Denny Hamlin calls out Ross Chastain’s Talladega move ‘bullshit’

Recently on the Actions Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin opened up on Ross Chastain’s controversial move during last Sunday’s (April 27) Cup race at Talladega. While doing so, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver explained what might have happened had the roles been reversed.

Going into the final pit cycle, Denny Hamlin was poised for success at the 2.66-mile racetrack in Lincoln, Alabama, when Chastain pulled off a swerving block right ahead of the pack of Toyotas that Hamlin was a part of. He was positioned behind his teammate, Ty Gibbs, at the time.

Chastain’s move let the Chevrolets get ahead, thus shuffling positions with Hamlin and his Toyota comrades. Needless to say, the Tampa, Florida, native wasn’t happy with Chastain’s antics.

“I believe the role reversed,” Denny Hamlin said of Chastain’s big block (33:20). “He would probably just run into me as he should and say, 'Dude, I didn't make you swerve! I was running my lane with the pack of cars that (were) on the racetrack. You tried to merge into a lane that wasn't there.'”

“So I just think it's bullshit racing. I guess you just got to hold it down and if you cause a wreck, hopefully you spin them out and don't wreck yourself,” he added.

While Chastain finished the race 20th, Hamlin ended up being 21st, marking his fourth finish of 21st or worse this season. The JGR driver sits third in the driver standings with five top-fives, six top-10s, and 337 points.

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Veteran ex-crew chief defends Ross Chastain blocking Denny Hamlin at Talladega

Former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Steve Letarte recently discussed Ross Chastain’s block on Denny Hamlin. It all happened during the latest episode of Inside the Race, a post-race podcast hosted by Letarte and ex-NASCAR driver Jeff Burton.

Letarte saw nothing wrong with Chastain’s actions. Defending him against the criticism from Hamlin, the 45-year-old said,

“That’s exactly what you should do. That’s the defensive move; nobody wrecked. I’m sure Denny’s not happy with him, but I’m sure Denny would have done the same thing if he was in Ross’ spot. So, I’m okay with it, but that, I think, is what derailed the Toyota strategy.”

Steve Letarte is a big name among the NASCAR aficionados. Back in the day, he was the crew chief for legendary drivers and NASCAR champions like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Currently, he serves as a sportscaster and analyst for Amazon Prime, TNT, and NASCAR on NBC.

NASCAR is now ahead of the Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY at Texas Motor Speedway. The 267-lap race, which Denny Hamlin won last year, will be televised on FS1, 3:30 pm ET onwards. Fans can listen to live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.