Ross Chastain knows he made Ryan Blaney angry during championship: 'I don't care'

Since he couldn’t win the NASCAR Championship, Ross Chastain decided to do the next best thing and win the race at Phoenix. Now, that might have ruffled some feathers, but when was the last time Chastain cared about what others thought?

Ryan Blaney walked away with the Cup Series championship. He finished P2 to Ross Chastain. He really wanted to get around the Trackhouse Racing driver, though. It just never happened. When Blaney got up to his bumper, Chastain blocked.

The aero-blocking was something Blaney couldn’t stand. He lost his mind on the radio when Kyle Larson did it. Then, he was just as pissed when Chastain did it. He even commented “F***ing right I hit him on purpose” when asked after the championship about a bump late in the race.

“He got by me one time, was not going to run him up, pinch him up,” Chastain said in his press conference. “Yeah, I know he’s mad and I don’t care. I do not care. I did not care then, I do not care now. I’m here to race him. I’m not going to wreck him. I gave him the bottom most times. One time I was inside of him after he got by me. I crossed back over into three and I made sure to wrap the bottom. I’m not going to slide up and pinch him at all. It’s in my mind the entire time, for sure.”

Ross Chastain didn’t have to wait to hear from Blaney. He knew that the Team Penske driver was fuming mad in his car.

Ross Chastain calls Ryan Blaney “angry”

Of course, the media asked Ross more about the Blaney battle. It was a fun wrinkle into this year’s championship. The NASCAR Champion had won the final race of the season from 2014-2022. For the first time in the Championship 4 era, that didn’t happen.

For Ross Chastain, he knew exactly what he was doing to Ryan Blaney. He saw it in his mirror.

“Anger. He gets angry. It’s okay,” Chastain said. “I’ve known him for a decade. I could see him moving around in the car. The car’s going straight. I could see his colorful suit and gloves.”

And he could see a lot more than just his gloves.

“I didn’t see apparently there was — I was number one, I don’t know. … I was like, Oh, he is angry.”

In all honesty, it was fun to watch. Ross Chastain put on a show. He was overlooked in this win because of the championship implications. However, it was a great race. It also proved that Chastain has what it takes to win at NASCAR’s final race. That’s what it takes to win a championship, most of the time.

Chastain will be back. He’s going to make drivers mad.