Ross Chastain was able to finish the Cup Series race at COTA in 12th place. What led him to this result was the wise decision-making he made in the final laps to allow Chase Elliott to pass him without creating trouble. Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke about the on-track meetings between the two drivers on his podcast and praised Chastain’s bravery.
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Chastain had angered the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team by dive-bombing Elliott in the first lap of Sunday’s race. Elliott spun and underwent severe damage to his hopes of winning the event. Alan Gustafson, his crew chief, was bent on returning the favor to Chastain when the right opportunity came by.
Understanding that there was a mark on his back, Chastain played it safe when Elliott drove up to him in the final stage. He completely submitted himself and made way for the Hendrick driver to pass. Dale Jr. was impressed with Chastain’s mindset to not let his ego get in the way of a decent finish.
He said, “It wasn’t like Ross looked up in the mirror and went pulling over. He had laps of warnings to think, what am I going to do? What are my options? Ross says, coming out of turn one, ‘You know what? I’m gonna let him go. To hell with optics. I don’t care what it looks like, but I’d rather finish 9th, 10th, or wherever I’m going to than get turned around.”
Dale Jr. wishes Chastain had commented about the incident to the press
When asked about the incidents with Elliott after the race, Chastain refused to talk about them. Dale Jr. continued to note on the podcast that “no comment” is never a good option to choose after such altercations. He wished that Chastain had detailed the moves he made in Lap 1 and accepted that he was in the wrong.
However, that may have been a bit too much to ask from him. Walking away from the mics was a better option than saying something controversial and extending tensions with a fellow competitor.
Elliott, in the meanwhile, finished his race in fourth place after a resounding performance in the third stage. Both drivers now prepare themselves for the fourth race of the season at the Phoenix Raceway.
