Before Ross Chastain stopped the drivers at the cup level, he was ruffling the feathers at the Xfinity Series.
Prior to that, he was paying rent to Dale Earnhardt Jr.
yes. That Dell Jr.
“Ross used to rent from me. I own some rental properties in town, so I always felt like Ross and I had such a good friendship,” Jr. said this week during an NBC conference call.
“He was so close to him as he was trying to get some momentum in the sport. We raced against him at the Xfinity Series, and he ran really hard and aggressive with no apologies and it was always fun to watch…unless he was hard working and aggressive with the cars he owns.
“There were weekends when I would get really frustrated with him, but then the following weekend he would drive the same way but at least it wasn’t against my cars and I like that.”
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Ross Chastain ‘One of the Best Things’ for NASCAR
NBC’s Junior and NASCAR crew is set to take over TV coverage for the remainder of the season, which begins Sunday in Nashville (5 p.m., NBC). After a rare holiday week, the Cup Series returns for the first 10 consecutive races to finish the regular season.
And yes, it would be wise to keep an eye on Chastain moving forward. Don’t take my word for it though.
“Hopefully, for us as viewers, he’ll continue to do a show,” Junior said. “It’s one of the best things going on right now for the sport in terms of entertainment. He has a little personality to him, which is always important.
“I hope for us he continues all his ambitious moments moving forward, especially once we get into the playoffs and it really starts to count and matter.”
Denny Hamlin vows to hit back at Ross Chastain
For those who need a little refreshment, Chastain didn’t put on his best show earlier this month in St. Louis.
He got into both Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott early in the race and then spent the remaining laps fending off both drivers while chasing him in every sense of the word.
Elliott first drew blood when he ran him on the track and into the wall on restart, then Hamlin came to kill, passing Chastain only shortly after and then checking him around the track for the next two laps.
“It was comical at times,” Junior said.
Earnhardt Jr. on Chastain’s apology: Not buying it
The payoff is still to come, Hamlin said after the race – and the following week in Sonoma. Elliott moved in typical Chase Elliott fashion.
Meanwhile, Chastain apologized…a lot.
Junior said quite a bit.
“I don’t know whether to buy it or not,” he said. “I don’t know, to be honest with you.” “He made it really thick after the race. I know he understands he has to clean it up a bit, but I still think there’s a part of it that’s like, ‘I’m not going to hold back and I’m not calling him back.'” “
Chastain finished seventh at Sonoma while Hamlin could barely smell the lead, so the supposed payoff is still in the works.
Hamlin promised that it would come when Chastain “at least expect it,” and Chastain accepted—perhaps to Junior’s dismay—what was to come.
“Words won’t fix it,” he said, “so I’ll have to pay for it on the right track.”
Whether it happened a weekend in Nashville, on the road in Daytona, or a playoff race in the fall, remains to be seen.
We do know one thing, though: Former landlord Chastain will be watching.
“I hope Ross doesn’t change,” Junior said. “I hope he doesn’t lose that raw ambition he has when he comes down to the corner in someone’s interior.
“I can’t wait to see what he’s willing to try or what he’s willing to try and do in those moments when his season is on the line, when it’s now or never and in the next corner he has to make something happen.
“I think it would definitely be convincing.”