"I had to ask for his number": Ross Chastain opens up on learning curve from Kyle Larson-Rick Hendrick incident in 2023
Ross Chastain reflected on his major incident with Kyle Larson in 2023 that saw Rick Hendrick getting involved. Late in the race at Darlington, the two Chevrolet drivers wrecked with the Hendrick car coming off worse.
This angered Mr. H who had pretty stern words for Ross Chastain after the race.
Recently, during an episode of the Dale Jr. Download, Chastain sat down with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and discussed that incident in retrospect. The host asked the #1 driver if the whole thing was as big a deal for him in his evolution as a driver as everyone made it out to be.
"We definitely had a conversation. Yeah, I mean, crashed a couple of his cars, gonna reach out. I called him. I had to ask for his number. Was it as big of a deal after that? No, I don't think so. Justin Marks and I, we had to learn after that. I was used to it but I wasn't to that magnitude of the #5 car and Mr. Hendrick. So it was good. It was learning," Chastain described.
This led Dale Jr. to tell his guest that he didn't want him to change. Earnhardt Jr. claimed that Chastain is one of those drivers who go down into a corner with 'hope it sticks' mentality, something he doesn't want to be removed from his DNA.
However, Ross Chastain remarked that he doesn't want to be an unliked figure in the garage, someone from whom people turn away. Chastain also added:
"When we're on track, if they get mad when they have helmets on because I kept my position, because I raced them, it doesn't bother me. It's when I step over the line, I wreck Kyle Larson, when either one of us could've won that race, driving slower wouldn't help, won't help. That's not going to ... just stay at the back ... I'll be kicked out of the #1 car."
Rick Hendrick issued a strong warning to Ross Chastain following his Darlington incident with Kyle Larson
In the aftermath of the Kyle Larson incident, Rick Hendrick fired a stern warning to Ross Chastain. The owner of Hendrick Motorsports, a key partner of Chevrolet along with Richard Childress, said that he doesn't care if Chastain was a Chevrolet driver if he wrecked the Hendrick cars.
"I don’t care. I’ve told Chevrolet that. If you wreck us, you’re going to get it back. If you don’t do it, they’ll run all over you. I’m loyal to Chevrolet, but when somebody runs over us, then I expect my guys to hold their ground. I’m not going to ask them to yield just because of Chevrolet," Hendrick claimed.
The owner of HMS further commented on Ross Chastain's driving style, mentioning that the #1 driver doesn't have to be that aggressive. Hendrick warned Ross Chastain that if he kept driving the way he was then, he would end up making 'a lot of enemies.'
In that scenario, it would be difficult for him to win a championship if there were many paybacks out on the track waiting for him.