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Why Ross Chastain Made A HUGE Statement

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Ross Chastain has been the center of attention for almost all of 2023 (and 2022 for that matter) but much of it has been for negative reasons. But with the Nashville Superspeedway win, Chastain has managed to put a lot of those stories behind him as he ran a smart and strategically aggressive race, basically maturing as a racecar driver. This is a huge development for Chastain and while he may regress back at certain points it shows he has the ability to make big changed to his craft. This is why Ross Chastain made a huge statement.

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32 comments

The Iceberg June 26, 2023 at 11:26 pm

Do you think Ross Chastain has taken the next step in being a true contender? Or is this just a one off?

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Speed Stat June 27, 2023 at 5:36 am

To me this was a textbook weekend for sure. Fast in practice, won the pole, stayed in the top 5 the whole race, made no mistakes and the right adjustments to be ahead in the end. Safe to say this is probably his best (and some would also say his cleanest) performance of his career.

My friend literally sent me a video of himself smashing a melon in his backyard

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Big Hand June 27, 2023 at 4:18 pm

Ross Chastain is not a one hit wonder.

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Kyle Schafer June 26, 2023 at 11:45 pm

It wasn’t a matter of if, but when. Ross has been so consistent that he was the points leader.

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Cito Browne June 26, 2023 at 11:55 pm

I felt like ever since he got those talks from Justin Marks, I kinda thought he was haunted because he wasn’t performing at his best for the past few weeks. This win last night makes me realize that something in Ross Chastain changed

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Syed I. Ahmed June 27, 2023 at 5:06 am

He wants to be taken seriously and be recognized as someone who can be a title threat by raw talent alone. He doesn’t wanna be the wrecking ball some of his “fans” so desperately want.

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Dogleg Media June 27, 2023 at 12:01 am

He’s a true contender. Last season finishing second in the points and pulling that move at Martinsville proved that

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Jm H June 27, 2023 at 12:08 am

If he continues with what we seen on Sunday. He will be a force to be reckoned with.
It’s good to see, I like Ross he is good for the sport.
More drivers need a genuine personally like he has.

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Syed I. Ahmed June 27, 2023 at 5:03 am

I see you’re a fan of Ross the personality. I can see that and maybe root for him one day for that like I was going to after COTA last year.

I still have smoke with all the “fans” who want him to wreck the whole damn field even at his own success. Those “fans” are no different from those who only watch racing for the wrecks. Lowest common denominator fans is what I call them. No appreciation or respect even for all hard work and grit that these guys from the drivers to the rest of the crew have to put in to be in this level every week. I want racing not cheap shots and constant “mistakes” that are just excuses being made. I want this new Ross those who don’t be mad lmao.

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Dick Nd balss June 27, 2023 at 6:58 am

@Syed I. Ahmedhe can wreck guys but do it when necessary and use his aggression too win I want to see old chastain but use the aggression when it matters

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Jm H June 27, 2023 at 8:14 am

@Syed I. Ahmed I didn’t say I was a fan of everything he did in the past.
Don’t like seeing tore up race cars for any reason.
But I do like that he has a personality. Some drivers you want to like but when you hear them they sound like robots making sure to say what corporate would want to hear.
So I appreciate the ones who are not that way. It ok to show some real emotion.

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Syed I. Ahmed June 27, 2023 at 8:49 am

@Jm H I appreciate those who tell it as it is. I also appreciate actual talent aka being aggressive at the right time etc vs playing bumper cars and how many cars can we crash every week. Biggest issue with me personally is how much of the culture has shifted to chaos at any cost for ratings sake. How about make a racing product actually good and entertaining with the nextgen before playing up chaos to make up for the less than stellar performance this nextgen has been at short tracks???

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Jm H June 27, 2023 at 8:57 am

@Syed I. Ahmed I agree with all of that. Well said, the car still needs work. Especially on the short tracks where really good racing used to exist.
And the drivers play a role in it as well. They need to drive with more respect for one another. And start doing so before someone gets hurt because of it.

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michael caraway June 27, 2023 at 12:14 am

The competition would have been much smarter to let Ross do what Ross does. Now they have created someone that can win at any track at any time. If they had swallowed their pride and let him wreck himself and one or more of the competition out early they would not have to contend with him. Now they have a monster that shows up when the pay window opens.

