The NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) started with chaos. As the field barreled into Turn 1, Ross Chastain made an aggressive dive-bomb move, causing a five-wide stack-up that sent Chase Elliott spinning. The No. 9 car, which had been one of the strongest in qualifying, was suddenly at the back of the pack.

For Elliott, it was a frustrating moment. But for his crew chief, Alan Gustafson, it was infuriating. Over the team radio, Gustafson didn’t hold back his anger. “We’re gonna have to pay that s— back because I’m over people like that constantly doing dumb s—. When we get a chance to send him, we’re sending that 1 car,” he fumed. The call for retaliation was clear. Many expected Elliott to take matters into his own hands.

The frustration was understandable. Elliott had qualified third and looked primed for a strong race. Instead, he had to fight through traffic, eventually clawing his way to an impressive fourth-place finish. But despite the anger from his team and the NASCAR community calling for retaliation, Elliott chose a different approach. Ahead of the Phoenix race, instead of seeking payback, Elliott dismissed the idea altogether, focusing on the bigger picture.

Chase Elliott refuses to retaliate!

After the race, Elliott didn’t show much emotion about the situation. While he acknowledged the frustration, he refused to fuel the fire. “I haven’t seen it, so I don’t wanna comment yet, but it’s the first lap of the dang race,” Elliott said. “Frustrating to just fall behind there early.” A week later at the Phoenix Raceway, the Hendrick Motorsports driver didn’t try to fuel the issues. He downplayed the controversy and avoided escalating the situation.

“There’s not really a lot for me to comment on it, you know. I hate that it happened. I hate that, you know, it’s easy for me to say that I wish it wasn’t on the first lap, which is true, but if that happens at any point in the race, you’re probably going to be, you know, bummed out about it,” Elliott told Bob Pockrass ahead of Sunday’s race. Elliott’s response was measured. He was clearly upset about how his race started, but he didn’t call out Chastain. This was in contrast to the heated reactions from his crew and other drivers who had grown frustrated with Chastain’s aggressive style.

Notably, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was among those who believed Chastain should be held accountable. On his Dale Jr. Download podcast, Junior criticized Chastain not for the move itself, but for his silence afterward. “He could have said anything, and that would have probably been better than a no comment. No comment is just probably not ever the best option,” Dale Jr. admitted. Other drivers, including Denny Hamlin, also weighed in. Hamlin, who has had his own battles with Chastain, believed that taking ownership of mistakes is important.

Eventually, Chastain broke his silence. Ahead of the Phoenix race, he admitted his mistake. “When I watched the overhead view, yeah, I mean, I’m the outlier, so I’m the furthest left, and I’m the fastest. So yeah, it was an error. I thought we were slow enough from the restart zone, but that was not the case. That was a bad move. I just, I don’t know how else to say it. I get to take that, and I get to live with that. From the outside, it doesn’t look good,” he admitted.

Notably, Ross Chastain went on to say that if he could do it over again, he wouldn’t have made the move. He also made it clear that he never intended to wreck Elliott but simply miscalculated the situation. By finally addressing the incident, Chastain may have salvaged some respect from his peers. However, his decision to let Elliott pass later in the race showed a level of caution that some believe is uncharacteristic of him. However, considering his history with Rick Hendrick’s drivers, maybe he was just saving himself.

Back in 2023, Ross Chastain was involved in multiple wrecks with Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet #5 Kyle Larson. Despite Chastain also driving a #1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, Hendrick did not hold back in his criticism of the driver. “I don’t care if he’s driving a Chevrolet if he wrecks our cars, I don’t care. I’ve told Chevrolet that. If you wreck us, you’re going to get it back. If you don’t do it, they’ll run all over you.” Some fans feel this is the reason Chastain has toned down with his driving and retaltiations ever since.

Meanwhile, for Elliott, the matter seemed closed. He didn’t seek revenge on track, nor did he hold a grudge. Instead, he looked ahead to Phoenix, where he aimed to regain momentum and turn his season around. After a comeback drive at COTA, he is looking to continue that momentum as the NASCAR caravan moves to Phoenix Raceway.

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Elliott opens up about his Phoenix plans!

With the COTA drama behind him, Chase Elliott turned his attention to Phoenix Raceway. The one-mile oval has been a tricky track for him in the Next Gen era. Despite winning the 2020 championship there, he has struggled in recent visits, leading just 57 laps in five starts since 2022. His average finish at Phoenix in that span is 16.4, far from his usual high standards.

“Phoenix hasn’t necessarily been a strong track for us in the Next Gen. But we made some headway there last fall, so I’m looking forward to seeing how we stack up this weekend,” Chase Elliott admitted in front of the media. His 8th-place finish at Phoenix in the season finale of 2024 brought some hope, but 2025 has seen inconsistent results so far. A fourth-place finish at COTA showed resilience, but early wrecks at Daytona and Atlanta set him back in the standings. Sitting fifth in the championship hunt, Elliott knows execution will be key.

“I think right now, for us, we just want to have a good, clean race. The team has put in the work to bring fast Chevrolets for me each week,” Elliott added. Notably, Hendrick Motorsports, as a team, has historically dominated at Phoenix. The organization has a series-best 13 wins at the track and leads in top-five finishes. Elliott’s teammates—William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Alex Bowman—are also carrying strong momentum. Byron leads the standings and has been a top-10 machine at Phoenix, while Larson, a past winner, is aiming to improve even further.

Elliott will rely on his crew chief, Alan Gustafson, to help turn things around. Gustafson is a four-time Phoenix winner with different drivers, and his experience could be a difference-maker. As the NASCAR season rolls on, Chase Elliott’s ability to stay focused amid controversy will be tested. He proved at COTA that he can keep his cool, even when pushed into tough situations. Now, at Phoenix, he has a chance to silence the doubters and show that patience pays off. Do you think Elliott can turn his season around and secure his playoff spot with a win in Phoenix? Let us know in the comments!