Last week, after the Coke 600, normally mild-mannered Jeff Burton got into Kyle Busch's face after the race. This week, after the Gillette 500, normally mild-mannered Joey Logano got into the face of points-leader Kevin Harvick. It is interesting to note that Burton and Harvick are Richard Childress (RCR) drivers, while Busch and Logano drive for Joe Gibbs (JGR). Both teams have three drivers, and both have been running exceptionally well this season. As the Hendrick dynasty has been having its troubles, RCR and JGR have been finding success. It is no surprise then that these two teams would be in fierce competition. It is a surprise though what that competition is bringing out in each team.

I for one was very pleased to see the fire in Joey Logano for a change. Although it is only his second season, Logano has ably shown that he wants to learn as much as he wants to win. But when he parked his 20 car inches from Harvick's 29 car on pit road after Sunday's checkered flag, it was immediately apparent that Joey was not interested in a lesson, but an answer. With crew members and his own father trying to direct him away from a confrontation, Logano showed that his patence has a limit. This is the good part. 

The bad part was when the cameras started rolling and Joey was able to speak his mind. Revealing his immaturity and emotions, Logano went on a verbal rampage that included accusing Harvick of not "wearing the firesuit" in his family, saying that Harvick was probably only doing what his wife told him to do. Almost on the verge of tears, Logano showed his frustration, but also showed that he should have spent a few more minutes in the hauler before emerging to speak to the press. His comments went far beyond expressing his side of the story, and deep into locker-room smack talk that has no business being associated with a professional sport. It's one thing to say things like this over the radio during the race, but quite another to say them to the media after the race. Joey's still got some growing to do.

Which brings up the question that has been asked ever since the All-Star race, when Kyle Busch pitched a fit over the way JGR teammate Denny Hamiln raced him in the final laps: "Where is the leadership on the JGR team?" It has been pointed out that no one stepped up to fill Tony Stewart's shoes as the leader of the team ever since he left to start Stewart/Haas. I think it is rather obvious that Denny Hamlin is the leader of the team, but keeping a firebrand like Kyle Busch focused on "the team" is proving to be more challenging than it sounds. Denny doesn't have the time or the patience to keep a guy like Busch on a leash, and quite frankly, I don't think he should bother trying. NASCAR may have teams, but it is not primarily a team sport; it is an individual sport first, a team sport second (or even third).

The leadership for JGR comes from Joe Gibbs himself. Gibbs has won three Super Bowls as a head coach, so he is no stranger to the dynamics of team sports. He knows how to walk the line between letting the players play the game, and disciplining them for selfish acts that hurt the team. Placing this responsibility (or even part of it) on the shoulders of Denny Hamiln is not only unfair to Denny as a driver, it is also unfair to Busch to Logano. Hamiln should certainly be a mentor, but looking to him to do something when his teammates act like junior-high boys on the playground is asking far more of him than he is able to provide. Besides, Denny was in victory lane while Logano was ranting to the cameras, a point that cannot be overemphasized. Respect is earned, but it cannot be forced. When Busch and Logano watch Hamlin hoist high the Sprint Cup trophy this November (yes that's my prediction), only then will they understand what Denny has been trying to teach them—both as a competitor and as a teammate. Only then will JGR become a team, and live up to the championship caliber of play that Coach Gibbs is known for.