By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Joey Logano, winner of two of the last three Cup Series championships, was never part of the conversation of potential elimination from NASCAR playoffs.
At least not until Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the Team Penske driver found himself struggling most of the race and in a tense battle with Ross Chastain for the final spot in the round of eight.
The two swapped the final transfer spot multiple times as NASCAR prepared to cut the field from 12 drivers to eight ahead of the third round of the playoffs. Chastain was in, then it was Logano, then the two were tied with Logano holding the tie-breaker.
Logano, on fresher tires, worked his way through the field for every point possible. Chastain was nursing old Goodyears and holding off every challenging driver closing quickly in his rearview mirror.
But then came Denny Hamlin, who for the second week in a row played a pivotal role in the finish and the playoff field. A week ago, his hard racing of Bubba Wallace kept Wallace from winning at Kansas Speedway and ultimately led to Wallace being eliminated from the playoffs.
This time it was chasing down Chastain. The two cars had contact, Chastain spun, and crossed the finish line backward in 21st, one spot behind Logano. It was enough to give Logano the final spot in the third round of the playoffs and eliminate Chastain.
An animated Hamlin on pit road complained to his No. 11 crew that he was not made aware of the situation and would not have passed Chastain had he known it would benefit three-time Cup Series champion Logano.
“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 about anything going on. I didn’t know. 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.”
Shane van Gisbergen, meanwhile, won his fifth consecutive race on a road or street course. Charlotte, called The Roval in this configuration, is a hybrid road course/oval.
The theory headed into Charlotte was that van Gisbergen had the race locked up and the only way a driver below the cutline could save his championship chances was if the New Zealander was beat.
Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell both put tough challenges on van Gisbergen, but van Gisbergen emerged from a car-slamming battle with Larson through the turns with 14 laps remaining and took the lead for good with 11 laps remaining.
That eliminated any shot for Tyler Reddick and Wallace of 23XI Racing, or Austin Cindric of Team Penske, claiming the final playoff position. Chastain of Trackhouse Racing remained in the hunt, though, as Logano couldn’t get his Penske Ford running well enough to secure his spot in the playoffs.
“Everybody was telling me how close it was going to be there. We’re still in. We’re still alive, baby,” Logano said as he reveled in 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.”
It was similar to a year ago when Logano left Charlotte eliminated from the playoffs, only to learn hours later while having dinner with his family that Alex Bowman had been disqualified and Logano was back in the field. He went on to win the Cup Series championship.
“Unforced errors, it’s just terrible,” Chastain said of two early race speeding penalties that made him want to “start the whole day over.”
“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 moving on to the third round of the playoffs are Ryan Blaney and Logano of Penske, Chase Elliott, Larson and William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports, Hamlin, Bell and Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing.
Chastain, Cindric, Reddick and Wallace were eliminated — which takes both of the Michael Jordan-owned cars out of title contention.
Bad day for Cindric
Cindric opened Sunday ranked last in the 12-driver playoff field and never had a shot to race for the win that would have prevented his elimination.
He spun early, was hit by another driver in the second stage, and had to go to the garage for lengthy repairs. That made him the first of four drivers eliminated. Team Penske teammates Logano and Blaney, who combined have won the last three Cup titles, advanced into the round of eight.
Smokey Yunick award
Chad Knaus, the vice president of competition at Hendrick Motorsports, was named the recipient of the 2025 Smokey Yunick Award ahead of Sunday’s race.
The award that began in 1997 is named after the late mechanic and innovator Henry “Smokey” Yunick to recognize an individual who demonstrated exceptional innovation and made a major impact in the world of 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. When I was a young man, the stories, and the lore of Smokey Yunick, was there. That was a bit of a fuel for me — it was something that I wanted to try to create.”
Knaus was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2024 and won 82 Cup Series races — 81 and seven Cup Series titles with fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson — and one with William Byron.
Up Next
NASCAR opens the third round of the playoffs Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Logano won last year to earn a berth into the championship-deciding finale. He went on to win his third Cup Series title, most among active drivers.