Ross Chastain punches Noah Gragson on pit road as NASCAR rivalry boils over

Lifestyle

Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson had a post-race incident Sunday evening after Denny Hamlin nudged Kyle Larson out of first place to pick up the win at Kansas Speedway.

Chastain, whose aggressiveness on the track has left several drivers outraged, appeared to pin Gragson into the wall with some tight driving. Gragson then spun around in front of Brad Keselowski later in the race. Gragson then confronted Chastain on pit road and fists flew.

Chastain threw a right hook and Gragson tried to answer back with a punch of his own, but NASCAR officials stepped in the way and held the two drivers back.

“I’m sick and tired of it,” Gragson said of Chastain’s driving style. “The guy runs into everyone. When you have guys like Chase Elliott and other guys telling you to beat his a–, everyone is just sick of him.”

Chastain admitted he got tight in Turn 4.

“I got tight off 4 for sure,” Chastain said. “Noah and I have a very similar attitude on the racetrack. We train together, we prepare together, we know every little bit about each other. I definitely crowded him out of 4.”

“A very big man once told me we have a ‘no push policy’ here at Trackhouse,” he added.

Chastain finished in fifth and Gragson ended up in 29th.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.