The shenanigans that transpired between Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain earlier this season at Phoenix, show no signs of cooling down. This saga arguably ignited the entire “respect” frenzy and has come back in full force with yet another sequel, with its finale nowhere in sight. And it seems the drama is not just limited to the upper echelons of NASCAR. This week’s ARCA Menards Series’ Bristol race witnessed a similar narrative, as post-race shenanigans ensued.
The latest chapter unfolded with the spotlight shifting to Caleb Costner, who was having a stellar race, only to face frustrations when Sean Hingorani, who was four laps down and racing against no one, caused an uproar with a contact in turn 2. Hingorani’s move punted Costner, leaving him with damage and a disappointing 14th-place finish.
Caleb Costner’s furious rant vs Sean Hingorani’s deafening silence
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Costner’s post-race frustration boiled over as he vented his anger towards Hingorani. In a fiery statement, the Dallas native labeled him an “absolute t*rd on the track.” Costner expressed disbelief that Hingorani hadn’t learned his lesson despite repeated incidents throughout the year, stating, “I don’t know the first 15 times he’s done it this year.” With an ominous tone, Costner warned, “Somebody’s gonna beat his a**.”
Costner further emphasized the importance of respect while racing, echoing Busch’s words. “And I just, it’s like a racing respect to me, right? And I said, ‘I don’t still understand why you can’t get that. You know all of us didn’t come for money, and I don’t know that you did, I just know that you’re out here, you keep wrecking cars. I’ve had the same car here and I haven’t wrecked it.'”
When asked how Hingorani responded to his concerns, Costner expressed bewilderment. “So that’s honestly the most frustrating part is I don’t know what it is, man, these kids, I don’t know if it’s the arrogance, I don’t know if it’s age, I have no idea.”
Hingorani’s retort, as Costner recounted, was, “Your Spotter ought to tell you, it’s a faster car behind you.”
In stark contrast to Costner’s passionate outburst, Hingorani seemed unfazed by Costner’s concerns and dismissively downplayed the incident, stating, “Everything was fine. It was just another racing incident there. Everything, I think, is fine over there. No worries.”
Kyle Busch sounds the alarm on the vanishing respect
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Nearly six months ago, it was Cup Series 2x champion, Busch, who was lamenting over the dwindling sense of respect among drivers. He voiced his concerns, saying, “We have completely lost any sense of respect in the garage area between drivers.”
“That’s where the problem lies, Nobody gives two shits about anybody else. It’s just a problem where everybody takes advantage of everybody as much as they can. We’re all selfish, granted, but there was an etiquette that once did live here.”
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He reminisced about a time when a code of etiquette existed in the sport, with drivers like Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Rusty Wallace, and Dale Jarrett upholding it. However, Busch added, that era has passed into history. Busch admitted trying to address these concerns with his fellow drivers, but claimed that they often didn’t listen.
Frustrated by the lack of response and feeling that he had exhausted his efforts, he revealed, “I’ve tried to talk to guys. They don’t listen, so I’ve lost interest in talking to them. I had a teammate that I talked to, a kid that raced for me two years in the Truck Series real recently who I got into last week with and tried to talk to him about those exact same issues. Lo and behold, it happened to me three races into a new year somewhere else, so I’m done talking to them.”
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WATCH THIS STORY: Denny Hamlin Ashamed By Nascars Broken Hof As Jimmie Johnson Suffers Jeff Gordon Disgrace
With the championships nearing their climactic conclusion, the season finale looms large, and the burning question remains: Will we witness a resurgence of clean racing, or will the high-stakes pressure compel drivers to push the limits, potentially sacrificing respect for the pursuit of glory?