Chase Elliott’s spotter, Eddie D’Hondt, made his opinions about Ross Chastain abundantly clear to his driver after Chastin spun Elliott during the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
Chase Elliott via NASCAR YouTube
After sending Denny Hamlin into the wall earlier during the race, Chastain would try and make it three-wide in turn 3 following a restart on lap 101. It wouldn’t work out as he sent Elliott spinning.
In reaction to Chastain spinning out Elliott, D’Hondt radioed to his driver, “That kid needs an a** whipping.” Elliott’s crew chief Alan Gustafson concurred and told Elliott, “If we get a chance, let’s not mess it up the like #11 did.”
Elliott responded, “Oh yea. No worries on that.”
Elliott would get some partial revenge as he gave Chastain a couple shots to the rear that sent him up the track, but didn’t injure Chastain’s car.
Hamlin would continue to pester Chastain throughout the race using his crippled, and much slower car to block him and slow him down a number of times.
Hamlin’s antics saw B.J. McLeod’s spotter, David Pepper, want NASCAR to park both Chastain and Hamlin. He radioed to his driver, “Well, this has gotten ridiculous. I mean, NASCAR just needs to park both of them.”
Ross Chastain via NASCAR YouTube
Post-race Hamlin promised more payback towards Chastain telling Fox Sports’ NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass, “You’ve just got to fence these guys hard just to kind of get their attention. It’s going to have to be meaningful, on a meaningful day.”
He also previously told Pockrass, “This sport is self-policing. Usually when you least expect it and when it means the most is when it comes back around.”
Denny Hamlin said when he pays back Ross Chastain, it will be meaningful and when he least expects it, that you have to “fence these guys hard” to get their attention.
More of what Hamlin said about Chastain after Gateway: pic.twitter.com/B0SCkCct6r
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 5, 2022
Chastain took the blame telling Fox Sports’ Jamie Little, “It was terrible driving, Jamie. It’s one thing to do it once, but I just kept driving into guys and at this level I’m supposed to be better than that.”
“And it’s just shame for Moose and Advent Health and Jockey and Worldwide Express. To have all these people believing in me and Justin Marks and Pitbull to put me in this car, they deserve better,” he continued.
Ross Chastain via NASCAR YouTube
He then stated, “I owe half the field an apology and it’s words aren’t going to fix it so I’ll have to pay for it on the track and almost did today, and I deserve everything that they do.”
“I just can’t believe that I continued to make the same mistakes and overdrive the corners and drive into guys. I had time under caution to get reset and we go green and I drive into somebody. It’s terrible, “he concluded.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Sonoma, California this upcoming weekend. Do you expect any revenge or payback from Denny Hamlin or Chase Elliott towards Ross Chastain?