Getty
Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain speak in victory lane after the NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 7, 2023.
Denny Hamlin didn’t hold back when discussing Ross Chastain following the heated confrontation with Daniel Suárez following Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The moment quickly became one of the biggest talking points coming out of the Las Vegas race weekend.
Chastain declined to speak with reporters following the on-track exchange with his former Trackhouse Racing teammate, leaving many questions unanswered about what sparked the tension. Hamlin addressed the situation on his Actions Detrimental podcast and suggested Chastain’s silence only added to the intrigue.
“Sitting in this room, there’s three media members here. We would love to have a quote that we could run with,” Hamlin said. “But it just feels like Ross is… when there’s something that happened, he’s just not going to give it to you.”
For Hamlin, moments like the one in Las Vegas are exactly when drivers should be willing to explain their side.
“When there’s something that happened, for the sport, storylines, it would be fantastic if he would just give us something to work with,” Hamlin said. “But he’s not going to let us in.”
Hamlin Says He Handles Conflict Very Differently
The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran also made it clear that his approach to controversy is the opposite.
“Well, I’m different,” Hamlin said. “I’m going to talk s*** anytime I can.”
Hamlin has built a reputation in recent years as one of the most candid voices in the NASCAR garage, frequently using his podcast to discuss rivalries, race incidents and the personalities that shape the Cup Series.
He said disagreements between drivers are part of what makes the sport compelling — and that fans deserve to hear about them.
“If I have an opportunity or if I have a beef with a driver, I’m going to dig the knife when I can,” Hamlin said. “But that’s just my personality, and I do it with my closest friends.”
The Las Vegas Incident Drew Attention Across the Garage
Tensions between Chastain and Suárez escalated late in Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after contact between the two drivers during the cooldown lap.
The disagreement quickly became visible to those watching as the two drivers confronted each other before others stepped in to separate them.
The moment stood out in part because of the history between the two competitors.
Chastain and Suárez spent four seasons together at Trackhouse Racing, helping establish the organization as one of the fastest-rising teams in the NASCAR Cup Series. Suárez departed the team after last season, while Chastain remains one of Trackhouse’s cornerstone drivers.
That shared history made the Las Vegas confrontation particularly notable across the garage.
For Hamlin, situations like that are part of what keeps fans invested in the sport. Rivalries, disagreements and emotional moments often become defining storylines throughout a long NASCAR season.
But Hamlin also believes those moments carry more weight when drivers are willing to explain their side once the race is over.
In his view, transparency, even during uncomfortable moments, is part of what helps tell the full story of a NASCAR weekend.
Maggie MacKenzie Maggie MacKenzie covers NASCAR for Heavy.com. She previously worked for NASCAR.com, where she reported, wrote, and edited race-weekend coverage and traveled to key events throughout the season. She has more than ten years of experience in sports media and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. More about Maggie MacKenzie
More Heavy on NASCAR
Loading more stories