Bubba Wallace’s spotter divulges NASCAR’s ban on points talk while racing and Joey Logano’s ‘brave’ defiance of it

NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400 - Source: Getty
Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 05, 2025 - Source: Getty

Recently, on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Bubba Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft, noted Joey Logano’s defiance of a certain NASCAR rule, which states that spotters cannot discuss the point standings. It all happened last Sunday at the Charlotte ROVAL, which hosted the final race of the Round of 12 playoff segment.

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The purpose behind the ban is to avoid any race manipulation. However, despite all that, Kraft recalled hearing Logano allegedly talking about the points scenario on his team’s radio. Given that the Team Penske star could have been penalized for it, Kraft thought the move was bold.

“The 22 (Joey Logano) was talking about it...openly. That was brave,” Kraft said or Joey Logano. Listen, I got suspended over this s*** last year. But, you know, (Luke) Lambert (Logano’s crew chief) can't feed him that information because if he does, you don't know what the penalties are going to be.” (0:54 onwards)
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Joey Logano narrowly made the points cut over Ross Chastain, who had entered the race leading Logano by a point entering the lap of the 109-lap elimination event. But when Denny Hamlin passed Chastain in the hairpin corner, the latter was put in a tiebreaker for the final playoff spot.

In the end, it was Joey Logano who won the tiebreaker. Chastain wasn’t able to pass Hamlin despite a last-ditch effort going through turns 16 and 17 that turned both his car and that of Hamlin shortly before crossing the finish line.

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Logano now has a shot at his fourth championship title and Penske’s fourth consecutive championship sweep. His teammate Ryan Blaney, a former NASCAR Cup Series champion, is also in the mix.

Trackhouse Racing driver and series rookie Shane van Gisbergen won the race, marking his fifth victory of the season. Rounding off the top five spots were Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, and Michael McDowell.


“One point would have been the difference there”- Joey Logano defends NASCAR’s playoff format after wild Charlotte outing

There have been talks about tweaking the current playoff system for quite some time now. To several fans and NASCAR pundits, the most concerning aspect of the existing format is that it creates discrepancies in results, and the winningest driver of the season may not be crowned the champion in the end.

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Joey Logano thinks otherwise. According to the Cup Series veteran, the playoffs create drama and storylines, which are important for the sport.

“The playoffs create drama," Joey Logano told the media during a recent media session. "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.”
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“And 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,” he further added.

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

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua
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