CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Joey Logano, winner of two of the last three Cup Series championships, was never part of the conversation about potential elimination from the NASCAR playoffs—at least not until Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
During the race, the Team Penske driver struggled for much of the event and found himself in a tense battle with Ross Chastain for the final spot in the round of eight. The two drivers swapped the last transfer position multiple times as NASCAR prepared to cut the playoff field from 12 drivers to eight ahead of the third round.
Chastain was in, then Logano took over, then the two were tied—with Logano holding the tiebreaker. On fresher tires, Logano worked his way through the field, gathering every point possible. Meanwhile, Chastain defended on older Goodyear tires, fending off challengers quickly closing in his rearview mirror.
Then came Denny Hamlin, who played a pivotal role in the playoff finish for the second consecutive week. A week ago at Kansas Speedway, Hamlin’s hard racing against Bubba Wallace prevented Wallace from winning, ultimately leading to Wallace’s playoff elimination. This time, Hamlin was chasing down Chastain. The two cars made contact, causing Chastain to spin and cross the finish line backward in 21st place—one spot behind Logano.
That finish was enough to secure the final spot in the third round of the playoffs for Logano, eliminating Chastain.
An animated Hamlin, on pit road, complained to his No. 11 crew that he was unaware of the situation and said he would not have passed Chastain had he known it would help Logano, a three-time Cup Series champion.
“I didn’t know anything about anything on that last run, I wasn’t very good,” Hamlin said. “I saw (Chastain) and I didn’t know anything going on. I thought I was racing for about 18th. I just wish I knew, so I could have been either prepared or made a different decision.”
Meanwhile, Shane van Gisbergen won his fifth consecutive race on a road or street course. The Charlotte race, run on “The Roval”—a hybrid road course/oval—was expected to be dominated by van Gisbergen, and indeed the New Zealander appeared poised to win.
Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell put up tough challenges, but van Gisbergen emerged from a hard-fought battle with Larson with 14 laps remaining and took the lead for good with 11 laps to go. This sealed the fate of Tyler Reddick, Wallace of 23XI Racing, and Austin Cindric of Team Penske, all of whom lost their chances for the final playoff spot.
Chastain of Trackhouse Racing remained in contention, as Logano’s Penske Ford struggled to perform well enough to secure his playoff position.
“Everybody was telling me how close it was going to be there. We’re still in. We’re still alive, baby,” Logano said amid a loud chorus of fan booing. “I knew it was within a point there, and I knew we were going to be tied there at the end and Ross was going to do whatever he had to do to make it happen.
“If you want drama, the playoffs bring it every time. What an entertaining finish there. We’ve still got a shot.”
The tense finish echoed last year, when Logano left Charlotte initially eliminated from the playoffs—only to learn hours later, while dining with his family, that Alex Bowman had been disqualified, putting Logano back into the field. He went on to win the Cup Series championship that year.
Chastain reflected on his race, calling two early speeding penalties “unforced errors” and expressing heartbreak for his team.
“It’s heartbreaking for almost 200 employees at Trackhouse,” Chastain said. “It’s not acceptable, just completely unacceptable. To get here and fail is a terrible feeling. I will wake up tomorrow and get right back to work.”
The eight drivers advancing to the third round of the playoffs are Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano of Penske; Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports; and Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing.
Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick, and Bubba Wallace were eliminated—marking the exit of both Michael Jordan-owned cars from title contention.
### A Tough Day for Austin Cindric
Cindric entered the race ranked last among the 12 playoff drivers and never got a chance to contend for the win needed to stay in the playoffs. He spun early, was hit by another driver during the second stage, and had to head to the garage for lengthy repairs, making him the first of the four drivers eliminated.
### Team Penske Advances
Despite the challenges, Team Penske teammates Logano and Blaney, who have combined for the last three Cup titles, advanced into the round of eight.
### Smokey Yunick Award Presented to Chad Knaus
Before the race, Chad Knaus, vice president of competition at Hendrick Motorsports, received the 2025 Smokey Yunick Award. Named after the late mechanic and innovator Henry “Smokey” Yunick, the award honors individuals who demonstrate exceptional innovation and have a major impact on motorsports.
“This means a lot to me,” Knaus said. “I have been a Smokey Yunick fan for my career, quite honestly, and the biggest reason is because of the stemming of invention and pushing the boundaries — that if there’s not a rule, try to exploit that opportunity.”
Knaus was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2024 and boasts 82 Cup Series race wins—including 81 with fellow Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson and one with William Byron—and seven Cup Series championships.
### What’s Next?
The third round of the NASCAR playoffs opens next Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Logano won at Las Vegas last year to earn a berth in the championship-deciding finale and went on to claim his third Cup Series title—the most among active drivers.
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