Shane van Gisbergen was cruising to another street course masterpiece at Sunday’s Grant Park 165, sweeping both Saturday’s Xfinity and Sunday’s Cup pole. But while SVG glided to glory, his Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain endured a very different kind of Sunday in Grant Park. One punctuated by fire and fury.
What began as a buttoned-up street race morphed into unpredictable chaos for Chastain, Joey Logano, and the NASCAR rule book. Logano, still fuming over a hard hit from Ross, didn’t hold back when he fired on the radio and pit road, demanding NASCAR intervene. The backlash ricocheted across the back paddock, turning what should’ve been a polished street spectacle into a simmering post-race melee.
Joey Logano calls for NASCAR to fine Ross Chastain
It was Lap 63 that sparked the mayhem. As the field restarted for the final stage, it was a mess going into turn 2. Logano was lined up behind Ross Chastain and beside Kyle Larson, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. perched behind them. Entering the Turn, Stenhouse Jr. bumped Logano into Chastain, which led to the #1 getting spun out by Kyle Larson, who was turning from the inside. Chastain was furious. The #1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet bulldozed its way up to Logano’s bumper on the next turn and shipped him into the wall!
As you would expect, Logano’s rant on the radio went viral, too. He unleashed, saying, “What the f—- his problem? Ross (Chastain) better get the f—– information right before he goes and wrecks somebody. And there’s f—– six cars behind me wrecking into me, and then he destroys me from four back. That motherf——.” The two then argued on pit road after the race, where Logano could be seen fuming at the #1 while Chastain calmly heard him out.
The Team Penske driver later told FOX Sports’s Bob Pockrass that Chastain confessed the contact was intentional. When asked if the watermelon man had wrecked Joey on purpose, the No. 22 driver laughed hysterically and said, “I think so, yes. He [Ross Chastain] admitted he wrecked me on purpose. He admitted it. Which means he should get fined if he admittedly wrecked someone on purpose. That’s not okay.”
Joey Logano obviously wasn’t happy with Ross Chastain. pic.twitter.com/j4vEZM71k0
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 6, 2025
Moreover, Joey Logano went on to take a dig at the Trackhouse Racing driver, saying, ” It’s typical Ross. He just sees red and does dumb stuff. That’s twice this year on road courses at the end of these things, I’ve been cost by Ross.” Clearly, Logano sees this as a recurring theme, and there’s proof in the pudding here. At COTA, Chastain bumped into Logano many times, and that left the latter frustrated, but it all blew over at Martinsville.
At the Paperclip this season, Logano fumed at Chastain for blocking Chase Briscoe entering a Turn, which resulted in Briscoe spinning out Logano. Joey had said, “He just races like a jacka– every week, and I keep paying the price. I’m sick of paying the price.” Chastain felt Logano was pulling out frustration from previous races onto him for no reason, saying, “To take feelings he had from COTA and other races and then take Martinsville, get out and just blast.” The tension between these two has been simmering all season, and it feels like it’s starting to hit the right spot as we head into the business end of the season with the playoffs nearing. But will NASCAR heed Logano’s claim of fining Chastain?
To understand the frustration better, NASCAR classifies intentional wrecking under “actions detrimental to stock car racing.” They can issue penalties, including $50,000 to $100,000 fines, 25 to 50-point reductions, or even suspension when it affects competition or safety. Verbal threats or pit road confrontations typically draw lesser consequences, but admitting intent on the radio could escalate it here. NASCAR hasn’t officially sent out any statement or verdict for Ross, so far keeping him away from the wrath of the hefty fine.
As for the race itself, Chastain was running close to the edge of the top 10 as his teammate dominated up front. It was a steady rise, not flashy but efficient. The Trackhouse Racing driver grabbed the 10th position at the end of the race, not too shabby, apart from the collision. Joey, meanwhile, began his race from 12th, keeping himself outside the top 10 in both stages. While he never quite had the raw pace to contend for a stage win like teammate Ryan Blaney, Logano’s drive was defined by survival, keeping his car clean in a race that had several spins and chaos.
A day to forget for Team Penske
While Joey Logano grabbed the headlines for his post-race verbal throwdown, the rest of Team Penske had a Sunday they would probably rather forget. Ryan Blaney gave fans something to cheer about with a strong charge in the middle stint, grabbing stage 2 honors and looking every bit the threat Penske needed. He even led three laps and seemed to be working the pit strategy game like a pro. However, towards the end of the race, he had slipped to 12th, finishing right behind the No. 22 driver.
The Stage 2 win brought hope, but stage wins are rarely ever indicative of true running position at road courses, with the leaders often pitting for track position ahead of the stage end. However, things just got worse for the #12 as a right front tire issue forced an earlier-than-planned stop on lap 52, and he lost ground fast. He grabbed a free pass under the lap 65 caution to stay on the lead lap. In the end, Blaney faded into the background, with no dramatic comeback, just a quiet slide off the lead pace.
Meanwhile, Austin Cindric had a clean run until lap 64, when a restart spun into mayhem. Locked brakes into Turn 1 sent him rattling into the tires and triggering the caution with nine laps to go. The impact damaged his car too severely to continue. He finished in 27th place, right where he started the race, a tough drop from 23rd in stage 2.
In the end, it was a day of almost for Team Penske. On a chaotic street course where execution matters just as much as aggression, the results didn’t follow the effort. For a team with a championship pedigree, Sunday felt more like a cautionary tale than a comeback.
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