“I deserve every bit of heat,” Ross Chastain admits he overstepped at Darlington after Rick Hendrick reminded him of consequences
Ross Chastain is becoming one of the most talked about drivers in the Cup series with on-track tussles.
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Rick Hendrick and Ross Chastain
There is no bad publicity, and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain understands it well. Amidst growing criticism from his peers and rivals, the 2022 Season Cup runner-up has refused to give up his distractive racing style some deem as hyper-aggressive. Chastain has pointed out that he is ready to take the extra risks to win and has never shied away from apologizing when he oversteps.
The No:1 car had an incident with the No:5 Chevy of Kyle Larson at Darlington last Sunday that ended both drivers promising runs. NASCAR nation was critical of the Florida native as he was the aggressor during the incident. HMs owner Rick Hendrick after the race, pointed out that Chastain is making many enemies even within the Chevy team, and it’s no good.
He urged Trackhouse co-owner Justin Marks to have a word with Chastain. Marks said that he would have an aggressive conversation with the watermelon man and would ask him to clean the mess. Chastain raced in the Cars Tour Late Model race at North Wilkesboro Speedway and, after the race, said that he overstepped at Darlington and deserved the criticism.
“When I drove into Turn 1 in Darlington last week, it did not play out how I thought and how I prepared it to play out. So, together with everything else that’s happened, I deserve every bit of heat, every bit of bad word that has come my way, and every bit of ill will that people are thinking of me,” Chastain said.
He then pointed out he wasn’t going to change his style because of the heat and would acknowledge his mistake if he messed up again. Chastain demanded his rivals to do the same. He said, “I get it. I’ll take it. But the fact of the matter is I’m going to drive my race car to the best of my ability. If I mess up, I will own that. But I do feel like that some other guys could own some of their stuff, too,”.
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Ross Chastain reveals his conversation with boss Justin Marks after the incident
Marks had a clear message to his driver after the incident. He wants his driver to have minimal contact while racing. Chastain totally agrees with his boss and said he understands the opinion on the crashes. He added that this criticism won’t change anything he believes in.
“Stop hitting things. I know that. … I get it. I hear him. I hear everybody. I take it all in, and I form my own opinion. I’m not going to let a quarter mile of asphalt with six laps to go at Darlington in a Cup race change who I am or what I believe about myself, and we’ll continue to go on,” Ross Chastain said.
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