it,” he said. “I try to be good with the give and take and all of that. When it’s down to the end and you’re racing for a top-five, why would you roll over and die?

“You’ve got to have that fire in your eye and that fire that you want to race and that’s what I was doing.”

So it is over between Logano and Harvick?

“You never know,” Logano said. “I’m not going to say it is and I’m not going to say it’s not.”