Ross Chastain admitted responsibility for the first-lap, first-turn contact with Chase Elliott during last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas. Ahead of the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway, Chastain revealed that he and Elliott had spoken about the incident, acknowledging his mistake.
Chastain refrained from commenting immediately after the race, choosing to review a replay before sharing his perspective. Speaking on Saturday, he explained that his aggressive move to the inside of Kyle Larson and teammate Daniel Suárez at COTA’s Turn 1 was misjudged. The sharp entry angle led to his No. 1 Chevrolet colliding with the left-rear of Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, sending Elliott to the back of the field.
“It was an error,” Chastain admitted before qualifying at Phoenix. “When I went inside Larson, I thought we had slowed enough from the restart zone, but that wasn’t the case. It doesn’t look good from the outside, and it was a big mistake to go five-wide. That wasn’t necessary.”
Despite the setback, Elliott managed an impressive recovery, finishing fourth in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. Strategic pit calls allowed him to make up ground with fresher tires. Reflecting on the situation, Elliott chose not to elaborate on his conversation with Chastain.
“There’s not much for me to say,” Elliott said. “I hate that it happened. Of course, I wish it wasn’t on the first lap, but no matter when it happens, it’s frustrating. I was proud of our team for rebounding, but it’s disappointing that we had to fight back in the first place. Our car never handled the same after that, which was frustrating.”
Elliott’s No. 9 team expressed frustration over the incident, even suggesting retaliation. However, later in the race, when Elliott was making his way through the field on fresher tires, Chastain opted to yield and give him room.
“When he got spun, I wished I could’ve swapped places with him because I knew I had instantly hurt his race,” Chastain said. “I wasn’t trying to cause more damage and just let the field go by. I owed him that and more. I’ve been in situations where others have given me courtesy when I was faster, and I felt like I needed to do the same here.”
