Ross Chastain isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. The Florida native has been involved in plenty of controversies in the past, some of them being against very high-profile drivers such as Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick. Over the years, the Trackhouse Racing star has built somewhat of a reputation for not backing down on the track, adopting a win-at-all-costs mentality that helped him finish 2nd in the Cup Series back in 2022. However, that comes with its fair share of troubles, a lesson Chastain learned early on in his career.

The memories of the 2018 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway will still be fresh in Chastain’s mind. Reflecting on the controversy, the 31-year-old revealed his motives behind intentionally wrecking Kevin Harvick during the Xfinity Series race in a candid conversation with Dale Jr.

Ross Chastain admits to hot-headed reaction at Darlington

Ross Chastain was eager to make an impression. The Riverdale High graduate had signed a three-race Xfinity Series deal with Chip Ganassi Racing and was hoping to impress with a good result. Driving the No. 42 Chevy, he finished first in qualifying and led the race for 90 laps until he caught the attention of Kevin Harvick. The two drivers made contact while battling for the lead, with Chastain scraping against the wall before he hooked Harvick, making him spin on the track. Both drivers were forced to settle for disappointing results, as Chastain ended up 25th and his rival finished three spots lower.

Reflecting on the incident, Ross Chastain confessed on the Dale Jr Download podcast, “I will call myself out here, I did Harvick.” Recalling the incident, Junior said, “You’re both pretty much destroyed”, to which the Florida native admitted, “We were. He was still on the gas when we hit the wall. So that’s what got me.” Fearing for the potential repercussions after the incident, the 31-year-old went on to say, “I thought I was gone.”

Naturally, Kevin Harvick wasn’t too happy with the hook and the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing driver went on to park his car in Chastain’s pit stall to share some harsh words. Infuriated at the Chip Ganassi Racing driver’s boldness, Harvick thought that the hook was intentional and said, “(He) then wrecked me down the back straightaway and hooked me to the right. That’s probably the reason that he’ll never get to drive many of them again.” After being forced to settle for his worst result in five Xfinity Series appearances in 2018, Harvick didn’t compete in another race in NASCAR’s second tier for the remainder of the season.

Meanwhile, Ross Chastain managed to turn his season around. As part of his three-race contract, the No. 42 Chevy driver went on to secure a victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in his next appearance and finished runner-up at Richmond Raceway a week later. Sharing his views about the incident at that time, the Florida native said, “I’m still learning. I just had to put my big-boy pants on and move on.”

Even though the result at Darlington Raceway wasn’t what he hoped for, it gave Chastain the self-belief that he could go head-to-head against NASCAR’s very best, which may have contributed to his results in the following races.

Kevin Harvick has fond memories of the incident

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They say time heals all wounds. That certainly appears to be true for Kevin Harvick, who has an entirely different outlook towards that incident in comparison to what he felt when the race at Darlington ended. The 48-year-old looks back on the ‘hook’ as part of the sport and has forgiven Ross Chastain for the reaction at the 2018 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200. Both the drivers put the incident behind them a long time ago, and Chastain has gone on to make plenty of Xfinity and Cup Series appearances, despite Harvick’s claim after the race.

Recalling the crash during the Happy Hour podcast, Harvick said, “Those are the types of things I live for. I love the competition and just the jabs back and forth and what’s good, what’s bad. In the end, you respect that because those guys are pushing as hard as you.” He went on to say, “If you’re going to be in this and don’t love competition and don’t love rivalries, you’re just now going to get the most out of this. Especially with a newcomer like Ross, right?”

Fast forward to the present day and Ross Chastain is gearing up for the penultimate race of the season. The Trackhouse Racing driver recently secured his only victory of the ongoing Cup Series campaign at Kansas Speedway and will be looking for another positive outcome at Martinsville. Even though he isn’t competing in the playoffs, the No. 1 Chevy driver will do what it takes to get a result at the 2024 Xfinity 500. Could that result in the start of a brand-new rivalry in the high-stakes race? Anything is possible in a sport as cut-throat as NASCAR.