Fontana frenzy: Logano’s block, Hamlin’s crash and Busch’s victory

Fierce racing, doors banging on the final lap and short tempers highlight the mayhem that was the 2013 Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway.

Ahead of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, Sirius XM), take a look back at one of the most intense battles at the Fontana, California, track from five years ago.

The build-up

The 2013 season served as Joey Logano’s first year driving the No. 22 Team Penske Ford after flanking Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin at Joe Gibbs Racing from 2009-12.

In the fourth race of the year, Logano and Hamlin were involved in a dust-up in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, where Hamlin spun Logano on Lap 348 of the 500-lap event. Logano would finish 17th. Hamlin apologized on the radio, saying, “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to wreck him,” and the No. 11 finished 23rd.

After the race, Logano climbed from his car and made a dash to Hamlin as he was unstrapping his belts. Logano sent some choice words in Hamlin’s direction before crew members on the No. 11 pushed him away from the car. The incident caused a brief skirmish between the Nos. 11 and 22 crews.

The tension between the two drivers set the tone for what was to come out West.

The race

The following week, the 200-lapper on the 2-mile D-shaped Auto Club Speedway oval was one to remember for a number of reasons, including the three-, four- and five-wide racing and the drama at the end.

Kyle Busch spent most of the race up front, leading 125 laps. Logano was the only other driver to lead more than 20 laps, with 41.

As the day progressed, three drivers would emerge as top contenders for the checkered flag: Busch, Logano and Hamlin. Fitting, right?

The final laps

On the final restart on Lap 190, Logano and Busch led the field into Turn 1. Logano moved to block Tony Stewart, who was running third, pushing the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing car down onto the apron, a move that had consequences made known after the race.

With fewer than 10 laps remaining, the fierce battle among Busch, Hamlin and Logano picked up steam when Logano nearly spun Hamlin coming out of Turn 4, though Hamlin was able to save it. The trio jockeyed for position until Hamlin and Logano started to pull away in a sprint to the finish.

The pair swapped positions up to and during the final lap, where Logano made one final effort for the victory, diving below Hamlin entering Turn 3. But Logano’s No. 22 didn’t stick, getting loose and slamming into Hamlin, sending the No. 11 up into the outer wall then spinning hard into the inside wall.

Busch, who had stealthily put himself in position to challenge both drivers, slipped past both of them on the outside and cruised to victory under the California sun. Logano finished third.

WATCH: Stewart, Logano tussle

The aftermath

After the race, Stewart made it a point to park next to Logano’s No. 22.

Once both drivers climbed from their rides, a still-fuming Stewart, who finished 22nd, quickly met Logano, lunging at the No. 22 driver in an effort to land a blow. The skirmish quickly was broken up by both crews, but not before Stewart got a shove in and Logano threw a water bottle at him.

A classic Stewart interview followed.

Hamlin was scored 25th, but the accident left him with a compression fracture in his lower back. He would miss four full races and most of Talladega before returning in full at Darlington.