Josh Berry, Kyle Busch and Ty Gibbs take issue with Ross Chastain at Iowa

It is that time of the year when NASCAR Cup Series drivers join hands and complain about Ross Chastain for how he races them. Chastain has never shied away from being a bit controversial on the track.

Last week it was the move he put on Kyle Busch on the last lap at Sonoma. That received a lot of criticism from Busch, his wife, and many fans as well. This week, Ross Chastain is making more friends with his racing style.

Josh Berry, Ty Gibbs, and Busch have all been vocal about Chastain on their radio channels today. This Iowa Speedway track is grinding on the gears of many drivers.

Actually Ty Gibbs as well. Indicated that's why he hit the fence earlier. https://t.co/h00pMtLl71

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 17, 2024

Ross Chastain raced Josh Berry so hard, that the former bank teller called him a “ding dong.”

“The 1 is just a ding dong”

– Josh Berry

— Cameron Richardson (@therichreport) June 17, 2024

Now, this isn’t the first time that Ross Chastain has ruffled feathers. There are many reasons for that. He is an aggressive driver and it doesn’t matter where he is on the track he is going to be aggressive. Today, that aggression is paying off as he runs near the top of the field.

Let’s also put it into the context of the race. Short-track racing always gets under people’s skin more than other forms of racing. It’s also hot, the track is mostly an unknown and the new repave makes it tricky to deal with.

Ross Chastain making most of his Iowa race

Until the green flag stops in Stage 2, Ross Chastain was a top-5 car on the day. He was turning great laps. While leaders like Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano were able to push the lead out away from the pack, Chastain was not that far back.

What will get him in trouble is having so many people upset with him. Today is not the day to have enemies. A lot of loose race cars out on the track with the partial repave and that has caused issues. It wouldn’t be hard to blame a bump from another driver on old tires or breaking loose for a moment.

It will be very interesting if karma shows up today. Chastain likely isn’t worried about it. He has always raced this way and it has gotten him this far. So, why change now?

Ross Chastain races how he races. That means full throttle and full aggression for every single lap. Doesn’t matter if he is in the lead or if he is 10 laps down. Passing Chastain is going to be the hardest pass of the day for any driver.