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Ross Chastain (L) & Kyle Busch (R) | Credits: Imago
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Ross Chastain (L) & Kyle Busch (R) | Credits: Imago
Kyle Larson grabbed the checkered flag at the Richmond Raceway by registering his first win of the season. However, it was Ross Chastain who took the headlines. His involvement in the wreck fest at the Circuit of The Americas and the backlash from drivers and fans that it generated is still fresh. Moreover, during the race in Richmond, he made a contentious move leaving Christopher Bell in a tight spot. To add to all this, the Trackhouse Racing Team driver is in no mood to end the recent rivalry between him and Kyle Busch, considering his post-race comments.
Chastain played an important hand in the wreck that resulted in his teammate Daniel Suarez losing his cool at the end of the COTA race. Moreover, the 30-year-old sent a stern warning to Kyle Busch when the Richard Childress Racing driver passed some snarky comments on the incident. In fact, he seems to be holding it closely as he fired shots at Rowdy once again on Sunday.
Ross Chastain sparks Kyle Busch rivalry while proving his innocence amid the Christopher Bell incident
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With 20 laps to go at Richmond, Christopher Bell found Chastain on his inside, which saw Bell spinning William Byron out. Despite his fourth-placed finish, Bell was disappointed with the incident and blamed the THR driver for it. He said, “The wrecking ball [Chastain] came in and made us three-wide at the last second, and there wasn’t enough room to be three-wide.”
He later added with a hint of frustration, “I mean, he didn’t do anything wrong. That’s just his MO.”
.@CBellRacing calls @RossChastain “The Wrecking Ball.”
Credits him as what caused the crash that sent the No. 24 for a spin. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/g3X894SYTO
— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) April 2, 2023
This comes after Kyle Busch had recently taunted Chastain for his antics at COTA. Speaking before the Richmond race, Busch said, “Maybe I hit somebody with my front end when I got into the corner, but I think you can do a pretty good job of knowing where your stuff’s at. Maybe he [Chastain] needs glasses, I don’t know. I started wearing them this year, I see way better.”
When Chastain was asked to respond to the “glasses” comment, he said, “I would recommend he come mention that to me personally. He can say whatever he wants but he never says anything to me.”
READ MORE – NASCAR Fans Demand Ross Chastain’s Teammate “Has Got to Go” Amid “Car Weapon” Allegations
Fans hardly expected the war of words to end there and the media made sure that it didn’t. After his third-place finish in Richmond, Chastain spoke to the media. While answering the “wrecking ball” claims by Bell, the Florida-born driver said, “He can say what he wants.” What followed next was a clear dig at Busch.
He said, “Like other guys, he walks right by me and doesn’t say anything to me.” Wonder what Rowdy would want to say to this.
“Like other guys, he walks right by me and doesn’t say anything to me…” – @RossChastain on @CBellRacing calling him “the wrecking ball” post-race. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/Smy2wvngIx
— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) April 2, 2023
While this rivalry is brewing nicely, it doesn’t seem like things will be any more heated between Bell and Chastain.
Christopher Bell brings more clarity to the “wrecking ball” incident at Richmond Raceway
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Ross Chastain was pretty firm on his stance when he said that he didn’t touch Bell despite the JGR driver’s allegations. In the aftermath of his comments, the#20 driver reviewed the incident and came to a conclusion.
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Bell confirmed through his tweet that there was more room than he had thought in the heat of the moment. While he did not call Chastain a “wrecking ball” again, he did offer his apologies to William Byron.
After watching the replay, I saw there was much more room than what I thought in the heat of the moment. Sorry @WilliamByron. https://t.co/ESQgXHjOtn
— Christopher Bell (@CBellRacing) April 3, 2023
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This certainly closes the issue between him and Chastain. However, the rivalry between Kyle Busch and the THR continues. Things could really get heated if they are found head-to-head on the track the next time.