William Byron emerged victorious in the Darlington race on Sunday after a dramatic clash between Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson at the final restart. Larson squeezed Chastain into the wall as he tried to maintain his lead with only 13 laps remaining. In the following restart, Chastain attempted a similar move to hold off Larson, resulting in both cars wrecking. Larson’s teammate, Byron, capitalized on the situation and inherited the lead, clinching his third win of the year in overtime. Chastain ended up in the garage, while Larson limped home to finish 20th.
Chastain’s Tactics Take Center Stage
Chastain’s aggressive tactics once again dominated the conversation after the race. When asked to describe the incident, Chastain said, “Full commit. I got really tight and drove up and turned myself. I wanted to squeeze him and wanted to push him up.” Chastain and Larson had been trading places all day, and Chastain wanted to push Larson up to take the lead, but he did not intend to turn himself into the wall.
Hendrick Motorsport Owner Criticizes Chastain’s Aggression
Larson declined interview requests following the race, while his team owner, Rick Hendrick, credited Chastain as a very talented driver but criticized his aggression. Hendrick stated that Chastain needed to tone down his aggressiveness if he ever hoped to win a NASCAR championship. “He doesn’t have to be that aggressive, and I guess at this point in the race maybe you’re super aggressive, but you just don’t run people up into the fence,” said Hendrick. “He’s going to make a lot of enemies. It’s hard to win a championship when you’ve got a lot of paybacks out there.”
Chastain’s History of Confrontations
Chastain has a history of confrontations with other drivers, including a pitlane scuffle with Noah Gragson at Kansas. Chastain has also had multiple confrontations with Denny Hamlin, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver who had points retrospectively deducted after he admitted on a podcast to intentionally walling Chastain at Phoenix earlier this year. Chastain’s aggressive driving style has made him a controversial figure in the NASCAR world, and many wonder if he can balance his aggression with strategic driving to win a championship.
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