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Brennan Poole Says Ross Chastain ‘Needs to Get His Butt Whooped’
Chastain bumped Poole at Dover, ending his and Kyle Larson’s race day before the first stage of the Würth 400 even concluded.
While one might assume the main headline from Dover Motor Speedway might be Martin Truex Jr. finally snapping his 54-race winless streak with his rain-delayed NASCAR Cup Series victory Monday, racing fans who caught Ross Chastain stirring the pot might say otherwise.
Perennially embroiled in drama due to his aggressive and, his critics say, reckless driving style, the Trackhouse Racing wheelman has painted, yet again, another target on his back after triggering a wreck early on in the Würth 400.
What did Ross Chastain do?
On Lap 81, Brennan Poole and Austin Dillon were jockeying for position coming into a turn when Chastain in the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro bumped Poole in the No. 15 Ford Mustang, sending the Rick Ware Racing driver careening down into the outside wall where his car smashed into Kyle Larson. Video of the wreck captured the aftermath of the incident and the extent of damage the Hendrick Motorsports driver sustained in the No. 5 Chevy.
What did Brennan Poole have to say about the incident?
Considering this was Poole’s first Cup Series start since 2020, Poole was furious that it ended due to Chastain, and he didn’t hold anything back when he spoke to Fox Sports’ Jamie Little.
"The 3 [Austin Dillon] was on the outside of me,” Poole recalled to Fox Sports. “Him and I had been racing for position and, I mean, you’re side-by-side — there’s not like a whole lot of room. There’s nothing more that I could do in the situation. I haven’t really seen the replay, but it felt like I just got ran over really for no reason 80 laps into the race.”
"Doesn’t make any sense to me,” added Poole. “I guess that’s something he’s [Chastain] been known to do here recently. Probably needs to get his butt whooped."
Known for his own aggressive driving style, 1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace even said, “That was a little too aggressive in my opinion," as seen on Fox Sports.
What did Kyle Larson say about his crash at Dover?
After the Chastain-generated crash out of Dover’s “Monster Mile” ended a second consecutive race event for Larson, the 30-year-old Elk Grove, California native was noticeably perturbed, but he hopes to put his steak of bad luck in the rearview.
“Seemed like Ross [Chastain] just kinda got in a hurry there I’m guessing,” Larson said on Fox Sports. “I don’t know if he was frustrated with the 15 [Poole] or just got in a hurry and made a mistake but crashed him before we ever got to the corner, and I was committed to the top, and he slid up so, nowhere for me to go.”
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"I just hope our luck turns around soon,” he continued. “We have the fastest car every damn weekend, and it doesn't seem to work out ... Just a long, frustrating day for me, and another day where I get caught up in something that’s not my fault.”
Despite reporters revealing to Larson that Chastain said over the radio he was sorry and did not mean to cause the incident, for Larson, the apology doesn’t hold much water.
“I would understand you at third stage or something, but that was middle of the first stage, to make an error like that,” Larson stated, a bit in awe as he reflected on another Cup Series incident instigated by Chastain. “His errors never affect him negatively. ... I just find it funny. He always comes out on the good end. It just is what it is."
How has Ross Chastain responded to the incident?
Though he told his crew over the radio that he "did not mean to do that at all,” the Watermelon Man apologized again after the race in an interview with FS1.
“I first have to say I’m so sorry to Brennan and everybody at Rick Ware Racing,” the driver of the No. 1 offered. “I owe a big apology and a bit more. When I get home from Skip Barber [Tuesday], I’ll head over there and talk to those guys and make some of that right.”
If you think all the Chastain-provoked wrecks are starting to bleed together, you’re not alone. Chastain has made enemies far and wide in the Cup Series, igniting the fury of everyone from NASCAR firebrands Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin to somehow even Daniel Suarez — his teammate at Trackhouse Racing. With the AdventHealth 400 coming up, Chastain’s head will be on a swivel as Kansas Speedway’s 1.5-mile tri-oval provides ample room for drivers who might be looking to dish out a little payback.
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