Denny Hamlin shades NASCAR's inconsistent penalties over Ross Chastain-Joey Logano wreck in Chicago

Denny Hamlin thinks that NASCAR will not fine Ross Chastain for his antics against reigning Cup champion Joey Logano during last week’s race at the Chicago Street Circuit. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver then took a jab at NASCAR, saying that no penalty is going to be issued unless it's him on the receiving end.

Named Grand Park 165, last Sunday’s race marked the 19th event of the 2025 season. Shane van Gisbergen won it, while the top five was rounded up by Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, Hamlin, and Kyle Busch.

Things got heated up on Lap 63 when Team Penske driver Austin Cindric triggered a multi-car wreck in Turn 1. Cindric made contact with Ryan Preece and Kyle Larson. Larson ran into Chastain, who then got turned in front of Logano’s Mustang.

Chastain thought it was Logano who caused the wreck. So, to get back at the three-time champion, the Trackhouse icon bumped him in Turn 2. The impact took out Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. momentarily. Chastain even admitted that he wrecked Logano on purpose.

Still, there were no fines levied on Chastain or his team. When asked if NASCAR would hold Chastain accountable, Denny Hamlin said (via Actions Detrimental, 31:09),

“I don't think they will. They won't; they don't do that. Unless it's me. You know, inconsistencies is the only consistency we have.”

Denny Hamlin finished the race fourth, marking his ninth top five of the season. He sits fourth in driver standings as well, with 589 points to his credit.

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Denny Hamlin reveals the strategy that helped him deliver a P4 at Chicago

Denny Hamlin’s day in Chicago didn't get off to the best start. His car blew up during practice, and he was forced to start the race from the rear of the field. However, none of that could stop the veteran speedster from logging the P4.

Hamlin hadn’t been great at street circuits this year, with only one top-10 in 18 road course starts. So one might wonder how he did it. Detailing the same during his post-race interview with Marty Snider, the driver said (2:17),

“Well, I was really saving the entire run and still able to run excellent lap times. Truthfully, I felt pretty good all day. We marched forward all day long. The car had pace in it—that's key to getting a good finish.”

“Once I was able to get towards the front, I could save and take it easy on the tires. I would've loved to be on equal terms to see how far off I was from those two guys, but it just didn't seem like that much,” he added.

Next up for the Tampa, Florida native is the Toyota/Save Mart 350 (July 12) at Sonoma Raceway. Fans can watch the race on TNT Sports (3:30 pm ET) or listen to live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.