Reigning NASCAR Cup champion Ryan Blaney re-ignited his rivalry with Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain recently. The clash between the dup started in the 2023 season finale, when the No:1 Chevy aggressively blocked the No:12 Ford in despite not being in the Championship-4 to eventually take race win.
They seems to be in a position where they can’t catch a break as it they had yet another run-in this Sunday at the Bristol Motor Speedway. During the Food City 500, during a fight for position, the Team Penske driver chained in the words of Mike Joy. Ross Chastain bumped Ryan Blaney and moved him of the line to pass him. They made contract twice during the successful attempt from the Rushlights sponsored racer.
Immediately after the race, while talking to the media, Blaney was asked about the Chastain incident. The champion was fed up with Chastain talks and immediately shut down the question saying, “I’m tired of you asking me Ross questions. No thanks.” He walked towards his garage after giving this answer to the journalist.
Blaney finished the race P16 after the contacts and the extreme tire wear made the race a nightmare for him. Chastain on the other hand was able to finish one place better with P15. With the pace and cars both Trackhouse and Penske are capable of fielding, there is a lot of chances that Bristol won’t be the last tussle between the two.
Ironically Ross Chastain was promoting safety driving at ahead of Food City 500
Chastain ahead of the race was part of safety driving initiative by the race’s title sponsor and local authorities. He visited the Food Cirt at Blountville and in an event hosted by the Tennessee Highway Safety Office, urged the race fans to be wise while driving the cars.
This is something that I’ve been promoting, safe driving, for several years through several different teams. And as I transition through different teams and different series, the messaging has stayed the same. It’s really one of the longest programs that I’ve been a part of. So, [I’m] doing it here in Bristol, a place where I drove over just like everybody else. Chastain said during the event, (H&T: WJHL.com).
He and a mascot of the THSO also held some special talks about the importance of seat belt and had some demonstration for the fans as well. The No:1 Chevy Camaro ZK1 driver also had a meet and greet with fans at the location where he interacted with them and signed autographs.
Chastain’s move on Blaney on the track can not be fully categorized as unsafe as the Next-Gen car is one of the safest race cars there. But that doesn’t mean it is invisible as one wrong step could cause a lot of issues. Chastain is a racer who loves to take risks, hence it is important for the Chevy driver to keep safety in mind while riding.
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