The 2025 Charlotte Roval playoff race delivered on its reputation for chaos. Over 109 laps on the hybrid roval course, the field endured heavy tire falloff, wild restarts, and critical strategy gambles. Shane van Gisbergen claimed the win after leading 57 laps, while the cutline battle boiled own to the last-corner tussle between Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Ross Chastain, with the former finishing 20th with a 0.16-second margin over Chastain’s 21st to steal the final Round of 8 berth, further raising the stakes as Phoenix is set to witness a tough race with its defending champion once again.

Phoenix has long been a crucible for Team Penske and Joey Logano, whose resume at the oval includes multiple strong laps, clutch performances, and even a championship victory. In the 2024 Cup finale, Logano led 107 laps and edged Ryan Blaney by 0.330 seconds to claim his 3rd title, a finish that cemented Phoenix as a venue where he shows up when it matters most. But that very dominance has many in the NASCAR world uneasy, fueling chatter that another Team Penske takeover in the Championship finale might already be written in the stars.

Denny Hamlin’s insider fans controversy over bold anti-Logano remark

The controversy flared when Denny Hamlin’s co-host in his Actions Detrimental podcast, Travis Rockhold, wrote plainly on X, “If somebody wants to spin out the 22 on accident I wouldn’t be mad.” His statement landed amid already high emotions after the Charlotte Roval drama, where late-race position swings decided who advanced in the playoffs. When one fan commented under the post, “Spoken like a true denny bro,” Rockhold’s reaction was candid, saying, “Logano knows how to win at Phoenix. I want him out,” underscoring the raw speed and determination that Team Penske and Joey Logano have shown in the previous seasons, even securing a Championship win in 2024.

The backdrop to Rockhold’s comment was the chaotic finish at the Charlotte Roval in the Round of 12. Denny Hamlin, whose team radio and final-lap positioning became a central storyline after the race, said afterward, “I wish I would have known. … I mean, on pace, the 1 is faster than the 22. But obviously, when it comes down to the final four, the 22’s probably got a leg up there. I didn’t know if I was running for 10th or 25th. Listening to the radio the whole time, there was just crickets. Nobody said anything, nobody told me anything. I wish they did.”

It directly tied Charlotte’s event to the looming Phoenix showdown and signaled awareness that Logano is a different threat on the desert mile oval. Joey Logano himself, battered by boos but focused, said simply after the race, “We’re still in. We’re still alive, baby. I’m so excited,” an attitude that both infuriated rivals and underscored why some in the sport might publicly wish to see him hampered before the Championship finale. But Logano’s track record at Phoenix and in late-season pressure situations helps explain the hostility toward him.

He is a 3-time Cup Series champion (2018, 2022, and 2024), leading major laps in decisive finales, and has a reputation for finding speed when it matters most. Logano has excelled on 1-mile and 1.5-mile tracks in playoff scenarios historically, and his ability to manage restarts and late cautions made him the kind of driver rivals flag as “the one to stop” before Phoenix. He confidently stated in August, “Honestly, the years I felt like we should have won the championship, we didn’t, so I think the key lesson of all that is you’re never out of it. Until you are out, you are not out. Even last year when I thought I was out, I was not out.”

Logano advanced to the Round of 8 at the expense of Ross Chastain after a dramatic last lap. Chastain, running ahead on older tires, lost grip and slid in Turn 7, allowing Denny Hamlin to pass him. Then Chastain attempted a move on Hamlin in the frontstretch chicane, sending both cars spinning. Logano crossed the line cleanly and secured advancement by just 0.167 seconds and the tiebreaker. Hamlin later admitted he had no awareness of the points implications between Chastain and Logano, “I was just trying to not wreck the 1. He was fading and obviously walking aggressively. But I didn’t want to get into him or anything like that. I didn’t want any parts of it.”

That chaotic finish not only reignited the long-standing tension between Hamlin, Logano, and Chastain but also reshaped the 2025 playoff narrative, with NASCAR insiders now biting their nails heading into Phoenix. But many think that Hamlin did nothing wrong in the final lap of the Round of 12.

NASCAR team owner reacts to Charlotte Roval drama

Ross Chastain’s playoff dreams came painfully close to survival, but the chaos of the Charlotte Roval had other plans. For weeks, Chastain and the No. 1 Trackhouse team fought tooth and nail from the wrong side of the cutline, clawing for every stage point and track position as the postseason wound through its most merciless phase. Then, as the white flag dropped and desperation ramped up, it was Denny Hamlin who became the unlikely difference-maker in a dramatic finale.

The playoff drama at the Roval came down to a nail-biting final lap, with Hamlin’s pass on Chastain shaping the outcome of the Round of 12 cutline. Justin Marks defended Hamlin’s actions bluntly: “I think ultimately, you know, everybody’s out here to try to get the best finish and the best result for their team, and I don’t think anybody really owes it to anybody else to try to help anybody else.” For 109 laps on the 2.28-mile hybrid circuit, Logano and Chastain traded positions relentlessly until Hamlin entered the mix.

Marks appreciated Hamlin’s honesty, saying, “I think it’s nice to hear, like, Denny say those things, but, you know, Denny’s doing what he’s got to do for the 11 team.” Despite the controversy, Hamlin’s focus on securing points for the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team was justified, as he currently sits atop the playoff standings (+8 points) and is chasing his 60th career win. But Marks admitted, “We shouldn’t have been in the position that we were in, having to fight for one point on the last lap.”

A pit road penalty earlier in the race and Chastain’s late reverse Hail Melon sealed their fate. Meanwhile, Logano’s timely pit call from Paul Wolfe secured the Ford driver’s passage to the next round, proving once again that in NASCAR’s playoffs, a single lap can rewrite an entire season.