After the NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas, Ross Chastain addressed the incident that occurred on the first lap of the race involving himself and Chase Elliott. Speaking at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday morning, Chastain openly admitted that the crash was “a big error” on his part.
Chastain, who drives the No. 1 car for Trackhouse Racing, had not made any public comments about the crash after the race because he had not yet seen a replay and didn’t fully understand what had happened. He wanted to avoid making a hasty judgment without seeing the full picture.
Reflecting on the incident, Chastain explained that he made an ill-fated decision to attempt an inside pass on Kyle Larson, who was also moving inside Daniel Suarez into Turn 1. In hindsight, he realized that the move was a mistake, and he regretted making it. “I wish I hadn’t done it and told Chase that and cleared the air,” Chastain said during his weekly media scrum. He acknowledged that his actions were premature, leading to the first-lap crash that took both drivers out of contention.
Chastain also revealed that he thought he was going slow enough to make the corner when he initially dove inside Larson. “I thought I had plenty of ability to brake,” he said. “I thought I was good initially but then I started locking up. Too fast. I should have just stayed behind (Larson).”
The miscalculation left Chastain acknowledging that he had made a poor judgment. “I’m the outlier. I’m the furthest left and the fastest. It was an error,” he admitted. Chastain recognized that the move simply didn’t work and admitted it “doesn’t look good” from an outside perspective. However, he stood by the fact that it was a mistake that he now had to live with.
In contrast, Elliott, who was left with significant damage from the collision, had a more measured response to the incident. Although his car finished the race in fourth place despite the damage, Elliott didn’t have much to add regarding their interaction. “There’s not a lot for me to comment on,” Elliott said. “I hate it happened. It’s easy for me to say I wish it hadn’t happened on the first lap, which is true, but if it happens at any point of the race, you’re going to be bummed out.”
Elliott continued by discussing his car’s performance, mentioning how the recovery from the damage didn’t restore the car to its original handling. “Our car never drove like it did on Saturday, which is frustrating, but outside of that, I don’t have anything to comment about it,” he said.
Chastain’s willingness to own up to his mistake and clear the air with Elliott is a rare example of accountability in a sport known for its high-stakes, high-intensity racing. As for Elliott, his focus on the recovery and the overall outcome, despite the setback, underscores his resilience and determination to perform under less-than-ideal circumstances.
In the end, both drivers took away lessons from the incident, with Chastain learning the value of patience and better judgment, while Elliott showed his ability to overcome adversity and maintain focus.
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