Trackhouse Racing’s star driver suffered a heartbreak last weekend. Ross Chastain, driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet, was at the threshold of victory at Nashville Superspeedway. However, the chaos that unfolded in the last few laps sealed his fate, along with others.

But interestingly, it was a Hendrick Motorsports driver who brought about his downfall from the front row. This delivers a sharp reminder of last year when Chastain’s rowdy behavior invited a word of warning from Rick Hendrick. Yet Chastain chose to be calm at Nashville, and fans churned out some fishy theories.

Ross Chastain may have changed

NASCAR has an army of stormtroopers or drivers who inevitably brew a conflict or two at races. Ross Chastain is one of them, as his notorious behavior has often invited flak from peers. Last year during a rain-delayed Dover race, the watermelon farmer shoved Brennan Poole up the track and into Kyle Larson, taking both out.

Barely six days after this incident, Ross Chastain squeezed Noah Gragson into the wall with 60 laps to go in Kansas. This invited a passionate fistfight post-race, drawing worry from the likes of Kevin Harvick as well. But Rick Hendrick was far from happy with another Larson incident just a few weeks later.

Ross Chastain again encountered Kyle Larson and collided with his car at Darlington Raceway. Hendrick sternly declared after this incident: “I don’t care if he’s driving a Chevrolet if he wrecks our cars,” Hendrick said. “I don’t care, and I told Chevrolet that. If you wreck us, you’re going to get it back. And if you don’t, they’ll run all over you. I’m loyal to Chevrolet, but when somebody runs over us, I expect my guys to hold their ground.” Yet presently, it seems that Ross Chastain is ameliorating his ways, or at least he is quiet.

At the Nashville race last weekend, Chastain fought with Larson and Denny Hamlin for the lead. But on the second overtime restart on lap 305, Larson appeared to unintentionally bump into Chastain’s left rear. That nudge sent the No. 1 spinning hard into the wall, as Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 also knocked fiercely into him.

Considering that he was so close to Victory Lane, everybody expected Chastain to be mad. Yet, on the contrary, he talked amicably with the reporters post-race, showing no sign of frustration and staying mum about the wreck. But fans are not too convinced about his changed demeanor, as they engaged in an online debate.

The NASCAR community weaves some theories

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NASCAR fans always have a penchant for cooking up some spicy rumors. A Reddit page user recently blamed Rick Hendrick’s fold for the way they have treated Chastain on track. “Whether you like him or not, he has been purposely smashed and dumped, multiple times by HMS drivers, and just all across the board.” Then the user added his theory about Chastain’s seemingly soft demeanor: “I think he’s doing it on purpose, as some sort of apology, but it’s going to be a weird playoff if he’s not in it.”

Fans had a mixed response to this wild thought. Some partially agreed, as one fan reflected on Hendrick’s stern warning last year after Darlington. “Not exactly. But he definitely changed after the Hendrick talk. So whatever Rick said to him, must’ve really struck a nerve with Rossy.” Another fan chimed in along similar lines, but involving Chevy: “Regardless of what Hendrick actually said to Chastain on that phone call…….at the conclusion I could totally believe Rick whispering into the phone,…… “You’ll never need to leave Chevy….. gimme a call”. Lmao.”

But others pointed fingers at Trackhouse Racing, blaming the team for inadequately preparing Ross Chastain. “Once Trackhouse comes around to building some faster cars, he’s gonna quickly become a championship threat year in and year out.” 

Another fan said it is simply a matter of time before Chastain gets back at his rivals. He is too clever to reveal his emotions publicly, as he sported quite a meaningful smile in the interviews. “Ross will cash in on all of the HMS cars that he can during the playoffs. He’s just too smart to say anything about it ahead of time.”

Evidently, Ross Chastain’s changed behavior is sparking some attention from NASCAR fans. Let us wait and see if the No. 1 driver can occupy the No. 1 spot in the next few races.