For the past week or so, Ross Chastain has been the talk of the town. Specifically, his bust-up with Noah Gragson at the Kansas Speedway. As it happens, the two drivers tangled with each other on the track during the race. Once the chequered flag dropped, a fuming Gragson confronted Chastain and things escalated into a fistfight. In the buildup to the NASCAR Cup race at Darlington, Kyle Larson spoke about the Trackhouse Racing Team star’s reputation.

The 2021 Cup Series champion suspected that the #1 driver’s unapologetic stance would earn him a lot of favors from fans. He even predicted that the TRT star could give Chase Elliott a run for his money. Elliott has long been the most popular NASCAR driver. He has even won the award five consecutive times in his career, but could Ross Chastain really challenge him?

Larson mentioned in the media pen, “I feel like he’s got a good personality. He’s in controversy every week; fans love controversy. He is a guy you can cheer for, you can boo. [He is] Fast, really fast.

“His team does a great job of marketing and activating and all of that. I think there’s a lot of potential there for them to take advantage of it. They’ve done a really good job up until this point. He’s got the potential to be one of, if not the most popular drivers out there.”

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Kyle Larson feels that Chastain’s apologies will soon be less sincere

Of course, Larson has been a victim of multiple Ross Chastain attacks on the tarmac. However, he confessed that in today’s day and age, people thrive on controversy and Chastain is a frequent source. So it would not be surprising to him if the #1 driver rapidly builds up a fanbase for himself. Additionally, he also felt that the TRT star is slowly embracing his role as the heel.

Larson continued, “I feel like, you’ve seen him apologize a lot less these days. Think there’s a lot of things that he apologizes for, that he shouldn’t apologize for, or that he doesn’t really mean. I think it’s good.

“Eventually, I feel like when you get a controversy every week, you just gotta be like, ‘Whatever man, this is just standard procedure now.’ Feel like he’s getting a little bit like that.

“There’s times where he obviously feels really sorry; and at Dover, he felt really bad. Other times where he doesn’t feel bad, but he feels like he has to apologize. I think you see less of those moments now.”

Larson will have to be wary of the Watermelon Man in the future

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During the Darlington race, Larson had a coming together with Chastain—the very man he defended. Makes one wonder if the #1 driver is trying to make the Hendrick Motorsports star regret his words. For the moment, Kyle Larson will be focused on the ongoing 2023 campaign. He already has two wins at Martinsville and Richmond under his belt.

However, he has encountered some rotten luck in the past few races. So he would be keen to turn things around and establish himself as a title threat. Unfortunately, Sunday’s race and Chastain assault did not help his cause at all.

READ MORE: “Comfortable Making These Guys Uncomfortable”: Ross Chastain Aims to Steal Chase Elliott’s Throne Followed by Kyle Larson’s Proposition