Like Him or Not, Ross Chastain Moves the Needle
As I was sitting in my chair watching the end of last weekend’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington, with all of the beautiful throwback liveries swirling across the TV screen, I had a reaction that was likely similar to many others… Chastain? Wrecking someone? Again?
NASCAR should be thanking their lucky stars he did.
And no, my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me, or you. Ross Chastain was in the eye of the hurricane once more, this time after another incident with Kyle Larson that saw both drivers crash out in the late stages of the race while battling for the lead. It was an incident that many have blamed on Chastain, and they’re right to do so. He admitted to squeezing Larson just as Larson had done to him previously, but Ross didn’t line it up correctly and got hooked, and the two cars wrecked in rather amusing fashion.
The debate around Chastain has been a hot topic in the NASCAR world for the last 12 months, and the temperature has only risen thanks to more incidents that Chastain has instigated this season.
Is Ross a dirty driver? Are his antics bad for the sport? Does he need to clean up his act if he wants to be a true contender? Or even if he just wants to keep all his teeth?
My take is this… Ross isn’t doing himself many favours in the way of setting himself up for a title run. Lots of drivers feel like they “owe him one”, and that adds up over the course of a season. Having half the field upset at you means you won’t be given much leeway out there, and the lost points that come from paying off all those debts might hurt him and his team in the long run.
But for all his faults – and faults may be an unfair way of putting it – the attention Chastain is bringing to the series can be good for NASCAR. He has people talking about the sport with a renewed interest, even to the point where he was invited to join The Pat McAfee Show for an interview two weeks ago. That’s a big platform that NASCAR doesn’t usually find itself on, which is a significant development for the sport’s public image.
Yes, he pushes the envelope. And yes, some people in NASCAR don’t want the sport’s image to be that of sweaty drivers throwing fists at each other after every single race. And some people simply don’t want their cars getting wiped out by Chastain, which is a fair concern. Take Rick Hendrick, the owner of Kyle Larson’s #5 Chevrolet who’s been on the receiving end of a few Chastain shunts in recent weeks. After Darlington, Hendrick had choice words for Chastain:
“He doesn’t have to be that aggressive. I guess at this point in the race maybe you’re super aggressive, but you just don’t run people up in the fence. 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.”
Rick Hendrick on Ross Chastain
Still, whether you agree with it or not, this is Ross Chastain at his finest, full stop. He isn’t going to change and NASCAR fans should welcome that. While I feel the wave of comparisons to Dale Earnhardt were a bit over the top – come on, there’s only one Intimidator – I do understand the sentiment. Chastain has drivers looking in their mirrors just as much as they’re looking through the windscreen.
And Chastain hears the noise.
“No matter what, I’m proud to be moving the needle. I hear it, I see it. People come to me, either online or in person, and they’re telling me the good and the bad, and I kind of just walk away and I’m like – that’s pretty wild that they’re watching my racing and they care that much. I’m learning to become comfortable in that role, too.”
Ross Chastain last weekend in Darlington
And take a look around the grandstands. For all the controversy surrounding him, Ross remains a fan favourite. There are countless fans at every race decked out in his team’s Trackhouse Racing apparel, with hats and shirts and jackets that have Chastain’s #1 proudly stitched onto them like a badge of honour. It shouldn’t be a surprise either.
He’s the Wall Rider.
The Melon Smasher.
The Needle Mover… alright, that one might not stick.
You know who else was considered a fan favourite in their time? Darrell Waltrip. Kyle Busch. Tony Stewart. Bobby Allison. Denny Hamlin. Cale Yarborough (the man fought the Allison brothers on the grass at Daytona!). And yes, Dale Earnhardt.
So are all these constant dustups good for Chastain and his title chances? Probably not. Throwing points away and putting a target on your back is never ideal, and I’m sure he’s had some tough conversations with his boss Justin Marks about that. But is Chastain’s style good for the sport? Absolutely.
And the link between Chastain and those drivers I just mentioned? These are all very successful drivers who unquestionably left their mark on the sport through their full tilt, unabashed aggression. And after all, isn’t that a trait that NASCAR was kind of built on?