Joey Logano ‘proud’ of Paul Wolfe’s bold decision at Charlotte after advancing to the Round of 8

With a 20th-place finish at the Charlotte ROVAL on Sunday, Team Penske’s Joey Logano barely advanced over Ross Chastain in the 2025 playoffs. He knew it was all due to a call that his crew chief, Paul Wolfe, made with 11 to go in the 190-lap event.

Wolfe had called Logano over for a three-tire stop during the latter’s final visit to the pit road, and that’s exactly what made the difference. Logano finished four points ahead of Ross Chastain, who was eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs on the last lap. He had trailed the three-time champion by 13 points entering the Round of 12 finale.

“Such a close finish there. And yeah, I knew it was within a point there,” Joey Logano told NBC Sports after the race. “And I knew we were going to be tied there at the end. And Ross is going to do whatever he had to do to make it happen. It’s the drama of the playoffs, right? If you want drama, the playoffs bring it every time.” “I’m proud of Paul Wolfe,” Logano continued. “We made some really hard calls today. Three -stop in the end there. Kind of an audible there at the end, just our falloff was a little bit too much. So making that call there at the end was ultimately what kept us there in the game.”

Chastain’s Trackhouse Racing teammate, Shane van Gisbergen, won the race, marking his fifth win of the season, sixth overall, and fifth straight on a road course. Joining Joey Logano in the Round of 8 will be Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Chase Briscoe, and Chase Elliott.

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“I really don’t get it”- Joey Logano defends NASCAR’s playoff format, praises it for “drama” and “storylines”

Joey Logano thinks that the elimination-style playoffs are great for the sport as they bring on-track drama and exciting storylines. While speaking with the reporters after the race, the reigning Cup Series champion revealed his stance on the current 10-race playoff segment.

“The playoffs create drama," said Logano. "It creates storylines. It creates awesome moments like that. I don't understand what people don't like about it. I really don't get it.”

Trackhouse’s Ross Chastain was locked into the third round of the playoffs with a one-point advantage over Joey Logano as the field entered the final lap. However, he lost his shot when he spun in the last corner in an attempt to regain the lead from Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin. Reflecting on the scenario, Logano explained,

“If you're one of those people who say the regular season doesn't matter, playoff points don't matter -- one point would have been the difference there. I preach that all the time. I'm not just saying that because it works for us. I'm saying it because it's true.”

Next up for Joey Logano is the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Scheduled for next Sunday, October 12, the 267-lap event will be televised on USA (5:30 pm ET) with live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua