CONCORD, N.C. — As Denny Hamlin debriefed with crew chief Chris Gayle, he appeared visibly frustrated as he gestured toward Ross Chastain, who spun him on the final lap of the race.
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Frustration would be understandable considering the contact the two drivers made, but the spin did not become the only sore subject. Hamlin did not realize that he would eliminate Chastain from the playoffs by passing him while advancing Joey Logano to the Round of 8.
He didn't even know that Chastain was about to spin him in the final chicane. He had no information from his team or his spotter as he completed the final lap at the Charlotte Roval.
"Nah, I wasn't aware," Hamlin said after the race. "I definitely wish I was aware, but nobody told me. I never saw the 22 (Joey Logano) that last run, and I saw the 1 (Ross Chastain) fading, but I assumed if it was close, someone would have let me know.
"Obviously, I was the guy in the way."
His #NASCARPlayoffs were on the line. pic.twitter.com/IKmYIffSL8
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 5, 2025
Hamlin said he had absolutely no idea if he raced for 25th or 10th on the final lap of the race. He didn't know that he would put Logano into the semifinal round as he just cruised around the road course.
This is information he clearly wanted, as he indicated to the gathered media members on pit road.
"I would have made the best decision for me," Hamlin said. "I wish I would have known."
Hamlin doesn't have an allegiances to either driver. He's even had run-ins with both of them in years past. So why would it matter to him that Chastain advanced over Logano?
Hamlin not happy.
Looks like he’s upset he wasn’t aware… “I would have not passed him!”#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/VXmsGfbycn
— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) October 5, 2025
The answer is simple — once Team Penske gets to the Round of 8 in the Next Gen car, they become the most dangerous organization in the field.
Logano, in particular, won the opening race of the semifinal round in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024. He ended three of these seasons as the champion.
"On pace, the 1 (Chastain) is faster than the 22 (Logano), but obviously, it comes down to the Final Four, the 22's probably got a leg up there," Hamlin said.
Paul Wolfe, crew chief for the No. 22 team, is well aware of his group's reputation. He knows that other drivers don't want to face Logano in the Round of 8 and especially not in the Championship 4.
This knowledge became evident over the No. 22 team's radio in the closing laps of Sunday's race. They expressed the opinion that Hamlin had backed down to keep Chastain above the cutline.
"They don't want us in the playoffs, I'm sure," Wolfe told select media members on pit road. "I mean, we proved we find a way, and now we're in the final round and we've got some good tracks in this round for us.
"Whatever, we're going to go do our thing and see what happens."
