Hendrick Motorsports Legend Reveals Kyle Busch and Joey Logano Factor in Ross Chastain’s Poor Performance

Aggression and NASCAR are perhaps synonymous with each other. Only the aggressive can survive on the tracks of NASCAR. And it is this aggressive nature that has helped the drivers to prolong their careers. Moreover, it is not uncommon for drivers to intentionally wreck their fellow drivers on the track.

But in the ongoing season, circumstances have escalated beyond the usual. And one driver has been in the midst of such incidents more often than not. This has forced the team personnel along with their owners to speak up against him. It is none other than Trackhouse Racing Team’s Ross Chastain.

However, it seems that for the past few races, the driver has calmed down and is keeping a low profile. But has such a toned-down approach borne any fruits for Chastain or his team?  It seems that Steve Letarte has the answer.

Former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief comments upon Ross Chastain’s current form

Being competitive is surely appreciated when it comes to surviving in any elite sport. But playing dirty to achieve those results is bound to raise eyebrows, and no one knows it better than Ross Chastain. The #1 Chevrolet driver did grab the attention of other teams through his ruthless driving style. But since an ultimatum was served by Rick Hendrick, the “wrecking ball of NASCAR” has been absent from the tracks of NASCAR. 

On this subject, in the latest episode of the NASCAR on NBC podcast, Nate Ryan questioned the former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief, Steve Letarte, “What’s your take on where Ross Chastain is here in 2023 and he dialed it up back? Did he need to and is it affecting his results?” 

The former crew chief responded, “There is zero doubt that a casual or a less aggressive Ross Chastain is less successful. Ross Chastain, we have seen in the last few weeks, he has been slower, he has not been as aggressive at the restarts. I would disagree, I don’t think so it was running with Kyle Larson at Darlington that got Ross Chastain that got poked through. I think it was Kyle Larson’s owner Rick Hendrick.”

“A lot of guys had pointed out how aggressive Ross Chastain is and nothing made a difference, but something made a difference when Rick Hendrick called him out that was the first time a car owner… Justin Marks then said yeah we are gonna have to sit down and speak to him. We are assuming that happened and he is definitely not the same driver. This is a very simple case of be careful what you wish for,” Letarte added.

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The incident that Letarte seems to address occurred during the Goodyear 400, during one of the restarts, when Larson and Chastain found them on each other’s neck, in order to take the lead. And in order to outlast Larson and maneuver past him, the Trackhouse Racing driver ended up shoving Larson to the outside wall. This resulted in Larson falling back into the pack and ending the race in the 20th position.

This forced the HMS boss Rick Hendrick to issue an ultimatum to Chastain and his team, and even to their common car manufacturer Chevrolet. He underscored the fact that it would be tough for Chastain to win the championship with such an outlook. 

While continuing on Ross Chastain and him wreaking havoc on the track, Letarte also drew comparisons with Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. He expressed, “Nobody knows what ingredients makes the best race car driver. If one of us did we wouldn’t have to work and Ross Chastain’s chip-on-the-shoulder, blue-collar run-people-over approach while not have been perfect but was effective.

“When I look at this mix, I think this is an example of lacking a veteran voice in the camp. We all took it for granted what Joey Logano could do or Kyle Busch could do or veteran drivers could do. But for Ross Chastain, it was Ross feeling his own way, I think we could all agree, a much more calm Ross Chastain doesn’t make a lot of headlines, and unfortunately does not make a lot of top fives.”   

If Letarte’s words turn out to be true, then perhaps Ross Chastain has still a long way to go before he earns a championship. Chastain and his team surely have to come up with better strategies, without wrecking others in the process. He clearly needs to maintain his balance between being aggressive and being dirty on track.

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