Why did Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson fight in Kansas? Exploring the real reason behind the clash and more

NASCAR Cup Series drivers Ross Chastain's and Noah Gragson's outings at the Kansas Speedway ended on a rather spicy note for the duo.

The twelfth points-paying race of the 2023 season saw the Trackhouse Racing and Legacy Motor Club drivers get involved in a physical altercation on pit road after disagreements with each other's racing etiquette on the 1.5-mile-long racetrack.

Gragson was enraged by the #1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver when he was crowded up the track by Chastain during green flag running in the 400-mile-long event.

The #43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver made contact with the outside wall as a result before pushing Chastain low on the track to express his displeasure.

Ross Chastain has been on the receiving end of flak from several drivers in the Cup Series for his aggressive maneuvers on track, which often lead to tempers boiling over. The Florida native's tussle with this weekend's winner Denny Hamlin, as well as Kyle Busch, is proof of his no-holds-barred nature on the track.

What Noah Gragson described as 'expressing his displeasure' off the track quickly turned into a fistfight. The Cup Series rookie approached Chastain, taking hold of the latter's race suit and advancing towards him aggressively.

After a few tries to de-escalate the situation, Gragson was met with a mean right hook from Chastain, with all hell breaking loose. Track-side security managed to pull both drivers apart as Gragson tried to get back at Ross Chastain after his swing.

While Ross Chastain appeared to avoid questions about the altercation, Noah Gragson let everything fly

After both Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson were separated on Kansas Speedway's pit road, both drivers talked to the media about the altercation. While the Trackhouse Racing driver seemed to avoid questions about the confrontation, Legacy MC's Noah Gragson did not hold back during his interviews.

The Cup Series rookie about Chastain's run-ins with other drivers in the field and said:

"The guy just runs into everyone. When you’ve got guys like Chase Elliott saying, ‘Go beat his a*s,’ everyone is sick and tired of him and nobody has the b*lls to go up and get him.”