It’s no secret that Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain are not exactly friends. However, fans definitely didn’t see this coming. Many NASCAR drivers, including Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Kyle Busch have raised concern over the safety of the Next Gen cars. But recently, Ross Chastain made it clear that ‘they don’t speak for all’.
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After the YellaWood 500 at Talladega, Ross Chastain opened up about his views on the latest Next Gen cars. In the brief post-race conversation posted by Noah Lewis, Chastain said, “I just wanna say they don’t speak for all of us for everything they say.”
Moreover, he took a shot at Denny Hamlin’s earlier comments and told the media, “Denny says ‘Look, these guys are just being quiet because they are happy to be here.’ But we have our own thoughts too. I know I do.”
Furthermore, Chastain explained why he has been silent over this particular issue until now. Reiterating that Hamlin doesn’t speak for all, he said, “Everything he says just isn’t the mouthpiece for the entire garage. Sometimes, saying less is more too, and there’s a better way to do it than just doing that.”
And unsurprisingly, Chastain’s comments did not sit well with the NASCAR fans. Calling out Chastain’s comments as a way of grabbing attention, many Twitter users slammed the #1 driver. Some users also cited the comments by Harvick and Logano to highlight that the safety issue is a real concern and Chastain’s dismissal doesn’t matter.
Spoken like the person the has wrecked half of the field. He just wants attention. @dennyhamlin has been in this sport much longer and is trying to improve the safety of the sport. Obviously from his driving Ross doesn’t care about the drivers!
— Susan Bollinger (@bevsusan11) October 2, 2022
@RossChastain if it was just Hamlin I would agree but it is @KevinHarvick @chaseelliott @KyleLarsonRacin who are all Champions so I guess you have a lot still yet to learn.
— WDWDVC🏁 (@WDWDVC2008) October 2, 2022
Spoken like someone who hasn’t YET had to deal with a concussion.
STOP towing the company line when it comes to safety!— 🄱🄰🄼🄰 Buddy 🏁 (@Bamabuddy5) October 2, 2022
Hamlin is the mouthpiece for the drivers if nobody else wants to speak up
— Noah Belleville (@MuskratMoldy) October 2, 2022
Haha, hoping and wishing that Nascar is doing their job while staying silent is quite the take. Especially when they put the seemingly unsafe car on the track in the first place.
— Ryebread (@Ryebread78) October 2, 2022
Majority rules pretty sure 95% agree with Denny and harvick. Hell even Elliott agrees
— Brandon Coley (@BrandonColey83) October 2, 2022
lets see if he cares more if he backs it in a wall at 180 MPH and has to miss races for a concussion. We have two drivers out this season, countless others who have had the hardest impacts of their life. It's pretty dumb when the guy is trying to make your dangerous career, safer
— Exorcist of Stupidity (@JamieExorcistof) October 3, 2022
sounds like he is "just happy to be here"
— MVP 96 (@mvp2k996) October 3, 2022
Although Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin don’t seem to see eye to eye, fans believed that the safety issue is larger than their rivalry.
What exactly did Denny Hamlin say?
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In a brief media appearance at Talladega, Denny Hamlin urged other drivers to join in to speak about the safety concerns. He said, “I know a lot of young guys are just happy to be here, but they ain’t going to be happy when their brains are scrambled for the rest of their lives.”
Moreover, Hamlin suggested that cars need to be redesigned almost fully. Apart from that, he said that NASCAR can do better with regard to competition and safety.
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Furthermore, he hinted that NASCAR must allow each team to build its own cars. He said, “It’s just (that) NASCAR has to concede that they’re not capable and let the teams do it.”