Justin Marks Does Not Blame Denny Hamlin for Ross Chastain’s Exit from the Playoffs

If there ever was a perfect example of “a racing incident” in NASCAR, Sunday’s last lap tangle between Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain at the Charlotte Roval was it. But to also illustrate that NASCAR rivals can oftentimes be among the most forgiving opponents, Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks does not hold Hamlin to blame for Chastain failing to advance to the Round of Eight due to this on-track skirmish.

“For all of us watching, it’s really easy to be looking at the scoring pylon and the points and us making decisions in our mind that we think race car drivers are making decisions inside their car,” Marks said during a post-race press conference.

“Ultimately, everybody’s out here to try to get the best finish and best result for their team and I don’t think anybody really owes it to anybody else to try and help anybody else.” 

“It’s nice to hear Denny say those things, but Denny’s doing what he’s got to do for the 11 team and try to get the best finish that he can for the 11 team,” Marks continued.

“Ultimately, at the end of the day, it was a bit self-inflicted today on the No. 1 team. We shouldn’t have been in the position that we were in, having to fight for one point on the last lap and having to throw Hail Mary’s and all that stuff.

“We need to be better on pit road, we need to eliminate the mistakes that were made today so we weren’t in that position.”

Sunday’s Overall Finish for Trackhouse Was Somewhat Ironic

The irony about how Sunday finished is that the other two Trackhouse drivers — who are no longer in the playoffs or never were, race winner Shane van Gisbergen and Daniel Suarez (who will be leaving the team at season’s end) — finished first and seventh, while Chastain missed continuing as the team’s sole playoff representative going into the next round by just one point, one position in the final finishing order.

“When we look at all these cutoff races, and it comes down to one point, two points, and one position,” Marks added. “You have to remember that everybody out here is employed by somebody and they’re trying to do the best job for their race team and their boss. I guess that’s how I think of it.”