Ross Chastain punches Noah Gragson as NASCAR drivers have heated post-race trade
Noah Gragson lastly had sufficient of Ross Chastain and determined to do one thing about it.
Chastain, who has drawn the ire of many NASCAR drivers this season along with his aggressiveness on the observe, discovered himself in a heated confrontation with Gragson on the Kansas Cup, which was held at Kansas Speedway in Kansas Metropolis, Kan., on Sunday.
He had gotten into it with Gragson with about 60 laps to go and despatched him for a spin, and Gragson walked as much as the Trackhouse Racing driver afterward to make his displeasure recognized.
Gragson put his arms on Chastain, who responded with a sweeping proper hook that appeared to attach.
Gragson tried to return the punch, however he was pulled away by safety and NASCAR officers.
“I’m sick and uninterested in it,” Gragson mentioned of Chastain’s driving model. “The man runs into everybody. When you’ve guys like Chase Elliott and different guys telling you to beat his ass, everyone seems to be simply sick of him.”
Denny Hamlin received the race, Chastain was fifth and Gragson was twenty ninth.
Chastain accepted a number of the blame for the spin however didn’t have a lot to say in regards to the punch.
“I acquired tight off 4 for certain,” Chastain mentioned. “Noah and I’ve a really comparable perspective on the race observe. We practice collectively, we put together collectively, we all know each little bit about one another. I undoubtedly crowded him out of 4.”
This didn’t look like the primary time Chastain had completed one thing to anger Gragson on the observe.
In a post-race interview on the observe, Gragson mentioned Chastain additionally “took care of us Talladega.”
“We’re Chevrolet teammates,” Gragson mentioned. “Didn’t work with us there after which fenced us right here and I’m simply over it. No person else has the balls to at the least confront him. So for those who at the least don’t seize him and do one thing, he’s simply gonna hold doing it. I’m over it. It’s the second time.”
Kyle Busch had railed towards Chastain over the radio earlier than crashing out of the race on a restart.
Afterward, Busch appeared to take purpose on the efficiency of the Subsequent Gen automobile, which he mentioned made it too troublesome to cross.
“Not racing prefer it as soon as was,” he mentioned after dropping an on-air expletive. “You’re quicker than a man, you run him down three-tenths a lap and also you stall once you get there. A part of it’s the automobile. They’ll aero block you, pinch you, fritter away your tires and do all the things else to carry their place and you then get handed from behind. Very irritating.”
— with AP