After his clash with teammate Daniel Su\u00e1rez at Sonoma, Ross Chastain chose silence over explanation, leaving pit road without addressing reporters. Since then, the paddock and fanbase have been abuzz with speculation. Some defended Chastain, insisting Su\u00e1rez had blocked him in a move unbecoming of a teammate, while others, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., placed the blame squarely on Chastain\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n
The incident happened when Chastain\u2019s No. 1 Chevy tangled with Su\u00e1rez\u2019s No. 99 on Lap 45 in Turn 11 during the Toyota\/Save Mart 350 at the California road course. The contact dropped Su\u00e1rez from 14th to 29th, though he clawed back to finish 14th, while Chastain crossed the line in 24th.<\/p>\n
This week, the Trackhouse Racing driver publicly owned up to his mistake, extending an apology to Su\u00e1rez and reflecting on their conversation. Speaking on his Like a Farmer podcast, Chastain admitted, \u201cI do have to talk about spinning my teammate. It\u2019s bad. It\u2019s really bad. I\u2019ve already apologized to him, and I am sorry to the #99 group. I just got in too hot to (Turn) 11.\u201d<\/p>\n
He elaborated, \u201c#22, #99, #1 car all going into (Turn) 11 and just pushed the #99 into the #22, the last other guy that I wanted to hit after Chicago. Wanted all that to settle down and end up spinning the #99. So that definitely hurt their day. They end up beating us with all the craziness at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chastain didn\u2019t sugarcoat his accountability. \u201cBeen an unpleasant Monday. I am responsible for my actions. So, now I get to live with that and we move on. Daniel and I had a good conversation. But ultimately doesn\u2019t take back the fact that I wrecked him. So those are never easy to talk about,\u201d he concluded<\/a>, acknowledging the sting felt on both sides of any on-track dispute.<\/p>\n During the media availability at Dover, Chastain reiterated his regret, stating that his rapport with Su\u00e1rez won\u2019t be derailed by a single misstep. Admitting fault, Chastain approached Su\u00e1rez and his crew chief to clear the air. He stressed that wrecking the #99 was never his intent.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the first half of the brake zone, I thought I was fine. And then the second half of the brake zone, I realized I\u2019m going too fast, and I should have reacted better, and I didn\u2019t. So that\u2019s just a non-negotiable to wrecking, spinning teammates out. We had conversations this week,\u201d Chastain explained<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chastain admitted he wasn\u2019t sure if he gave Su\u00e1rez and the No. 99 team exactly what they wanted to hear, but made his apologetic intentions clear nonetheless.<\/p>\n