Ross Chastain boarded an express train to stardom when he signed for Trackhouse Racing in 2022. The advanced machinery he had at his disposal helped him become a consistent favorite for race wins. But in equal or more spotlight was his aggressive driving style. Talking about Austin Dillon’s controversial moves in Richmond to the press at Michigan, he addressed a key difference.
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Chastain said, “I think mine and Austin’s are different because he’s established and has been in the sport for longer than me. When my stuff, I guess in the Cup [Series] got loud I’ll call it, I was still the new guy to be competitive in Cup.” He expressed that his fellow racers were okay with him being aggressive in Xfinity or Trucks but had problems when he became a direct threat.
“When I became competition, they suddenly had extra reasons to have a problem with me,” he said. “That’s my opinion, is that they were OK with me when I was just ‘Ross the watermelon farmer’.. they didn’t have to worry too much about him.” Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson were some drivers Chastain had trouble with at some point in time.
As Richard Childress’s grandson, one of the biggest names in motorsports, Dillon has found support throughout his career. Chastain, on the other hand, did not have an easy route to the top. His family and he worked hard at watermelon farms to fund his career and put him in the spot that he is now.
Would Chastain have resorted to intentionally wrecking fellow drivers?
The No. 3 driver wrecked Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in the final lap of the Richmond race to secure a victory and a playoff spot. He told the press later that he would have done whatever it took to reach the goal. Would Chastain have acted similarly if he were in Dillon’s shoes? After all, who could forget the “Hail Melon” move he made at Martinsville?
He replied, “I think it’s a case-by-case. I never thought I would drive into the wall in fifth gear at Martinsville (Speedway) until I did it. I think that no one knows what’s going through Austin’s (Dillon) head for that scenario. So I don’t know..” Every driver is just looking for ways to win regardless of what their route to the top has been.
Chastain is currently grappling for a playoff spot with three more races left in the regular season. He will start Sunday’s race at the Michigan International Speedway in seventh place.