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The Intake June 27, 2023 at 1:41 pm

Great take!

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Kevin Ramsey June 27, 2023 at 12:15 am

I wish Melon Man would settle down a little bit and make his aggression work for him, but he doesn’t take crap from anybody, and I love that. Yesterday’s Ross Chastain showed how great he can be.

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Robbin Scarberry June 27, 2023 at 12:23 am

Ernie Irvan is a better comparison for Ross. When he got in the 4 car, he was a bull in a china shop. Once he harnessed that aggression, he became a title contender. Much like Ross.

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Run Rafa Run #THEBESTINTHEWORLD June 27, 2023 at 1:50 am

Kurt Busch is another good comparison. Not Kyle Busch he’s overrated.

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Happymars June 27, 2023 at 12:23 am

When drivers like Ross really learn thier race craft for these long Cup races, they become unstoppable.

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Erik Latham June 27, 2023 at 12:32 am

He’s a special talent!! He made the passes on Hamlin and Truex look effortless when passing was pretty difficult at Nashville

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Mel Turnboo June 27, 2023 at 3:42 am

He’s not special lmao! Had the better car by far in this race js

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LIL GOKU June 27, 2023 at 6:41 am

@Mel Turnboo LMAO…TRUEX had the better car in the last 20.. Ross just drove his own unit better .

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J-Tech June 27, 2023 at 12:55 am

I sure hope this isn’t a one-off. I like Ross, even when my drivers have been in the crosshairs of his mistakes. I’ve liked him from day one. I just wanted him to learn when to use that aggression. He’s one of the first drivers who has taken out someone I liked that I honestly didn’t despise after. (That could be attributed to me maturing a bit though.) But it’s his personality and his driving style that makes me like him. When he’s not driving in over his head, that is. And honestly? I’d laugh so hard if he gets a championship before Denny. lol. No disrespect to him, but I just don’t like Hamlin all that much. He’s due for a championship too. But I hope Ross beats him to his first!

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Taylor Bertrim June 27, 2023 at 1:03 am

I was so happy to see Ross win…

I took a break after Gordo retired, since coming back I haven’t had a favourite, but I really like Chastain, I didn’t get all the hate, but I grew up watching in a different time.

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Hunter NixonFishing June 27, 2023 at 1:20 am

He’s got talent there is no doubt! He isn’t just a wrecking ball out of control. Kid has proved he can win on multiple tracks.

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Joey Amirault June 27, 2023 at 1:24 am

If he keeps showing that he’s learned from his mistakes, I think he will be a better driver

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NAPARacingFan 927 June 27, 2023 at 1:33 am

Ross Chastain broke a 42 race winless streak and Trackhouse broke a 37 race winless streak (last winning with Suarez at Sonoma in 2022). Chastain was going to win eventually. I’m not surprised.

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Travis Escorcio June 27, 2023 at 1:43 am

I have always liked Chastain, and I am really excited to see how he continues to grow and mature and improve as a racer. I would love to see Chastain with 60+ career wins and 3 championships by the end of his career.

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Szymon Kunda June 27, 2023 at 9:03 am

That would be pretty cool but time is against him. Kyle Busch has 63 wins and he’s been winning A LOT during his career but let’s not forget that for example he won 8 races in 2008 when he was just 23. Chastain is 31 this year so he would need to be winning ridiculous number of races every year to get to 60+

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Jacob Parker June 27, 2023 at 3:35 am

He has become my favorite driver over the last year. The way he races reminds me of the old school drivers that would just move you out of the way. While I do agree that he needs to tone it down because he’s been making more enemies than allies, I do feel as though a lot of drivers nowadays are more whiny and soft and that makes things more difficult for a driver like Ross to be popular with his competition. Still though, Ross is the man in my eyes. He can easily win a championship.

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MikeMagic June 27, 2023 at 3:46 am

Not sure if the hype is real or how much of a championship contender he’ll be, (the competition from the big teams is still fierce), but he has almost single-handedly made NASCAR exciting to watch again.

Looking forward to more exciting Chastain moments (good and bad) in the future.

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Justin Pagano June 27, 2023 at 6:08 am

When the race craft catches up to the talent. He’s gonna be a force after this

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