- In five seasons, Ross Chastain already has no shortage of enemies in NASCAR.
- The aggressive driver has a penchant for ruining the others' days, and many seem tired of it.
No matter where Ross Chastain goes, trouble always seems close behind, and it is clear that other drivers are tired of having their days ruined.
The latest incident came at this week's Richmond race during the restart for the final stage. As the cars entered the turn three-wide, Chastain (1) may have been trying to avoid the 42 car (Ty Dillon), and in doing so, he clipped the back-left of Kyle Busch (18), causing both cars to spin.
After the race, Busch, who finished ninth, expressed his frustration by turning Chastain into a verb.
"We were looking okay and in a good spot, just coming up there, working our way methodically through the field with our M&M's Toyota Camry, and we got Chastain'd this week," Busch said. "We were his victim this week."
While there is some debate over who was to blame for the latest wreck, it is clear that drivers are not giving Chastain the benefit of the doubt, given that he is often the common denominator in these wrecks.
Denny Hamlin's crew chief Chris Gabehart could be heard sarcastically saying over the radio, "The latest caution is brought to you by Ross Chastain."
Hamlin and Chastain have their own long history of on-track run-ins. After being wrecked several times by Chastain, Hamlin got a bit of revenge near the end of the recent Pocono race as the two drivers battled for the lead.
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After that race, Hamlin made it clear that their beef was far from over.
"I mean, we're just going to keep racing hard until we get the respect back from these guys," Hamlin said. "It's not just that. We've been wrecked four times, twice while leading in the last 10 months. I'm at the end of it."
One person who has defended Chastain, however, has been NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Junior recently spoke about how he angered Martin Truex, Jr. after an incident he had with Chastain. After that race, Earnhardt, friends with both drivers, defended Chastain and his "throwback" driving style, saying the sport needs drivers like him.
Still, it is clear that Chastain doesn't have many friends on the track.
During the recent Michigan race, defending NASCAR champion Kyle Larson seemingly summed up the feelings of many when he was asked if he wanted to work with Chastain to improve their lead in the race.
"Ha," Larson said over the radio. "Ross doesn't work together with anybody. Funny."
The two did not work together, and neither won the race.