“Hard for Me to Believe It”: Ross Chastain Opens Up on Insecurities After Kyle Larson Comparison

Kevin Harvick’s retirement from the sport saw the last of the previous generation of drivers heading into the sunset. The majority of the remaining drivers are much younger and can be considered as the building blocks of the sport for the future. The likes of Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson amongst several others comprise the grid that will now lead the next chapter of the sport.

At the post-race press conference after Phoenix, Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain was asked how feels about potentially being a part of that group as well along with the likes of Larson. 

Ross Chastain shares his insecurities after being compared to Kyle Larson

Subsequently, Chastain responded, “Yes, to say my name next to guys like Kyle Larson, it’s hard for me to believe it. It’s hard for me to understand it, comprehend it. Early last year we won at COTA.”

“We walked back in the shop, the shop that was CGR, the shop I had been at for so many good things, getting the job, winning the Xfinity race. And it’s all gone. Now I’m the third Cup driver in 77 with Spire.”

He added, “For those win parties, I had a little bit of like impostor syndrome or something. I didn’t really believe it. I’m having a little bit of it now when you look long-term when you say I’m going to be competing. That’s pretty wild.”

Lastly, he mentioned that he was not sure how to fathom such a thing and that it would take him a couple of years for that to happen. Chastain, with the way he runs around the race track winning races and appearing frequently at the top of the grid, showcases his potential to join the ranks of Larson and Byron sometime in the future.

Just last night at Phoenix, he won the race, although he hadn’t been a part of the championship four. It could only be a matter of time before we see him hit the front of the pack and be mentioned in the same sentence as Larson regularly.