A past rivalry re-ignited this Sunday. Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain have had a fair share of on-track clashes in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2022. During the 2022 race at Gateway, Chastain knocked the back of Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota into the SAFER barrier. Then, during the 2023 spring Phoenix race, Hamlin intentionally forced the No. 1 Chevy into the wall on the final lap. A milder form of this tension has reappeared in 2025 at Talladega Superspeedway.
The Jack Link’s 500 race was flagged off at the 2.66-mile oval, with people feeling nervous. After the 28-car ‘Big One’ unfolded last Fall, people expected chaos to reign. Surprisingly, the situation was different this time as drivers used both luck and skill optimally to avoid running into each other. Even in this peaceful situation, Ross Chastain invited Denny Hamlin’s accusations.
Denny Hamlin questions his age-old rival’s moves
The Cup Series race in Talladega starkly contrasted recent superspeedway races. Last Fall, the same track took out nine cars, including that of current race winner Austin Cindric, in crashes. Then, the 2025 Daytona 500 race witnessed 11 cars battered in wrecks. In comparison, Sunday’s race saw seven cars involved in incidents, which marked the smallest number in Talladega since 2013. Yet the iconic ‘melon farmer’, known for his aggressive tactics, managed to frustrate Denny Hamlin. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is a vocal statesman of the sport, always keeping tabs on its intricacies. So NASCAR’s self-appointed messiah could tell that his day was over when Chastain came in his way.
After briefly taking the lead in Stage 1 and lingering in the front row later, Denny Hamlin was part of a strong group of Toyotas in Stage 3. Ty Gibbs led that pack into the final pit stop cycle. By lap 175, however, Ross Chastain threw a block on this pack, letting the Chevrolets get ahead. This aggressive move shuffled the positions while risking a ‘Big One’ at ‘Dega. In a post-race interview with Bob Pockrass, Denny Hamlin did not appreciate Chastain’s antics. “I didn’t know how far up we were actually going to be able to get, but certainly the 1 making a move there to kind of wreck us was not ideal. I mean, I know he’s trying to do everything he can to stop the run. But the variance of speed there was crazy.”
Denny Hamlin seemed to be in control of the race until the final pit stop and then he wasn’t. His thoughts on Ross Chastain stalling their run and then not being able to make a move. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/UmBlb98Yev
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 27, 2025
Then Denny Hamlin delivered his dejected analysis of the situation, claiming that Ross Chastain gave him no choice. While Carson Hocevar could squeeze between Chastain and Cody Ware, Hamlin could not. He explained further: “Ultimately, it just didn’t work out. There is nowhere you can go. Once you work yourself out of the pit cycle and you’re behind the two-by-two, there is nowhere to go. There’s nowhere to race.”
Ultimately, Toyota had an overall average day. While Bubba Wallace was the highest finisher in 9th place, Denny Hamlin struggled behind in 21st place. Hamlin continued, “Man, we tried. The Toyota group tried to give the fans a show at least. We were the only ones willing to just race this thing out, run wide open, and see what happens…At the end there, it seems like we didn’t do a good enough job on the cycling…Whether it be the pace that we had after we came out, the cycle itself, the amount of fuel we had to put in, whatever it was, we’re about a second off from being at the front.”
The old rivalry has reappeared on the racetrack. This contrasts with the equation between the two drivers just two months ago, when Denny Hamlin defended his rival.
The past words of support
Well, it is rare that peers speak up on behalf of Ross Chastain. After all, the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing driver has a notorious reputation. From getting into a fistfight with Noah Gragson to executing the jaw-dropping ‘wall ride’ in Martinsville, he has ruffled many feathers. In just the third race of 2025, Chastain stirred up a massive controversy. The Circuit of the Americas race saw Chase Elliott trying to hold onto his front row start. But before he could do so, Chastain rammed into the No. 9 Chevy on the very first lap. Veterans of the sport bashed Chastain for his uncalled-for move. They even criticized him for not having the guts to issue an apology to Elliott after the race.
Kevin Harvick labeled it as the “worst move of the race” on the Happy Hour podcast. Dale Earnhardt Jr also stated, “He could have said, ‘I messed up. I took a shallow entry into the corner, and I should have known better’.” However, even amidst this flurry of accusations against Chastain, Denny Hamlin came to his rescue. He suggested that maybe Chastain was thinking it out in an ‘Actions Detrimental’ episode. “Perhaps he’s trying to collect more details. I’m not sure about his decision to not comment, but if I were to quote Ross, I’d say ‘I’m disappointed with the decision’.”
This instance of supporting the watermelon former is now part of the past. Ross Chastain has managed to get into the bad books of Denny Hamlin this season after the Talladega fallout. As the season progresses, let us see how the two treat each other.
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