Once again, the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway had a wild ending due to some unexpected contact between drivers. This time, it was Ross Chastain who changed the story of the NASCAR Cup Series race with his attempted squeeze move.
The incident occurred during a contentious final stage. Chastain and Kyle Larson took the green flag on the front row, and they battled for position. The driver of the No. 1 tried to squeeze the No. 5 up into the wall, but he ended up spinning nose first into the wall.
Chastain and Larson both wrecked while William Byron dove to the bottom and took the lead. The driver of the No. 24 went on to win his third race of the season while Chastain headed to the infield care center. Larson ultimately finished 20th.
“Full commit into [Turn] 1,” Chastain told FOX Sports reporter Regan Smith. “I got really tight and drove up and turned myself. I wanted to squeeze him, I wanted to push him up. We’d been trading back and forth all day, and I wanted to push him up, for sure. But I definitely didn’t want to turn myself into the wall.”
Rick Hendrick Had Some Comments About Chastain
GettyRoss Chastain waves to fans at Circuit of the Americas.
This wreck collected one Hendrick Motorsports driver, Kyle Larson. It also opened up an opportunity for another team member to capture a win. Byron capitalized and celebrated his first season with at least three wins.
Following the race, team owner Rick Hendrick met with media members to discuss the big win. Though he also faced questions from NBC Sports reporter Dustin Long about Chastain’s aggressive driving and the wreck that collected Larson.
“He does not have to be that aggressive,” Hendrick said about Chastain. He went on to say that the driver of the No. 1 has a lot of talent, but he is also making a lot of enemies.
“…I don’t care if you drive a Chevrolet if he wrecks our car,” Hendrick added. “I don’t care. And I told Chevrolet, ‘You wreck us, you’re gonna get it back.'”
This Wreck Followed Another Incident Between the 2 Drivers
GettyRoss Chastain headed to the infield care center after the late wreck.
Chastain had one of the best cars in the field during Throwback Weekend, and he used it to pass Martin Truex Jr. before the end of Stage 2. He led 93 laps in his Dale Jarrett throwback, and he put himself in a position to win. However, the situation completely changed during the restart that set up overtime.
As Chastain indicated, this wreck was not the first incident featuring him and Larson. Another happened on the previous restart, but it was less of a story than the massive wreck that collected Truex, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, and others.
This particular incident occurred with 13 laps to go. Truex made contact with Logano, which sent the No. 22 Ford into the outside wall. It rebounded and spun the No. 19 Toyota, which brought the top lane to a halt. Meanwhile, many other drivers spun further back.
While this wreck was happening, Larson and Chastain were battling for the lead. However, the No. 5 Chevrolet was on the inside of the No. 1 Chevrolet. Larson moved up and pinched Chastain into the wall, but both drivers were able to keep moving forward. This set up the restart when the two drivers wrecked.
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Ross Chastain’s ‘Squeeze’ Move Creates Wild Darlington Ending