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It’s been a bit over a month since one of the most heavily criticized drivers of the 2023 Cup Series, Ross Chastain, notched his first victory of the season. The victory was surely a redemption for the Watermelon Man as he gave a befitting reply to all his critics and also the owner of Hendrick Motorsports, Rick Hendrick. However, a significant time has passed since and the driver has been awfully quiet, evading the limelight and unnecessary scrutiny.

Nevertheless, it seems that the driver is slowly making his presence felt. Chastain chose to break his silence and state his thoughts on the Pocono ruckus between Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin. The Trackhouse Racing driver in a pre-race interview ahead of the race at Richmond made his stance clear—he advised Larson on what he could have done in order to regain his lost position.

Ross Chastain reveals his stance on the Larson-Hamlin debacle, and it has “Wrecking Ball” written all over it

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The Trackhouse Racing driver has been at the receiving end of criticism during the first half of the regular season for his aggressive driving strategy. Ross Chastain was subjected to a lot of backlash for his contentious style and wreaking havoc on the track, but the situation went south after the incident between him and Kyle Larson at Darlington. This forced Rick Hendrick to express, “It’s really getting old with these guys. 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.”

Since then Ross Chastain has kept himself low and out of major controversies and only to deliver an impeccable victory at Nashville. However, it’s been a month since the incident occurred and the #1 Chevrolet driver has been evasive of all the media spotlight, only to open his mouth after the Pocono race last week. Hamlin’s controversial win has been the talk of the town for days and is yet to simmer down. Nevertheless, the JGR veteran tried to clear the air and justify his move, saying that it was the anomaly of the Next Gen car that had led to such an incident and it was surely not intentional.

The justification assuredly gained attention from the drivers as they tried to provide insights into Hamlin’s actions. However, it is Ross Chastain who provided an interesting set of answers and how Kyle Larson could have chosen to react and regain his position. He revealed, “Didn’t change anything for me last week, so I can’t really say. Going forward we all make our decisions lap by lap. Every time we go into the corner there are decisions we make.

There are choices we make. Just kind of know who you are racing against and what the odds are and if this still happens and the odds were low, okay, you lost that one. There is something that you can do in every corner at every lap at every race.”

The significance of Chastain’s subtle yet provoking answer was not lost on anyone. In fact, many claimed that he has taken on the correct approach.

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Community sides with Chastain’s insights on the Pocono controversy

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The answer surely comes as a surprise for the fans on witnessing how Chastain tried to maintain a middle path yet an affirmative answer regarding his point of view on the situation. Many enthusiasts took to the comment section to express their observations on Chastain’s expression.

They wrote, “Chastain learning how to answer the question without answering.”

“Elliott Byron and Chastain sure are ones to talk….”

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“Ross has had some PR training.”

Others also wrote, “Classy of Ross Chastain to not take cheap shots at Hamlin. With all the shots Hamlin has put on Ross, would have been the perfect opportunity; he chose not to do so. Smart move, Ross!”

“Spoken like true politicians.”

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It seems that the Trackhouse Racing driver has surely grown more measured in the past months. He subtly put out his stance in the media but in a roundabout way. Nevertheless, it is to be seen whether the driver is able to hold on to the calm demeanor and glide into the post-season with no further controversies to haunt him.

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