‘Disappointed’ Christopher Bell sends a cold warning to Ross Chastain after Darlington nightmare

Ross Chastain has again attracted scrutiny for upsetting his Cup Series rivals by wrecking them out. This time, however, the ordeal occurred during Darlington Raceway’s Xfinity Series race but those on the receiving end of Chastain’s aggressive driving were Cup drivers Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott.

Chastain displayed an impressive performance in Darlington. The Florida native surged from a 27th-place start in the National Series to finishing fourth, one position shy of the defending Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier. But in pursuit of climbing the charts, Chastain disappointed his Cup rivals, including Bell, who later voiced his concern.

Chastain raced hard against Hendrick Motorsport’s Elliott and shortly after, witnessed displeasure from the latter during the caution. He addressed his aggressive maneuvers post-race, highlighting he gave sufficient room to the HMS driver but accepted ‘pinching’ Bell into the wall.

The JGR driver said he was ‘disappointed’ but let it slide. However, he warned that the incident would become a ‘big deal’ if it happened in a Cup Series race.

“If it happens on Sunday, it’d be a big deal. Xfinity race, I’m disappointed that he raced me like that. Ross and I have been really good for a while now, and I didn’t expect that from him, but it’s a Saturday race and we were just racing hard for the win,” Bell told Bob Pockrass (0:33).

Bell was the polesitter but couldn't hold his pace until the end, plummeting to a 25th-place finish in Darlington.

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Ross Chastain denied taking responsibility for Chase Elliott’s wreck

Ross Chastain during practice and qualifying at Darlington Raceway - Source: Imagn

It wasn’t the first time this season that Ross Chastain found himself in hot water for wrecking Chase Elliott. He crashed into Elliott on the opening lap of the COTA Cup Series race, and Elliott expressed his concern about the aggressiveness. But the 2020 Cup champion was comparatively calm in COTA than how he reacted in the Xfinity race.

Chastain accepted his fault in Bell’s case but appeared adamant in taking the blame for Elliott’s ordeal. The JR Motorsports driver claimed to have left enough room for Elliott’s #17 Chevy but the latter didn’t capitalize on it. However, Elliott felt the opposite, and his portrayal of displeasure cemented the notion.

It’s worth mentioning that even though the HMS driver was displeased during the race, he seemed to have ‘enjoyed’ the event and said he ‘wants more of it’.

"Asked by @ThePostman68 about the apparent displeasure with Ross Chastain and what happened, Chase Elliott says on MRN: “Nothing. I enjoyed it. It was great. Want more of it.”" (via Jeff Gluck on X).

Despite the hard racing and a barrage of cautions, Elliott outperformed Ross Chastain for a runner-up finish.