“He Just Made a Mistake” – Michael McDowell Acquits Ross Chastain of Foul Play in Busch Light Clash Spinout

Michael McDowell got Chastain-ed on lap 54 at Clash of the Coliseum. After Ross Chastain took a stern talking-to from Rick Hendrick last year, it seemed like we were seeing a more mellow version of him, one that wasn’t keen on spinning or wrecking others on purpose. But with the 2024 season kicking off, it looks like the old Ross Chastain might just be making a comeback [not intentionally though]. During his post-race chat, McDowell touched on this, not exactly fuming over Chastain’s move, but he did point the finger at car #1 for stirring up trouble.

Michael McDowell and Ross Chastain have already hashed things out after a bit of on-track drama

The final caution came out at lap 140 after McDowell had contact with Ross Chastain. McDowell spun around turn 3 after the Trackhouse Racing driver hit the outside wall and rebounded into #34. The contact finally led to the end of Ty Gibbs’ lead. The caution finally gave Denny Hamlin an opportunity to take the lead from his fellow JGR driver.

Post-race, McDowell didn’t mince words about the Lap 54 tangle, pinning the blame squarely on Chastain. “Well, it’s 100% his fault. He was spinning his tires and bounced off the wall and just came down and hooked us. But I can hear him buzzing the tires, so I don’t think he was trying to get us. I think he just made a mistake there but yeah,” McDowell explained. Asked if he’d have a word with Chastain about it, McDowell revealed they’d already cleared the air, brushing off the incident since the exhibition race had no bearing on points.

While McDowell pointed the finger at Chastain for his spin, he himself didn’t shy away from seizing an opportunity when he spun the 2023 Daytona 500 winner at the cost of Ross Chastain. Michael McDowell, in a bold move, sent Ricky Stenhouse Jr spinning, setting the stage for another quick restart after the last one. With the track being tight and the lanes narrow, there wasn’t much swish room for overtaking. McDowell saw a slim chance and took a daring dive-bomb on Stenhouse Jr, slipping through the narrow gap.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr wasn’t about to let that slide and gave McDowell a piece of his mind with a nudge back on Turn 1 during the caution before they got back to racing. But consecutively, it was Ross Chastain who felt the sting the most. Caught in the crossfire, Chastain got shuffled back a few slots and had to line up further back than he’d been before the chaos ensued on the next restart.

At Turn 2 during the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, Chastain was out front when a misstep led to Ricky Stenhouse Jr nudging Chastain towards the wall, sparking another caution and some heated exchanges on the track. Chastain wasn’t pleased with Stenhouse Jr’s and McDowell’s move, with his team radio reporting, “A couple of those knuckleheads divebombed it in there. Looked like the 47 may have gotten you.” 

In fact,the troubles were far from over as Tyler Reddick was warned about a restart violation as the race heated up. But Chastain’s on-track adventures didn’t end there; he also tangled with Tyler Reddick as the race drew to a close.

Watch This Story: 7 worst wrecks involving Ross Chastain that proved detrimental to his rivals

#1 addressing the tangle between him and Tyler Reddick leaves the latter baffled

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Towards the race’s home stretch, Tyler Reddick from Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing team got tangled up with Ross Chastain, a move that didn’t sit well with the Trackhouse Racing driver. Chatting with Fox Sports post-race, Chastain shared his two cents, “I felt like when that last wreck happened, he just drove through us. Everybody ran into everybody. I got into McDowell and hooked him. … I just felt like at the end that Tyler took advantage of the wreck ahead and pushed his way through.”

Read More: “Those Knuckleheads Divebombed It” – Ricky Stenhouse Jr & Michael McDowell’s Shenanigans Prove Detrimental for Ross Chastain

On the flip side, when Reddick was quizzed about the incident, he seemed a bit in the dark about which part ruffled Ross Chastain’s feathers. “I ran into the back of him getting into the corner,” Reddick admitted, “… but after that, cars from the bottom just came in there and cleaned all of us out. I don’t know which part of it he is mad about — I guess I’ll have to go talk to him about it.”

Well, we will have to wait to find out how that conversation goes! Stay tuned for updates.