Without a doubt, the talk of the town is Ross Chastain. In fact, that has been the case more often than not in the 2023 Cup Series season. Despite leading the ranking charts, Chastain continues to face criticism from his fellow drivers for his aggressive style of racing. However, he recently confirmed that he won’t change his driving approach whilst answering Kyle Larson‘s predictions involving Chase Elliott.
Following his Kansas feud with Noah Gragson, Chastain has come under the spotlight more than ever. However, Larson feels there is a positive side to it. In fact, the Hendrick Motorsports star even claimed it would help Chastain dethrone his teammate Chase Elliott in a certain fashion.
Ross Chastain delivers a warning to fellow drivers following Kyle Larson’s bold prediction ahead of the Darlington race
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It is no secret that Ross Chastain loves to be aggressive. While it helps him succeed, it surely doesn’t sit well with his fellow drivers. In fact, several drivers are quite enraged. However, in the press conference before the Darlington race, Chastain confirmed no change in his racing approach.
Speaking to the media ahead of the race at the Darlington Raceway, the Trackhouse Racing Team driver answered if he was feeling any pressure from the outside. To this, he said, “There’s two things, right? There’s on the track and off. And on the track, I am, I’m comfortable making these guys [fellow drivers] uncomfortable and that’s not always going to come across well, but I’m OK. Get out of the car and I’m learning to become comfortable in this role.”
Over a short period of time, Chastain has gained a lot of popularity. Though a lot of it has not been for the best of reasons, Kyle Larson feels this will still help the #1 driver. In fact, he discussed it in detail in the recent episode of his podcast “High Limit Room.”
Larson said, “I think he [Chastain] is sort of like owning it. And I think he’s got the potential to be more popular than Chase Elliott. So I think it’s awesome. He’s moving the needle.” The HMS driver certainly has a point there. Not many drivers have been on the lips of fans recently as much as Chastain has been.
While Chase Elliott has won the Most Popular Driver award consecutively for the last five years in the Cup Series, the Watermelon Man surely poses a challenge this time around. With more than half of the season left, it is interesting to see how Chastain approaches this aspect.
There's a video version of this podcast, so here's the clip if you wanted to watch. (Link to full episode is here: https://t.co/kHG0EQq8Bg) pic.twitter.com/yiIqfSFk3p
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) May 11, 2023
As far as his driving is concerned, there is little that will change. In fact, this has infuriated Kyle Busch, especially when he strongly advised Chastain to be cautious.
WATCH THIS STORY: Sworn Adversaries Kyle Busch & Ross Chastain Join Hands in Calling Out a Common Enemy
Kyle Busch feels enraged as Ross Chastain ignores his advice following the Kansas Speedway incident
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There is no doubt that Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain haven’t always seen eye-to-eye. However, being an experienced racer, Busch passed on some words of wisdom to Chastain given his style of racing. Unfortunately, it didn’t play out well and left the former Joe Gibbs Racing driver furious.
Speaking to the media before the Darlington race, Busch explained how he suggested Chastain not be the headline every week. However, with the Melon Man not taking his advice into account, the#8 driver said, “He hasn’t listened to anybody and I’m sure there’s more than me that have tried to talk to him. I’m not sure what that is. I don’t know that guy. Don’t need to know the guy.”
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Over time, the list of drivers angered by Chastain is only increasing. It only makes it more interesting to see what happens at Darlington on Sunday. Can the #1 driver contain himself from getting involved in a wreck or scuffle on Sunday? We shall soon find out.