Concord, N.C. – Shane van Gisbergen solidified his dominance this season by securing his fifth consecutive win on mixed and street circuits, this time at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The competition was intense, especially for Joey Logano, who secured his spot in the third round of the NASCAR playoffs in a thrilling finish. Logano found himself in a fierce battle with Ross Chastain, who was at risk of being eliminated. The tension grew as the race reached its end at the Charlotte hybrid circuit. A crash on the last lap between Denny Hamlin and Chastain relegated the latter to 21st position, just behind Logano. Hamlin, visibly upset, expressed his frustration to the team, indicating that he was unaware of the situation and that he would not have overtaken Chastain if he had known it would benefit Logano.
The competition reduced the group of drivers from twelve to eight. Despite the challenges of Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, van Gisbergen maintained the lead, securing the victory. This victory eliminated Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, and Austin Cindric from the competition. Chastain, from Trackhouse Racing, remained in the fight, although Logano failed to stand out with his Penske Ford.I didn’t know anything about what was going on in that last race, I wasn’t very good. I saw (Chastain) and I had no idea what was going on. I didn’t know. I thought I was competing for 18th place. I wish I knew so I could be prepared or make a different decision.
Denny Hamlin
Logano was happy, despite the boos from the fans. The situation recalled the previous year, when Logano was eliminated in Charlotte, but then learned of his return to the competition due to the disqualification of Alex Bowman, which eventually led him to win the Cup Series championship. Chastain, affected by early penalties, lamented the mistakes made. The Trackhouse Racing driver expressed his disappointment and his commitment to continue working.Everyone told me how close it was going to be. We’re still in it. We’re still alive, guys. I knew we were one point and I knew we were going to be tied at the end and Ross was going to do whatever it took to make it happen.
Joey Logano
The eight drivers who advanced to the third round of the playoffs are Ryan Blaney and Logano from Penske, Chase Elliott, Larson and William Byron from Hendrick Motorsports, Hamlin, Bell and Chase Briscoe from Joe Gibbs Racing. Chastain, Cindric, Reddick, and Wallace were eliminated, which means that both cars owned by Michael Jordan were out of the running for the title.Unforced errors, it’s terrible. It’s heartbreaking for almost 200 Trackhouse employees. It’s not acceptable, simply unacceptable. Getting here and failing is a terrible feeling. I’ll wake up tomorrow and go back to work.
Ross Chastain
