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CHARLOTTE (AP) — Joey Logano made it clear on pit road at Pocono that he's sick and tired of being pushed around.

It's about time.

Logano, the scrawny new kid on the playground, finally stood up to one of the neighborhood bullies by essentially telling Kevin Harvick he was done playing nice. If the confrontation after Sunday's race wasn't enough to make his point, Logano followed up with three pointed shots at the veteran driver, who lives in Oak Ridge, in a live television interview.

One of them was about Harvick's wife, DeLana.

Who knew the kid had it in him?

After all, it was long overdue display of backbone for Logano, who likely earned a fair share of respect for finally standing up for himself after a season-and-a-half of being polite. Problem is, his newfound moxie has been overshadowed by Daddy.

Ah, yes, Tom Logano.

The elder Logano learned a hard lesson last year, when NASCAR pulled his credential for entering pit road to confront Greg Biffle after the Nationwide race at California. He was angry at how Biffle had raced his son, who only two weeks earlier had rolled his car seven times in a spectacular accident at Dover.

It didn't help that TV cameras caught Tom Logano making a panicked sprint to the care center, painting a picture of a scared little boy in need of his father.

Joey Logano endured a decent dose of whispering about the back-to-back incidents and the role of his father, the overzealous protector.

Yet there Tom Logano was again Sunday at Pocono, where he was the second to reach Joey's car after he was spun by Harvick in the closing laps. The first was a Joe Gibbs Racing crewman, who tried to keep the driver from wading into the sea of team members who had formed a barrier around Harvick. The guy might have succeeded, too, if Tom Logano had not pried him away from his son.

What happened next is open to interpretation, but replays seemed to show the father encouraging his son to confront Harvick with what appeared to be a "Go Ahead!" Joey Logano never got close to Harvick, but he was red-faced and shouting, behavior never before seen in NASCAR from the 20-year-old.

Has Tom Logano crossed the line? Absolutely.

Only this isn't a case of an overzealous father living vicariously through his son. Pro sports are littered with over-the-top, micromanaging parents and, despite the reputation he's built for himself, that's not Tom Logano.

His actions are well-intentioned, albeit inappropriate, responses for a proud and supportive father. He's earned the right to celebrate his son's success and enjoy the ride so long as Joey allows him to ride shotgun.

However, Tom Logano has to figure out his role in his son's career. He got him to the big leagues at a young age, and he should entrust both the leadership at JGR and crew chief Greg Zippadelli to manage it from here.

Instead, he has lurked backstage and intervened whenever his boy has been in a pinch.

If Joey Logano is truly going to be credited with taking a stand Sunday, then Tom Logano needs to give him the space to celebrate his newfound growth.