Last year, when Ross Chastain sent Kyle Larson spinning at Darlington for the umpteenth time in a string of races, he got a stern talking-to from Rick Hendrick. Mr. H laid it on the line, “I don’t care if he’s driving a Chevrolet if he wrecks our cars… 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.” Since that showdown, Chastain seemed to tone it down a notch, perhaps wary of Hendrick’s clout or the thought of retribution.

Yet, his recent tussle with Tyler Reddick at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum tells a different tale. And that very narrative got a nod from Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his podcast, stirring the pot once more.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. opines that Ross Chastain is not the kind of guy who can make massive adjustments

After laying low post in the Kyle Larson kerfuffle last year, Chastain kicked off this year with a bang at the Busch Light Clash, where he and Tyler Reddick butted heads post-victory lap at the L.A. Coliseum. Chastain, chatting with Bob Pockrass from Fox Sports, reflected on the scuffle with Reddick, saying:

“I wrecked him, but he came over and smiled. Me and Tyler are buddies. I can’t wait to get back on the bike with him or something and see how strong he’s gotten in the off-season. But, at the end, I just feel like Tyler took advantage of the wreck ahead and pushed his way through.”

Though Chastain’s words about Reddick were in good spirits, his practice of nudging others out of the way to clinch a win is turning heads. Echoing this, Dale Earnhardt Jr., on his podcast, mused, “Chastain is always in something, man. He always is in something.”

Dale Jr. said that according to him, it’s kind of like the Gibbs deal when Chastain isn’t “competitive and he doesn’t push it too far”. But when he is in those moments where he’s got a shot at it and “he sees the carrot in front of him, man, he will do whatever it takes to catch it,” said Dale Jr.

Dale continued, “Chastain in my mind, never isn’t Chastain’s not the kind of guy to make a massive adjustment to his style and what he’s going to do on the racetrack. Just don’t; he said it. If you listen to his comments, whether it’s to the media in the Netflix show, whatever he ain’t, he is who he is. […] He’s going to race, and he doesn’t care how you feel about it or what you think about his choices on the track. I think he’s the same as he has always been.”

Yet, Dale Jr. didn’t miss noting Chastain’s savvy to steer clear of hot water when there’s no trophy on the line. But with NASCAR’s ironclad stance on intentional crashes, the big question is, how does Chastain keep sliding under the radar?

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Last season, 2020 Cup champ Chase Elliott parked for a race after he deliberately tangled with Denny Hamlin at Charlotte. Fast forward to this year’s Busch Light Clash, and Ross Chastain’s bump with Tyler Reddick post-race is stirring the pot. Brett Griffin, with years of NASCAR under his belt, is calling for a clearer line in the sand on these antics.

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Griffin’s scratching his head over Chastain’s move, saying, “I have a question about Ross Chastain. I thought we couldn’t wreck people intentionally anymore. If we did, we’d get fired, suspended, and all kinds of stuff. Drivers have been coming on and lying, saying they didn’t mean to wreck.”

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It’s going to be intriguing to watch whether Chastain shifts gears and starts playing coy about the wrecks or if he keeps thumbing his nose at NASCAR’s rules.