Harold Hinson Photography Noah Gragson (left) & Ross Chastain (right) fought at Kansas Speedway.
Denny Hamlin scored his first win of the 2023 Cup Series season at Kansas Speedway, but this quickly became an afterthought. The reason was a post-race fight featuring Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson.
The wild incident occurred on pit road as drivers climbed from their stock cars and prepared for interviews. Gragson walked over to Chastain and began exchanging words with him. The Legacy MC driver grabbed Chastain’s firesuit, which prompted the driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet to say, “stop it.”
“You just f****** doored us and fenced us,” Gragson told Chastain, who responded by saying that he thought he would clear the No. 42 Chevrolet. “You f****** doored the f*** out of us, man. What the f*** is your f****** problem?” The fight then began.
🔊: @NoahGragson had sharp words for @RossChastain on pit road.
There was only one punch that made contact. Gragson took a direct shot to the face from Chastain. He went to retaliate, but a man standing to the side caught his arm and walked him away from the fight.
Chastain went to his hauler after the fight, so he didn’t have any comments for media members on pit road. Once they went to his hauler, he only talked about the race itself while saying that everything else was between him and Gragson. Though he made some comments to FOX Sports about a “no-push policy” at Trackhouse Racing.
Gragson Provided Many Comments About the Fight
GettyNoah Gragson made his feelings known after the fight with Chastain.
Chastain did not provide many details about the fight with Gragson. He largely shied away from the topic while the Las Vegas native spoke openly about why he approached Chastain after the race came to a close.
“I just got fenced by [Ross Chastain],” Gragson told FOX Sports after the race. “He took care of us at Talladega, and we’re Chevrolet teammates. Didn’t work with us there, and then [he] fenced us here. I’m just over it.
“Nobody else has the balls to at least confront him, so if you don’t at least just grab him and do something, he’s going to keep doing it. And I’m over it. It’s the second time. I have respect for Justin Marks and the rest of the Trackhouse team, and that’s why I’m not wrecking him on the race track. I’m ready to fight him. I didn’t even get a shot in because the security guards got in the middle of it.”
Gragson provided further comments to Jeff Gluck of The Athletic and Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. He said that he and Chastain are both in the Chevrolet program with Josh Wise, so they see each other on a daily basis. He added that he’s not afraid to do more.
FOX Played a Pre-Race Clip About Chastain
The interesting thing about the fight is that it unfolded after FOX Sports frequently mentioned Chastain. There was even a pre-race video highlighting his past run-ins on the track and his level of aggressiveness.
“Ross vs. the World” focused on all of the incidents that have unfolded throughout Chastain’s NASCAR career. There were videos showing his altercations, as well as quotes from the other drivers talking about the Florida native.
Ross vs. The World
Is he too aggressive, or is Ross Chastain just not afraid to rattle some cages?
This clip aired on “NASCAR RaceDay” as Shannon Spake, Larry McReynolds, and Jamie McMurray provided their thoughts about Chastain and his apologies. McReynolds, in particular, said that the competitors “are over” hearing Chastain say that he is sorry.
“Well, it’s not believable, which is why they’re over it,” McMurray said. “And I think Ross just needs to own up to it, right? If you’re going to do it week in, week out, just own up to it and don’t make the excuse.”
There have been many comments in the past from Christopher Bell, Brennan Poole, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin among others, but there have not been many examples of attempted payback. That changed at Kansas Speedway.