Why did NASCAR let the Charlotte controversy slide without penalties?

The last race of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 playoffs was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 12, 2025. The race had some instances that led to allegations of potential race manipulation. However, the governing body only issued formal warnings to the teams rather than handing out penalties.

On the final lap of the 109-lap race, Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain attempted a risky maneuver to overtake Denny Hamlin but failed to do so. Following that, he spun on the track and collected the Joe Gibbs Racing driver in the aftermath, giving the defending champion the chance to secure his spot in the next round of the playoffs.

Prior to Chastain's move, Ford driver Cole Custer, who was behind Joey Logano, was ordered to conserve his tires in order not to pass the fellow driver. Similarly, Chevy driver Alex Bowman was also advised to save his tires to give the #1 Chevy driver a better chance to compete for his spot in the Round of Eight playoffs.

However, unlike the last Martinsville fall race, there were no direct orders to block any driver from manipulating the points position. Following that, NASCAR did not issue any penalties to the teams after the Bank of ROVAL 400 race. Reflecting on the same, the governing body's managing director, Mike Forde, featured on the Hauler Talk podcast on Wednesday and explained:

“If we do see something or hear something we don’t like, we are going to step in, which we’ve have done now several times. So we are aware, and if we hear something, we will certainly react if necessary.”

Continuing further, the NASCAR managing director addressed the reason behind not handing out penalties and stated:

“I think we would have looked into it for sure. If we heard that radio transmission say, ‘Hey, (Chastain) needs this point to advance to the next round over (Logano)’ or something of that ilk, and all of a sudden, (Hamlin) let off the gas, that would probably raise a red flag on our side.”

NASCAR has been mindful of race manipulation since the Martinsville race held last fall. During the race, Chevy ordered a blockade to help Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron secure his spot in the Championship Four race. Following that, the sanctioning body penalized three teams to aid the manufacturer in manipulating the race.

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"Are we going to start manipulating races?" Joey Logano's crew chief got candid about race manipulation at the NASCAR Cup Series Charlotte ROVAL race

After wrapping up the Bank of ROVAL 400 race at Charlotte ROVAL, Joey Logano's crew chief, Paul Wolfe, sat down with NASCAR analyst Matt Weaver for an interview. During the post-race interaction, Wolfe expressed his frustration over Denny Hamlin's mindset of sabotaging Logano's chance to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Both Logano and Chastain were in a desperate situation to score points to lock their spot for the Round of Eight playoffs. Following that, Logano went into the pits for a fresh set of tires while the #1 Chevy driver was still on the track, aiming to gain places.

Following the final lap incident with the Trackhouse Racing driver, the NASCAR veteran claimed he was unaware of the points situation and said:

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

Reflecting on the Joe Gibbs Racing driver's statement, Wolfe referenced race manipulation allegations against him. He stated:

"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?"

However, Joey Logano advanced to the Round of Eight playoffs after finishing the race in P20. Meanwhile, Ross Chastain ended the race one spot behind Logano, leading to his elimination from the Championship Four race.