Aggressive driving and risky wrecks make NASCAR the entertaining sport it is. From drivers pushing their teammates to the win to wrecking opponents to gain track position, these are the moments that fans love to watch. But sometimes, things can also get out of hand, as it did with Ross Chastain. The Trackhouse Racing driver started his career with the reputation of being an aggressive driver. Case in point: When Chastain rode the wall to burst into the 2022 Cup Series Championship 4 race. Known as the Hail Melon move, it has been banned since then.

But with an aggressive driver tag on someone’s back, it’s easy to make rivals in the sport. This was the fate that Ross Chastain had to deal with before calmed down. Recently, Alex Bowman has taken up Chastain’s aggressive title, especially with his performance at Talladega. But the #1 driver is not going to let his opponent suffer from the same fate, it seems…

The story first came to the forefront during the NASCAR Inside the Playoffs October 12 episode where Carl Edwards and Ross Chastain were invited as guests. The two drivers were hosted by the show’s regular cast, Shannon Sparke, Steve Letarte, and Dylan Smith, and with a lot to discuss the Talladega race, the episode was packed with insights.

After Carl Edwards discussed how the DVP mismanagement reminds him of his title being taken away from him in 2011, Ross Chastain took the mic to talk about his driving. That’s when Chastain told the NASCAR inside the Playoffs team, “I think it comes back to the whole body of work, and in my experience when things have led up to this—say the 48 car had spun or crashed other cars in prior weeks at other tracks, not drafting—then you have a reputation.”

Chastain then revealed how everyone had their eyes on him and that even making a small mistake would bring about criticism. The No. 1 Trackhouse driver explained, “And that was my reputation recently: that I didn’t have any margin for error. Anytime I did anything, everybody blamed me. I mean, I got blamed for the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs a couple of years ago. You know? It’s, um, one of those things.”

The Trackhouse star’s reputation even led to him an infamous fight with Rick Hendrick in May last year. The incident unfolded after Kyle Larson had wrecked out for the third time in four races, owing to Chastain. The last instance at Darlington occurred when Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain were battling for the lead in the final laps of the race. Larson reportedly pushed his fellow Chevy driver up into the wall, with the latter returning the favor on a restart. However, it didn’t well for either of them as the #1 was taken out of the race and the #5 finished 20th. “What a hack,” Larson had criticized over the radio, though he refused to talk during interviews. Hendrick, however, took the cake with a stern warning:

“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..He doesn’t have to be that aggressive..I guess at this point in the race maybe you’re super aggressive, but you just don’t run people up in the fence. He’s going to make a lot of enemies. It’s hard to win a championship when you’ve got a lot of paybacks out there.”

Having said that, during the recent conversation on NASCAR Into the Playoffs, Chastain tried to bring the focus to his former aggressive driving style while talking about Alex Bowman. The Hendrick Motorsports No. 17 driver has been driving aggressively to keep his place in the playoffs. This caused Bowman to wreck Ryan Blaney at Talladega, and as a piece of advice, Chastain stated, “Alex has a pretty good track record, and he lived up to it. He [Bowman] bumped him [Blaney] in a bad spot, and, um, that was it.”

The incident between Ryan Blaney and Alex Bowman occurred during a fierce battle for stage points at Talladega, with chaotic action in the final moments of the stage. Let’s take a look at what went down at Talladega that had Ross Chastain sharing advice with Bowman.

The Alex Bowman and Ryan Blaney incident at Talladega

As the field fought for stage points at Talladega, Ryan Blaney found himself in a tough spot. He was stuck in the middle, with Chevrolets surging around him. Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain made their move to the outside, and Alex Bowman seized an opportunity, diving into the gap to give Blaney a push. But in the chaotic fight, the move backfired. Bowman’s mistimed bump sent Blaney’s car spinning sideways. The #12 Ford clipped Shane van Gisbergen and shot across the track, slamming into Chastain’s Chevrolet. Both Blaney and Chastain crashed across the line, ending their day in eighth and tenth.

After the race concluded, Bowman admitted his push was poorly executed. The driver reflected on the mistakes he made during his race. “I hate that I did that,” Bowman confessed. “I made too many mistakes today, and I ruined some other guys’ days too.” Meanwhile, a visibly frustrated Blaney accused Bowman of recklessly driving through him. “He just wrecked the f*** out of me,” Blaney said, angry that Bowman emerged relatively unscathed while his own race was ruined.

Despite the wreck, Blaney managed to stay 25 points above the playoff cut line, thanks to a massive crash later in the race. Bowman finished 16th, holding 26 points above the cut. But the damage was done, and Blaney couldn’t shake his frustration, feeling the entire incident could have been avoided if Bowman had been more careful. Do you think that Alex Bowman is on his way to making a name as an aggressive driver in the sport? Share your thoughts in the comments below.