“They are going to regret”: NASCAR insider issues a stern warning for Denny Hamlin as ‘horror movie monster’ Joey Logano sneaks into Round of 8

Following a dramatic elimination race at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, NASCAR Insider Jordan Bianchi argued that drivers—especially Denny Hamlin—will regret letting Joey Logano make it past the Round of 8. Bianchi described Logano as a “horror movie monster” who can't be put down.

For context, defending Cup Series champion Logano and Ross Chastain were the two playoff drivers fighting for the final transfer spot to the Round of 8. Logano was spared from elimination on points after Hamlin passed Chastain in the closing laps.

Last year, Logano, who was also close to elimination after the Round of 12, won the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, allowing him to participate in the Championship 4 race and win. Historically, Team Penske has been dominant at Phoenix, a case Bianchi pointed out as to why Hamlin would regret extending Logano's playoff run.

In the latest episode of The Teardown podcast, the NASCAR Insider said:

“You let Joey Logano on to the next round. They are going to regret this. You picked him to be in the Championship 4.” [2:00]

“This guy is one of those horror movie monsters that you can't put down, and he just finds a way to get in, and they did it again,” he added.

Shane van Gisbergen won the race weekend at Charlotte Roval for his fifth victory of the 2025 NASCAR season—all of which on road courses. Kyle Larson came home in second ahead of Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, and Michael McDowell.

Joey Logano finished in 20th place, passing Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin on the last lap. Logano completed the overtake after Chastain spun and collected Hamlin on the final corner.

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“Are we going to start manipulating races?”: Joey Logano's crew chief on Denny Hamlin's statement about not passing Ross Chastain

After the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte, Joey Logano’s crew chief, Paul Wolfe, shared his reaction to Denny Hamlin’s post-race comment about not passing Ross Chastain if he’d known about the playoff point situation. Wolfe viewed the remark as a form of manipulation, especially since Hamlin’s #11 Toyota was faster than Chastain’s #1 Chevrolet.

Paul Wolfe, who has been Logano's crew chief since 2020, told NASCAR reporter Matt Weaver:

“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?” [2:21]

“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.

The contenders in the Round of 8 are Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, and Joey Logano. This round will kick off with 267 laps of racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday.