By Neha Dwivedi, Staff Writer
Much like last season, Logano once again dodged a bullet and slipped into the semifinals (Round of 8) with a stroke of luck that Ross Chastain lacked at Charlotte Roval. In 2024, Logano capitalized on Alex Bowman’s disqualification for car-weight issues to advance and eventually win the NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
This time, he didn’t have to wait for post-race inspection. The moment Ross Chastain spun in the final turn at Charlotte’s Roval, Logano knew he was through.
For 109 laps around the 17-turn course, Logano and Chastain traded blows lap after lap, seesawing for the final playoff spot. With tire wear dictating the rhythm, the race became a big-gamble chess match on asphalt. A sluggish right-front tire change by Logano’s crew gave Chastain a leg up, but the tables turned when Chastain picked up a speeding penalty with 20 laps to go, a blunder that sealed his playoff fate.
Crew chief Paul Wolfe rolled the dice, calling Logano to pit for fresh tires with 10 laps remaining. It was a do-or-die move meant either to force Chastain’s hand or capitalize on a fresher grip. But Chastain stayed out, banking on track position. However, as the laps wound down, his tires degraded and the car became slower.
“Proud of Paul Wolfe. Made some really hard calls today,” Logano said. “Three stop in the end there, kind of an audible there at the end. Just our fall-off was a little too much. So making that call there at the end was ultimately what kept us there in the game with just a few left. You know, a championship performance from the team. Wish I was a little faster, but overall, I couldn’t be more proud of the team. We still got a shot.”
On the final lap, Hamlin overtook Chastain, who then made a desperate lunge through the chicane, clipping Hamlin and sending both cars spinning. Logano threaded the needle and slipped through to safety as Chastain crossed the finish line driving backwards.
It wasn’t enough.
Logano edged him by 0.167 seconds. Hamlin, though caught in the chaos, still advanced comfortably by 33 points and is seeded No. 1 in the next round of the playoffs – two points ahead of Ryan Blaney and four points ahead of Kyle Larson and William Byron, who are tied with 4,032 points. Logano, finishing 20th, grabbed the final Round of 8 berth by four points, a lifeline delivered straight from the chaos ahead. He’s 24 points behind fourth place, which is the transfer spot. However, the first race of the Round of 8 is at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Logano has four wins, including the one that he scored in 2024 to advance him to NASCAR’s Championship Round at Phoenix Raceway.
Despite the chorus of boos that followed during his pit road interview, Logano wore a big grin.
“Yeah, everyone was telling me how close it was going to be there and gosh, what a — fans, is that me? Is that who they’re booing at? Oh, well,” he said snarkily. “We’re still alive, baby. We’re still going. I’m so excited. Such a close finish there. Yeah, knew it was within a point there. 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. Geesh, just wasn’t quite fast enough today with our car.”
Logano praised the current playoff format, which won’t win over many fans to his side, for delivering the edge-of-your-seat drama that once again worked in his favor.
“It’s the drama of the playoffs. If you want drama, the playoffs bring it every time,” Logano said. “What an entertaining finish there to come down to, like I said, a tie there basically at the end before the wreck.”
But Logano’s advancement could spell trouble for the remaining contenders and Hamlin knows it. After the race, Hamlin admitted he had no clue about the points and position battle between Chastain and Logano. Talking to a group of media members after climbing from his car, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said, “I would’ve made the best decision for me. I wish I would have known … I didn’t know if I was running 10th or 25th. I mean, listening to the radio the whole time, there was just crickets. Nobody said anything, nobody told me anything. I wish they did.”