Joey Logano’s crew chief gives a blunt response to Denny Hamlin’s verdict about Ross Chastain, citing efforts of ‘manipulation’

NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN BET - Source: Getty
Joey Logano's crew chief cited manipulation allegation at Denny Hamlin - Source: Getty

Defending champion Joey Logano's crew chief, Paul Wolfe, was recently featured in an interview after wrapping the Bank of America 400 ROVAL race at Charlotte Motor Speedway held on Sunday, October 5, 2025. During the post-race interview, Wolfe criticized Denny Hamlin's mindset of holding Joey Logano back to sabotage his chances of advancing to the next phase of the playoffs.

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Both Logano and Ross Chastain were competing neck-to-neck in stage two of the 109-lap race to secure their spot in the Round of Eight playoff round. However, Wolfe called Logano in the pits for a fresh set of tires, but on the other hand, Phil Sugen kept Chastain out with older tires. Following that, to secure his spot, Chastain tried pulling a Hail Melon-type move on the final lap.

However, the #1 Chevy driver's move was unsuccessful and spun, collecting Denny Hamlin. This led to Joey Logano finishing ahead of Chastain and securing his spot in the next round. Reflecting on that, Hamlin claimed he didn't know about the stakes at that time and during a post-race interview stated (via Motorsports.com):

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“I would not have passed him [Ross Chastin]."

Following Hamlin's statement, Joey Logano's crew chief criticized the JGR driver and referenced race manipulation allegations against him. Wolfe stated [02:22 onwards]:

"I think when you look at some of those situations, though--talking about not passing somebody--at what point, when all those guys behind them were catching them over a second faster per lap, are we going to start manipulating races?"
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"It’s one thing if you guys are close and don’t really push the issue to get by someone, but in my eyes, when you’re a second or more faster, I don’t think we’re at that point where we’re supposed to pull over and not pass somebody," he added.
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Joey Logano wrapped the Charlotte ROVAL 109-lap race in P20, one spot ahead of Ross Chastain, and advanced to the Round of Eight. Additionally, Logano ranks eighth in the Cup Series playoff points table with 24 points below the qualifying line.


“I’d trade every one of those”: Joey Logano got candid about having the Dover Motor Speedway trophy in his collection

Earlier this season, three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano sat down with SpeedFreaks for an interview ahead of the Dover Motor Speedway race. During the pre-race interview, Logano expressed his desire to add the Monster trophy to his collection.

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The #22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse driver has 29 starts at the Dover Motor Speedway, but never once crossed the finish line in P1. Even this year, he was unable to secure a win at the track. Logano qualified eighth for the 2025 race and finished in P14. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin took the win along with the Monster trophy. Reflecting on the same, Joey Logano expressed his feelings:

"As far as coolness of trophies, yeah, it's up there pretty high. It's pretty cool; you put the die-cast card, and it looks cool. I got four of the little ones from the Xfinity races, but I'd trade every one of those for a Cup win; Cup wins obviously mean a lot more." (via Instagram)

The Middletown native currently ranks eighth in the Cup Series points table with 4008 points to his credit. He has secured one win at Texas Motor Speedway, followed by 10 top tens, six top fives, and two poles in 32 starts this season.

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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