Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently weighed in on Ross Chastain’s silence following his early-race incident with Chase Elliott at Circuit of the Americas. Chastain made contact with Elliott on the first lap, sending the Hendrick Motorsports driver spinning. However, when asked about the clash, the Trackhouse Racing driver chose not to comment, which sparked debate among fans and analysts.
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season’s first road course event wrapped up with Christopher Bell taking the checkered flag. While the race itself ended cleanly, several moments stirred controversy, including Denny Hamlin’s contact with Austin Dillon and confusion surrounding track limit regulations. Yet, one of the biggest talking points was Chastain’s aggressive move into Turn 1, where he made a deep entry and collided with Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet. The impact caused Elliott to lose valuable track position early in the race.
Chastain’s decision to stay silent drew mixed reactions, with many believing he should have addressed the situation. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was among those who felt that even a simple admission of fault would have been better than refusing to speak. Speaking on Dirty Mo Media, Earnhardt Jr. emphasized that acknowledging the mistake could have gone a long way.
“I think you got to comment; there’s no harm in it,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He could’ve said, ‘I messed up, went down into the corner, was off-line, and made a mistake. Lap 1, I should know better.’ Anything would’ve been better than ‘no comment.’”
Chase Elliott was visibly frustrated after the incident. Despite managing an impressive recovery and securing a season-best fourth-place finish, he wasn’t happy with how Chastain raced him so aggressively in the opening moments. Speaking after the race, Elliott was hesitant to place blame before reviewing the footage but admitted it was frustrating to deal with damage so early.
“I hadn’t seen it yet, so I don’t want to comment,” Elliott told Fox’s Regan Smith. “But you know, first lap of the dang race, right? It’s just frustrating to fall behind that early. We had damage, the toe was knocked out in the back.”
While Elliott tried to stay composed, his crew chief, Alan Gustafson, did not hold back in criticizing Chastain’s actions. The incident added yet another layer to the ongoing debates surrounding aggressive racing tactics in the NASCAR Cup Series.
