“Ross (Chastain) better get the f—— information right before he goes and wrecks somebody. And there’s f—— six cars behind me wrecking into me, and then he destroys me from four back. That motherf——.” Joey Logano was livid, and for once, not many people were rushing to tone him down. What went down in Chicago during a chaotic restart left wreckage, anger, and a whole lot of finger-pointing in its wake, and all roads led back to Ross Chastain. And who better to share their thoughts on this than Denny Hamlin?

The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran has had his fair share of gripes with both Chastain and Logano. From wrecking Chastain intentionally at Phoenix to getting in a shoving match with Logano at Martinsville, the 44-year-old has seen it all. And this time, Hamlin sided with Logano without hesitation. But this wasn’t just about tempers. Instead, it raised a deeper question about NASCAR’s double standards.

Denny Hamlin backs Logano as NASCAR’s consistency debate rekindles

Well, hopefully, you didn’t miss the drama at the 2025 Chicago Street Race. It all reached a boiling point when Ross Chastain retaliated against Joey Logano, triggering a multi-car crash that left tempers flaring and the garage buzzing. The incident unfolded on a Lap 63 restart.

Here’s what happened. After a chain reaction was initiated by Austin Cindric sent Chastain into the Turn 1 barriers. Then Chastain, believing Logano was responsible, immediately struck back. In Turn 2, Chastain chased down and wrecked Logano. The deliberate contact sent Logano into Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and caused both to spin. But it didn’t end there. Several uninvolved cars were caught in the chaos, too.

Denny Hamlin, weighing in on his Actions Detrimental podcast, was unequivocal. While co-host Jarden Allen read out Logano’s fiery rant, Hamlin couldn’t help but smirk, being reminded of how many times he must have heard such rants from Logano. Hamlin sarcastically said, “Two of my favorites,” referring to the #22 and the #1. Hamlin continued, “Chastain rage-wrecked other cars that didn’t have anything to do with it… I don’t like it, I don’t agree with it. In my opinion, Chastain has done this to other cars…You can’t involve other people that have nothing to do with it… Especially on a road course, you gotta know. I agree with everything Joey said.” Well, on tight street circuits like Chicago, such incidents are bound to cause collateral damage, a risk Chastain did not seem to consider.

The onboard footage and post-race interviews confirmed that Chastain acted before realizing the true cause of his spin. It was, in fact, Cindric’s contact via Kyle Larson, not Logano. The crash cost Joey a potential top finish (11th place), while Chastain, who admitted to wrecking Logano on purpose, escaped with a 10th-place result. Logano confronted Chastain on pit road and called for a penalty, telling pit side reporters: “He admitted it, wrecked on purpose… he should get fined if he wrecked me on purpose. That’s not okay.”

Yet, as Denny Hamlin noted, “No, I don’t think they will. They won’t. They don’t do that. Unless it’s me. You know, inconsistencies is the only consistency we have.” Hamlin’s frustration is rooted in precedent. Remember, Hamlin was fined $50,000 in 2023 after admitting on his podcast that he intentionally wrecked Chastain at Phoenix? But, similar admissions by other drivers have gone unpunished, fueling a perception of selective enforcement and deepening the debate over NASCAR’s disciplinary standards.

Drivers and insiders weigh in on Logano-Chastain Chicago chaos

The fallout from Ross Chastain’s “rage wreck” on Joey Logano in Chicago didn’t just spark debate among fans and media. It quickly became a hot topic among NASCAR insiders and fellow drivers. On the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Erik Jones, spotter Freddie Kraft, and veteran crew chief Tommy Baldwin all offered their perspectives on the now-infamous Turn 2 incident. Well, the experts highlighted just how tense and unpredictable late-race street course restarts can be.

Bubba Wallace‘s spotter Freddie Kraft, who watched the chaos unfold, explained, “Ross just kind of snapped a little bit there.” He pointed to the chain reaction that began with Austin Cindric’s issues, noting that emotions were running high throughout the field. Tommy Baldwin added, “If you look, all eight of those guys were snapping. It was a hornet’s nest right there. It was hard, good racing. It happens.” The consensus was that the closing laps in Chicago created a pressure cooker! Drivers were desperate for every position, and tempers boiled over, but that shouldn’t excuse Chastain’s actions, right?

Erik Jones, who finished 25th after being caught up in the mayhem, offered a driver’s perspective on the mindset in those moments. “Sometimes at that situation, it takes one nudge, and you’re like, I’m over it. I’m done with you,” Jones explained. He emphasized that, especially on road courses, where overtaking is comparatively difficult, an unwarranted nudge can trigger a reactionary move, as stress levels are much higher with constant braking and turning.

So, where does this all leave us? With Ross Chastain walking away with a top-10 and no penalty so far, it reopens a conversation NASCAR just can’t seem to bury: consistency. Joey Logano wants answers. Denny Hamlin wants fairness. And fans? They want rules that don’t feel like they shift based on who’s involved. If NASCAR doesn’t address these moments with clear action, they risk letting frustration fester. Not just between drivers, but within the fanbase, too. Do you think Ross Chastain should be fined for his actions? Let us know in the comments!