They entered the Charlotte ROVAL’s final lap locked in a must-pass war. Joey Logano and Ross Chastain were deadlocked for the final transfer spot, each willing to risk it all. In Turn 7, both Denny Hamlin and Chastain made contact, spinning out each other. Chastain attempted a last-second dive back but was unable to save his playoff run. And Hamlin saved Logano, who edged past the chaos to advance by just 0.167 seconds.

In his post-race reflection, Hamlin admitted he had no clue about the playoff stakes at the moment: “I was just running. I saw the 1 was fading. I didn’t see the 22. … I had no idea the points situation.” He later conceded, “I mean, truthfully, I wish I would have just known what the last scenario was, and then I could make the best decision I can for me.” That chaotic sequence left Logano acknowledging that Hamlin indeed saved his playoff life, not once but twice.

Joey Logano credits Denny Hamlin’s last-lap rescue in ROVAL

In the Rubbin is Racing podcast, co-host Spider set the stage by asking Logano how aware he was of the real-time playoff implications of Hamlin’s move, especially given the latter’s post-race admission of being unaware of the exact points battle.

“Maybe two weeks in a row,” Logano replied, implying Hamlin’s on-track tussle with Bubba Wallace at the Kansas Speedway and Hamlin’s last-lap maneuver on Chastain, both becoming a silent lifeline for Logano.

This time again, fate was on his side. Chastain desperately needed to maintain position after a costly speeding penalty on his final pit stop negated the track position his team had earned. Fresher tires allowed Logano to remain on the attack while Chastain bled spots. For Logano, it was a dramatic escape that solidified his reputation as a master playoff opportunist.

“To answer your question, I do because I was involved in it. I was the one that was going to be in or out and we were tied going into the final quarter there. So my fate was in Denny Hamlin’s hands, right, whether he was going to pass the 1 or not,” Logano further noted, when confronted with the suggestion that he owed Hamlin a thank you.

Hamlin, who had a fierce rivalry with Chastain throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons, was criticized on social media for passing the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing car and inadvertently qualifying his other rival, Logano. The move by Hamlin that triggered the chaos was simple, but the subsequent reaction by Chastain was pure, which Logano was convinced would be the case.

“If I’m being honest, I was pretty damn convinced that on the last lap they were all stacked up behind the 1. And I was like, no one’s going to pass him. They’re just going to ride behind him to keep me out. And then Denny, like the 1 missed the corner and then… turn 7 and it allowed the 11 to get underneath him. And then I saw him going down into the back chicane and I saw how far the 11 was ahead. I’m like, ‘oh, he can’t do nothing from that far back. He’s too far back.'”

He added, “Anytime I think that with Ross, I’m wrong. I think he’s too far back to do something. I’m like, ‘never mind, here he comes.’ Obviously got Denny there.”

After Hamlin passed him in Turn 7, dropping him below the cutline by 4 points, Chastain made a last-ditch attempt to regain the point in the final chicane, sending both cars spinning. Chastain took full responsibility for the incident and the overall failure, “I single-handedly took a car out of the Round of 8 and a chance to go to the round of four,” he lamented after the race.

Logano, the survivor, used the entire chaotic event as an example of what the current playoff structure is designed to produce. “But I said it after the race, that’s what playoff racing is, right? That’s the excitement that this type of format brings to the table. And we’re all talking about it. We’re talking about if we didn’t have this playoff format. Me and Van Gisbergen waxing everyone’s b–t by 20 seconds again,” he joked.

While underscoring the dominance of road course ace Shane van Gisbergen, who won the Roval race by a significant margin, Logano reminded everyone that in NASCAR’s playoffs, survival often depends on someone else’s move.

How Joey Logano’s playoff grit defines his Penske way

Joey Logano and Team Penske always seem to flip a switch when the NASCAR playoffs begin. Their mix of stage points, gutsy strategy, and relentless execution transforms chaos into control. On the Rubbin is Racing podcast, Logano explained his no-margin mindset:

“Okay, I believe so. I think if you run 8th or 9th all day long not good enough. I don’t. I don’t think that’ll be good enough. I think you’ve got to walk out of here scoring at least 45 points at least.” For Logano, every stage matters, and 45 points can be the difference between a championship bid and elimination.

As the Round of 8 begins in Las Vegas, Logano’s focus sharpens on adaptability. “It’s hard to make that call now. I think you’ve got to get out to Vegas. We got to see what we have for speed in our car. We have to start the racing, and you have to leave some things. Just stuff for an audible at some point, right?” The comment hints at Penske’s signature mid-race flexibility, the kind of quick-thinking that turned Paul Wolfe’s 2023 Vegas pit call into a race-winning masterstroke.

Still sitting 24 points below the cutline, Logano’s confidence stems from experience, not arrogance. “Like we’re, you got to see where you’re at and how things are going, but at the moment, if you’re sitting here on Wednesday at Team Penske, you’d say okay. We still have a decent shot at pointing in… Let’s not cut it off right and cut one of them off like we still have a shot… It’s going to be harder for us than anybody else to get there because of our point situation, but we’ve been here many times before. That’s what gives me so much confidence.”

For a driver who thrives under pressure, the desert lights of Vegas may be the perfect stage for yet another Team Penske playoff surge.