Ross Chastain is one of the most aggressive NASCAR drivers out there. And he showed it once again in yesterday’s race.
After a last-lap accident at the head of the pack eliminated both drivers from the race, Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace, who are friends off the track, made it clear that neither was to fault.
The truth is that the finish concealed what occurred just one restart attempt before, and that was another dubious, terrible divebomb effort by Ross Chastain, which prompted a skirmish at the front of the field, drew a caution, and caused that ill-fated, second overtime.
Rookie Noah Gragson led the outside line on the first try at a two-lap race to the finish, followed by Chastain and Blaney on the inside. As the field neared Turn 1, Gragson had a nice launch and was level with Blaney, but instead of pushing until the cars were halfway up to speed, Chastain pulled inside and tried to shoot the middle.
Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece were involved in the most terrifying incident of the year when Gragson crashed. In the aftermath, none of them blamed Chastain. But it appeared premature and needless, and it kicked off a chain reaction that resulted in the decisive collision between closest friends.
Fan Reactions to Ross Chastain
After the race at Talladega Superspeedway, many fans were quick to react to the aggressive driving of Ross Chastain.
One die-hard Twitter fan wrote about Ross being too aggressive but still appreciated him,
‘Good race today, but my only problem was you wedged your car where it wouldn’t fit and took out Noah Gragson in the process. Kinda frustrating for him & LegacyMotorclub. Besides that, I’m proud of you & you’re one hell of an aggressive driver.’
Good race today, but my only problem was you wedged your car where it wouldn't fit and took out @NoahGragson in the process. Kinda frustrating for him & @LegacyMotorclub. Besides that I'm proud of you & you're one hell of an aggressive driver.
— đ»Shianna Mitchellđ» (@subie_chick19) April 24, 2023
Another wrote, “Bro that move u made to get the lead at the end was bad ass! Don’t change who you are man!! I love the way u race! It’s daring and bad ass! Please please stay that way!! Who cares what people say!”
One Twitter user criticized his aggressive driving saying, ‘Dude, youâre a wrecking ball. That was not a good decision on Sunday. There wasnât nearly enough of an opening to make that move. At some point, you canât just keep apologizing. Be better.’
Dude, youâre a wrecking ball. That was not a good decision on Sunday. There wasnât nearly enough of an opening to make that move. At some point, you canât just keep apologizing. Be better.
— Mike Wurtz (@Mike_Wurtz) April 24, 2023
Chastain is currently in 23rd position with 22 points. He will hope to advance further in the WĂŒrth 400 race at the Dover International Speedway on May 1.
