Kyle Larson's crew chief blasts Ross Chastain after wreck at Darlington: 'Three races he's taken us out of'

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David Suggs
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Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain found themselves competing for the checkered flag at Darlington. Until they weren't.

The Hendrick Motorsports and Trackhouse Racing stars were embroiled in an intense battle as Sunday's race neared its conclusion. With just six laps remaining, Larson was in P1 and Chastain was in P2. Two of the fastest cars in the NASCAR Cup Series were dueling for supremacy.

That's when it happened. Larson, seemingly peeved by Chastain's willingness to push him into the wall in Turn 1, decided to take out the No. 1 car.

MORE: William Byron picks up third win of Cup Series season at Darlington

Chastain, noted for his hard-nosed — many would say overly aggressive — driving, was forced out of the race. Larson suffered serious damage as well, dropping into the 20s. He would finish the day 20th. Chastain ended up 29th.

Plenty of people have been vocal about Chastain's driving style, but few have been as scathing as Larson's crew chief, Cliff Daniels. Daniels made sure to let his driver — and the viewing public — know just how he felt about Chastain.

MORE: Larson, Nemechek break down end of Darlington Xfinity race

"Why did he run us right into the fence?" Daniel asked. Then he addressed the manufacturer of Larson and Chastain's cars:

"Make that three races he's taken us out of, Chevrolet. Three races."

Daniels highlighted his frustration with Chastain's actions in the recent past. The fact that Chastain and Larson share a vehicle manufacturer makes the anger that much more tangible.

MORE: Noah Gragson explains pit road fight with Ross Chastain

Chastain gave his version of events after exiting.

"We all go race, and I fully committed into 1 and wanted to squeeze him up," he said on FS1's telecast. "Didn’t want to turn myself across his nose, for sure. So, not how I wanted to be standing here talking you out here and another incredible day for Trackhouse."

Larson, like many drivers, has had trouble with Chastain on the track. It was only two weeks ago that the 2021 Cup Series champion delivered barbs after wrecking in the opening stage of the Wurth 400 at Dover.

A week earlier at Talladega, Chastain drove into Noah Gragson on a restart and Larson's car was collected in the wreck. Larson took a big hit from Ryan Preece, causing major damage to the No. 5 car.

MORE: Kyle Larson 'really lucky' after hard wreck at Talladega

For all of Larson's discontent, he admitted on one of his most recent podcast episodes that he admires Chastain. A good villain can do wonders for the sport, Larson argued.

Whether it was Chastain or Larson who started the beef, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick has now weighed in on it. The Hall of Famer had his say Sunday in a post-race press conference. He made it clear that although the former watermelon farmer is an exceedingly talented driver, he's going to struggle to reach his full potential — which is Cup Series championships — with a target on his back.

"He's got a lot of talent, but he's making a lot of enemies out here," Hendrick said.

Chastain had a chance to talk to Hendrick, he told reporters on Thursday. It was a valuable conversation, he said, one that 

"One day, I hope I'm able to laugh with him about it," Chastain said. "Look, it's still crazy for me that Rick Hendrick knows my name. Right now, it's for the wrong reasons, but seriously.

It's still surreal for me. I was a kid that never ran a late model as nice as Pinnacles here so to have Rick Hendrick know my name is absolutely amazing."

After Hendrick's intervention, is this the last we'll see of Chastain vs. Larson? Tough to tell. Will Chastain continue to drum up controversy for his balls-to-the-wall racing style? Absolutely.

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David Suggs

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News.