Kyle Petty says Ryan Blaney was ‘blatantly’ aggressive against Ross Chastain at Phoenix, claims it was the right thing to do

Kyle Petty doesn’t an issue with the aggressive racing between Blaney and Chastain.

Kyle Petty says Ryan Blaney was ‘blatantly’ aggressive against Ross Chastain at Phoenix, claims it was the right thing to do

Ross Chastain, Kyle Petty and Ryan Blaney (Via IMAGO)

One of the major highlights from the 2023 NASCAR Cup series season finale at Phoenix was the aggressive battle between Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney for the win. The Team Penske Racing driver was fighting for the title while Chastain was all in to score a second race win for him in the season. The Trackhouse Racing driver marked history, becoming the first non-Champion to win the finale in nine years.

The duo passed a couple of blows in the final laps of the race. Blaney, with Kyle Larson charging behind him, went all in for the win. Chastain, who was cautious about the fact that he shouldn’t wreck Blaney, used the dirty air to his advantage and successfully blocked him throughout the race. It was making the Ford driver more frustrated every race.

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While talking about the incidents, former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty pointed out that Blaney was racing blatantly aggressively. But Petty doesn’t blame Blaney for it and points out that what he did was okay and the right thing to do, considering what was at stake.

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It was so blatant. But is that right? Is that right for him to roll in and do it? I believe yes. I believe it’s okay for him to roll in and get into Ross and try to get Ross upset and try to get Ross out of the way.
Kyle Petty said via an official race analysis from NASCAR.

Kyle Petty said that Ross Chastain didn’t do anything wrong by racing Ryan Blaney hard

Petty earlier also defended Chastain for keeping his composure and racing Blaney hard. He pointed out that the leading car had every right to keep defending Blaney despite him being a championship car, as a race win was at stake.

Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain (Via IMAGO)
Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain (Via IMAGO)
I also believe it’s okay for Ross Chastain to take away the line of the second-place car, which was Ryan Blaney, no matter whether he is running for a Championship or not.

Both drivers addressed the aggressive racing at the end of the race and showed zero remorse. Blaney defended himself, saying he was aggressive because the Chevy was blocking him all race. Chastain said that he was cautious not to wreck him and added he did what was right to secure the win.

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