Steve Letarte defends Ross Chastain blocking Denny Hamlin at Talladega

Following the NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega, Steve Letarte and Jeff Burton broke down all the action. One of the topics of discussion on Inside the Race was the huge block by Ross Chastain on Denny Hamlin.

A bold block from Ross Chastain stopped Denny Hamlin and the Toyotas as they marched their way up to the rest of the field. The Toyotas, along with Spire Motorsports, were on a different strategy than the other teams.

It may have worked if not for Chastain’s big move. Letarte defended the move despite criticism from Hamlin and others.

“I don’t have a problem with what Chastain is doing here, actually,” Letarte said on Inside the Race. “That’s exactly what you should do. That’s the defensive move; nobody wrecked. I’m sure Denny’s not happy with him, but I’m sure Denny would have done the same thing if he was in Ross’ spot. So, I’m okay with it, but that, I think, is what derailed the Toyota strategy.”

The Toyotas were full steam ahead, then enter Ross Chastain.

Let’s break down the block heard around @TALLADEGA 👇 pic.twitter.com/uFHDM5rvZU

— Steve Letarte (@SteveLetarte) April 28, 2025

Steve Letarte is a great mind when it comes to the sport of NASCAR. He spent years as a crew chief and won a lot of races from the top of the pit box. Now, he’s a broadcaster, he delivers great information to fans on TV and online.

The move from Ross Chastain almost caused a wreck. It was a bold one to make, given that Chastain wasn’t going to win this race. However, it almost led to a Chevy win with Kyle Larson and William Byron finishing P2 and P3, respectively.

One thing is for certain: the Toyotas weren’t going to win the race. Not after that big block was put on them.

Ross Chastain gets small call-out from Denny Hamlin

We all know that Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin have a history. These two have gotten into each other more than once in the last few years. This can be added to the list of incidents the two NASCAR drivers have had with each other.

That block was a bit of a dumb move, but it was classic Chastain. The fact that it worked made it even better.

“I didn’t know how far up we were actually going to be able to get, but certainly the 1 [Ross Chastain], you know, making a move there to kinda wreck us is not ideal, but I mean, he’s trying to do everything he can to stop the run,” Hamlin told Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports after the race. “The variance of speed there was crazy.

“The Toyota group tried to give the fans a show, at least. I mean, we were the only ones willing to race this thing out, run wide open, and see what happens, try to make a show of it.”

The Toyota show was stopped by Ross Chastain. It’s just a shame his bowtie teammates couldn’t get the job done in the end.