Here's Why NASCAR Driver Joey Logano Was Penalized For Cheated-Up Gloves

NASCAR issued a penalty to Joey Logano a few hours before the Cup race in Atlanta on Sunday for non-compliant gloves. Logano’s gloves didn’t fail because they were out of date or the wrong rating but instead, they were modified for an aerodynamic gain to improve his lap time during qualifying.

The relevant glove specifications in NASCAR’s rule book

Logano’s gloves likely started out fully meeting the requirements of rule 14.3.1.1 which states that driver gloves must meet the SFI 3.3 rating, but as soon as they were modified, they automatically lost that certification. That’s per section 2.5 of the SFI 3.3 document which states, “Any Driver Accessory pertaining to this specification shall remain as constructed by the original manufacturer and shall not be modified or altered by anyone else.”

In addition to the modification section, there are very specific design requirements set out for gloves in SFI 3.3 and one of those is that “Gloves shall have separate sections for each finger and thumb.” The left glove that Logano was wearing also failed that part of the SFI 3.3 spec because the thumb and index finger were stitched together in a web.

Stitching a web between the thumb and index finger of your gloves may seem counterintuitive when you’re trying to drive a race car and have a grip on the steering wheel, but it can be hugely beneficial if you’re trying to do a qualifying lap in a NASCAR Cup car on a large oval. These race cars are fairly sealed off and don’t have externally protruding mirrors. This makes the sides as smooth as possible, but there’s still drag from the driver’s window which is not sealed off and instead has a window net mounted for safety.

nascar window net

The window net is weaved tightly, not only for safety but also to reduce turbulence and drag on the left side of the car. The net is a spec part built by Thermal Control Products and is used by all NASCAR Cup teams. The tight weave of the net reduces drag to an extent but there are still large holes where the air can enter the cabin along with a gap in the triangular area just ahead of the net.

Drivers will often focus on blocking this area with their left hand as they hit the straights on large ovals during qualifying to block some of the air that is entering the car and reduce drag. They will sometimes alternate between placing their hand in the gap ahead of the net and onto the net itself to not only prevent that air from entering the car but also attempt to deflect some of it off the side of the car. This helps the air avoid the large spoiler on the back of the car.

chevrolet camaro zl1 next gen nascar

NASCAR mandates taller spoilers on superspeedway-style tracks like Daytona, Atlanta, and Talladega to create more drag and slow the cars down for safety during the races. But, this also makes the cars draggier during qualifying. This is why teams will attempt to find any tweaks that are possible to gain a mile or two per hour. Prior to the introduction of the NASCAR Next Gen car, teams would often try to build their bodies in skew to the car’s suspension to get that rear spoiler out of the airflow coming over the car. That’s no longer possible since NASCAR’s Next Gen car came with a mandate of symmetric bodywork. That means teams are getting creative in other ways.

To get some additional insight on what these kinds of airflow tweaks can help on track, we spoke to NASCAR driver Parker Kligerman. He’s done qualifying laps in all three NASCAR national series. The Logano glove incident was also the title topic of the latest release of his The Money Lap newsletter. Parker also qualified fifth for the NASCAR Xfinity race this weekend.

“It’s funny, since I’ve been in NASCAR there have always been these little tricks at superspeedways,” Kligerman said. “In trucks, we try to pull the window net as far forward as possible, drivers will wear black gloves so as they come down the backstretch on the out lap they can try and pull it forward to block the air entering off the A-post. Similar to what Joey Logano was trying to do.”

In NASCAR, there’s often a pack mentality when it comes to aero strategies and techniques.

“In Xfinity right now you will see all the drivers covering this mandatory air tube we have on the right side of us,” Kligerman said. “It seems like every year there is something and if one team does something and goes fast, by the next race, we will all be doing it.”

Parker said he personally has “never felt anything in the car” partly due to all of their protective gear but added that no matter what, he yields to the engineers.

“The engineers tell us to do it and that it helps, so we do it. Does it help? I have no evidence to tell you either way,” Kilgerman said. “Drivers are simple, if you told us that wearing underwear on our head would gain us a tenth, everyone would be wearing underwear on their head.”

If the act of using one hand to block the window opening while attempting to set a fast qualifying time in a race car sounds, well, difficult, you’re not alone. But Kilgerman it’s actually not as wild as it sounds.

“It’s not that difficult once you have driven the cars. If it’s your first time in the car and you don’t know all its quirks and feel that it’s going to have as it settles into the corner, it can be difficult because you don’t know what you’re feeling when the car suddenly compressed into the corner or wiggles over a bump as you’re flat out and have to be flat out when qualifying at superspeedways. When you have experience in these cars, if it’s set up well you should be fine. But then again, it’s a race car and usually there is nothing intuitive or easy about driving race cars. They are meant to go fast, which usually doesn’t mean easy.”