Kyle Busch calls out Ross Chastain after chaotic race at COTA

Kyle Busch/Ross Chastain

Mar 26, 2023; Austin, Texas, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain (1) leads driver Kyle Busch (8) at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Busch brought home a second-place finish at Circuit of the Americas after a decision to stay out at the end of the race. After previously expressing his dislike for disrespectful racing, Busch took a shot at a driver known for his aggressiveness.

What did Busch have to say about racing Tyler Reddick and another driver around him during the race at COTA?

Kyle Busch takes a shot at Ross Chastain following COTA

Busch battled alongside the driver he replaced at Richard Childress Racing this season. Reddick, now driving the No. 45 car for 23XI Racing, clearly had the best car all day, so it would be tough for Busch to beat him.

Unfortunately for the No. 8 team, Reddick did end up being too good and he cruised to victory. It felt inevitable but finishing runner-up to the hands-down best car all day is nothing to be angry about overall.

Busch talked about racing with Reddick at COTA in a video recorded by Frontstretch and there was nothing but praise and respect toward him as a race car driver.

“I got alongside (Tyler Reddick) there on that one restart into the esses and I could’ve forced the issue and pushed him off or whatever but we ran each other hard, we ran each other clean, and gave each other room. I respect the kid. He’s been nothing but great to me so I give him respect back. We’ve had some good races between each other, they were really fast, they deserved to win. There’s no sense in taking it from him.”

Kyle Busch on his battle with Tyler Reddick

Some may have thought a rivalry could take place since Busch replaced Reddick while the latter went from Chevrolet to Toyota. This has not happened and likely won’t as the two drivers share immense respect for each other.

It is notable after Busch expressed his dislike for how drivers don’t have any respect on the race track. While the 37-year-old driver can be firey off the race track, he still races others cleanly when respect is given.

However, Busch did not stop talking. Ross Chastain, the driver of the No. 1 car for Trackhouse Racing walked by Busch during his interview and stood near him as he was doing his own thing on pit road.

When Busch finished the quote above, he looked over, pointed to Chastain, and had this to say about the Trackhouse Racing driver.

“Somebody else that doesn’t know anything about clean over here.”

Kyle Busch as Ross Chastain stands next to him on pit road at COTA

Busch turned around with no smile and the interview continued. There is a clear difference in Busch’s thought process between Reddick and Chastian. One is a respectful young driver while the other has been the source of trouble on the race track.

This is the second straight week that Chastain has been confronted or called out. After a drama-filled 2022 season, there have still been some ruffled feathers due to Chastain’s actions this year.

Continue reading to find out the incidents that Chastian has been involved with through the first six races of the 2023 season.

Related: Major details on Richard Childress Racing’s pursuit of Kyle Busch revealed

Incidents that Ross Chastain has been involved in during 2023

Chastain has not been involved in too much controversy through six races but he has seen his expected fair share of incidents. The first one that comes to mind is one that is not even his fault.

On the final lap of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway, Chastain ended up with a 24th-place finish after Denny Hamlin put him into the wall. Hamlin later admitted to intentionally wrecking the No. 1 car and received a penalty that is being appealed.

This dates back to the 2022 season after Chastain repeatedly got into Hamlin on several occasions. It also includes the time when Hamlin gave Chastain zero room at Pocono Raceway and ended his day.

Next, Chastain was behind the leader, Kevin Harvick, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and while he didn’t make contact with the No. 4 car, the air movement on his bumper helped cause him to spin out.

Harvick ended up taking out several others in the wreck. After the race, Alex Bowman went up to Chastain and expressed his displeasure after leaving him out to dry despite an agreement to stick with him.

Bowman was not pleased and it marked the first of two straight weeks where Chastain was being yelled at by another driver. The Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas represented the most stunning outcome.

While on the cool-down lap, Chastain’s teammate Daniel Suarez bumped him out of the way while coming down pit road and aggressively hit Bowman’s car several times around NASCAR officials. Suarez got out to confront Bowman and was pointed in Chastain’s direction.

There was an animated conversation that left Suarez angry and Chastian confused. The driver of the No. 99 car told The Athletic that he “hated that Chastain was the one that sent (Bowman) against me.”

Meanwhile, Chastain was confused why Suarez was mad at him for being two rows back on a crazy road course racing restart. It was not like Chastain meant to wreck Suarez, who is likely to receive a penalty for his actions.

Some of the incidents that Chastain has been involved in this year have not been his fault; however, he still sits first in the point standings and is set for another major year in the Cup Series.

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