Shane van Gisbergen Wins at Charlotte ROVAL, Joey Logano Advances on Wild Last Lap

Shane van Gisbergen raced to his fifth NASCAR Cup Series road course win of 2025, while Joey Logano moved on to the Round of 8 after a last-lap clash between Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin

"SVG" took the checkered flag in the Bank of America ROVAL 400 on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, continuing his reign of dominance on the road courses in the NASCAR Cup Series. The New Zealand native has now won five consecutive road course races, giving him a chance to tie the record of six held by Jeff Gordon.

"What an awesome race," Van Gisbergen told USA Network following the win. "Kyle [Larson] and Christopher [Bell] drove me really good. It got a little rough, but man, the battle was awesome.

"Unbelievable, really enjoyed that. It was a long time waiting, hoping the yellow wasn't going to come out."

Race Results: NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400

While Van Gisbergen ultimately distanced himself from the competition, he battled intensely with Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell in the closing laps. Larson and Van Gisbergen made repeated contact while battling for the top spot before Van Gisbergen reclaimed the lead with 12 laps to go.

From there, Bell and Larson hit pit road for fresh tires in hopes of an upset win, but the No. 88 Trackhouse Chevrolet carried on to a win by more more than 15 seconds.

"I gave [Larson] a little bump in seven by accident, and he just slammed me and that sort of set it off. I'm all for it, it was fun. I hope he's not too pissed off, but hope it was good to watch, too."

While Van Gisbergen celebrated his win, his Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain suffered the agony of his elimination from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

A pair of pit-road miscues, including a speeding penalty on the final green-flag stop of the race for Chastain, put him below Joey Logano for the eighth and final spot in the Round of 8 grid. While Logano dropped below the cutoff when he pitted for fresh tires, Chastain was on the defensive on older tires in the final laps of the race.

That left Chastain vulnerable, ultimately losing the 18th spot to Denny Hamlin in turn seven of the final lap. That position was the last one Chastain could afford to lose before elimination, and Chastain charged into the final, frontstretch chicane in a last-ditch effort to keep his season alive.

That led to contact between Chastain and Hamlin, sending both drivers spinning out of the final corner. Chastain fell to 21st, one spot below Logano and four points behind him for the cutoff.

"Busch Light, Chevy, Trackhouse Racing expect so much more out of me," said Chastain. "To speed on pit road, well, I've got to go back. I went off the end of pit road and didn't turn. I had more room and was just trying to get to the yellow line. Completely started the downfall there.

"Then, came out of the pit stall and double-clicked up into third. Just unforced errors, just terrible. It's heartbreaking for almost 200 employees at Trackhouse, for our teammates, ECR engines, and everyone who makes this go 'round with Jockey and Moose and Kubota. Justin [Marks] hired me to carry this 1 car and drive it and be the leader, and I just completely unraveled our day."

It was a frustrating and disappointing end to Chastain's hopes, although four races remain in the NASCAR Cup Series season.

"It's terrible to get to this level and not perform," said Chastain. "When you watch and you learn and you study for half your life to get here and to fail, it is a terrible feeling right now. I will wake up tomorrow and go right back to work.

"I know [Hamlin]'s mad. I'm sure I would be, too. He got by me clean, and he was giving me room. I wiped him out. Just have to wake up tomorrow and go back to work."

Logano hoped for a faster No. 22 Team Penske Ford on Sunday, but was grateful to have performed well enough to advance to the Round of 8 with a 20th-place finish in the Bank of America ROVAL 400.

"Everyone was telling me how close it was going to be there," said Logano. "We're still here, we're still alive, baby. We're still going, I'm so excited. Such a close finish there. I knew it was within a point there. I knew it was going to be tight and Ross was going to do whatever he had to do to make it happen.

"Just wasn't quite fast enough today with our car, but overall, it's the drama of the playoffs. If you want drama, the playoffs bring it every time you want an entertaining finish. To come down to, you know, a tie there basically at the end before the wreck."

The decision to pit for fresh tires late in the race proved to be a pivotal one for Logano, putting him on the attack when it mattered for a spot in the Round of 8.

"I'm proud of [crew chief] Paul Wolff; he made some really hard calls there. Three-stopping the end there, kind of an audible there at the end because our fall-off was a little too much. Making that call at the end is ultimately what kept us there in the game with just a few left. A championship performance for the team."

The eight drivers moving on in the Playoffs include Round of 12 winners Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott, as well as Larson, Bell, William Byron, Hamlin, Chase Briscoe and Logano.

The Round of 8 begins next Sunday, October 12 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the South Point Casino 400. Coverage of the event begins at 5:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-Photo credit: Casey Calhoun