At the Martinsville Speedway, there was a contentious incident involving Ross Chastain. The Trackhouse Racing driver dug deep into the Hollywood book of racing, and pulled off an insane move. To be precise, he hugged the wall and practically rode on it to slingshot himself from 10th to finish in 5th. It left the paddock divided, and one of the critics was defending Cup champion Kyle Larson.

However, Denny Hamlin’s crew chief Chris Gabehart was not convinced. He said, “So he chose the last corner to do it. No rule or no sporting issue with that. It’s a tool in the kit and he used it. I never would have guessed it, neither would anybody but Kyle Larson. I’ve seen him do it at Darlington. No I wouldn’t change anything. That’s an interesting tactic. I don’t know, I have so much respect for Kyle Larson, for him to say that causes me pause. Can’t help but think that had he won the Southern 500, he wouldn’t necessarily say that.”

READ MORE: WATCH: “Pi**ed Off” Chase Elliott & Shocked Denny Hamlin’s Live Reaction to Ross Chastain’s Internet-Shattering NASCAR Move

Why was it hypocritical of Kyle Larson?

The Hendrick Motorsports driver insisted that the move was a bad look for NASCAR, and he was embarrassed. However, it is worth mentioning that just a year ago at Darlington, he did the exact same thing. The big difference was that it did not pay off for Larson. Whether it worked for Larson or not, it was a bit hypocritical for the 2021 Cup Series champion to condemn it.

This was why Gabehart called out the #5 driver for his comments, as he saw the irony of it all. According to the #11 crew chief, if Larson had won that Darlington race, he would have been singing a completely different tune. At the end of the day though, Chastain benefitted from the tactic and sneaked his way into the Championship 4.

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