

Sonoma Raceway’s 2025 Toyota/Save Mart 350 arrived with mid-July heat shimmering over the wine-country hills and a sell-out crowd already buzzing about Shane van Gisbergen. The highlight was definitely the Kiwi driver shattering Jeff Gordon’s 2004 record for most laps led in Sonoma, but a flurry of late cautions that punched the field four times in the final 11 laps stalled the race. Early in the race, the competition was fierce, and drivers were already making aggressive moves, setting the stage for a highly debated incident that impacted both Daniel Suárez’s and Ross Chastain’s strong runs.
Ross Chastain, piloting the #1 Chevrolet, found himself deep in a corner, losing control of his car. In that moment, Suárez’s #99 car became an unfortunate point of contact for Chastain’s out-of-control vehicle. The contact resulted in Suárez’s car spinning, severely compromising his position and costing him valuable track time and position. The aftermath of the Sonoma incident quickly became a talking point, particularly concerning the intent behind Ross Chastain’s maneuver. While Suárez’s displeasure was evident, 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin wasn’t very pleased with the former’s antics.
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Denny Hamlin feels Chastain’s action was unintentional
In a recent episode of his podcast, ‘Actions Detrimental,’ Hamlin offered a defense of Chastain’s actions. Co-host Jared Allen also mentioned, “Chastain spun out Suárez earlier in this race, and we have a lot of guys this weekend, making threats on the radio that ‘better not get back to him.’ But yes, Suárez bounced back to finish 14th, but he’s not happy with Chastain and the situation.” Despite the contact, while Suárez managed a resilient recovery to finish 14th, his words on the radio clearly indicated his displeasure.
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The incident happened in Lap 45 at Sonoma’s tight Turn 11, when Suárez was caught between Joey Logano and teammate Ross Chastain. The contact upset Chastain’s own car as well, triggering a chain reaction that dropped Suárez at the back of the field, all the way to 29th before he could gather things up and rejoin the fray. Stung by the sudden reversal, Suárez keyed up the radio and fired off a warning, saying, “You better hope I don’t get to him today.” On Chastain’s side, the #1 crew scrambled for damage control, relaying an immediate apology via the spotter and insisting the shove was a misjudgment rather than intentional.
Denny Hamlin put the wreck under a microscope and gave Chastain a clean chit of racing health. “It looked like Ross just got in there deep, lost control of his car, and then Suarez was the cushion that helped him slow down,” said Hamlin. “That’s pretty much what it kind of looked like. Obviously, it wasn’t intentional on Ross’s part. He just lost control of his car.” By framing the contact as a simple brake-zone miscalculation, Hamlin rejected the idea that Chastain wanted to rough up a departing teammate or influence the Trackhouse Racing playoff pecking order.

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LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 19: Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet answers questions from members of the media during a media bullpen before practice and qualifying for the South Point 400 NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series playoff race on October 19, 2024, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. Photo by Marc Sanchez/LVMS/Icon Sportswire AUTO: OCT 19 NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon144241019047
Speaking after the race, Suárez made it clear that Ross Chastain‘s apology through his spotter wasn’t enough to settle the matter. The Mexican driver expressed a desire for a direct conversation with Chastain before the next race weekend, hinting that unresolved tension could lead to retaliation. “I hope so,” Suárez replied when asked if a chat between the two was warranted after their on-track clash. “And if it doesn’t happen, he’s gonna get it back.”
This isn’t the first time that these two teammates have had a heated confrontation on track. At the Circuit of the Americas in March 2023, during a late-race restart, Chastain nudged Alex Bowman, which in turn forced Bowman into Suárez. This triggered a chain reaction that spun Suárez and ended his bid for victory. Frustrated, Suárez pursued both cars on the cooldown lap and then rammed Chastain and Bowman in the pit-lane entrance, earning a $50,000 fine from NASCAR for post-race contact.
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Did Ross Chastain's move on Suárez show reckless driving or just a racing misjudgment?
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With Trackhouse and Suárez parting ways by mutual agreement, the road ahead may hold new rivalries. But this latest clash seems certain to remain a defining moment of his final season with the team.
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The fall of Daniel Suárez at Trackhouse
When Suárez joined Trackhouse Racing in 2021, he was the foundation of the young team’s rise. But as time went on, his standing faded, despite delivering their first-ever win at Sonoma in 2022. As younger talents like Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain surged forward, Suárez’s spotlight dimmed. “I just think that lately, there have been things that have made me feel that I’m not as important,” Suárez admitted, revealing the emotional weight behind his recent departure from the team.
The reality of the numbers couldn’t be ignored. Chastain has already picked up three wins in 2025, SVG now has six career Cup wins, and Connor Zilisch is tearing through the Xfinity Series with two victories and seven Top-5s. The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck stated on ‘The Teardown’ podcast, “What SVG is doing and what Zilisch is doing is also a big reason why we had the Daniel Suárez news this week, where he is out of a ride… this is why you’d do that. There’s something about somebody having a target on their back in NASCAR and still being able to do it.”
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Jordan Bianchi backed this sentiment, pointing out, “He’s got more wins than Daniel Suárez does, career wins. That’s the reality of the situation… You have teammates that are doing this on a variety of different tracks, and you’re not; that’s really hard not to think, okay, we need a change here.” While Suárez’s departure was officially described as “mutual,” the overwhelming performance of his peers made the decision almost inevitable.
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Did Ross Chastain's move on Suárez show reckless driving or just a racing misjudgment?