While Bubba Wallace may be the most hated driver in NASCAR, the 2023 season has seen Trackhouse Racing Team’s Ross Chastain become the unofficial villain of the sport. Nicknamed the “Wrecking Ball” by fellow drivers, Chastain’s season has been engrossed in controversies. Be it post-race altercations or in-race wrecks, Chastain has made a ton of enemies. However, with NASCAR progressing into the second half of the 2023 season, it looks like another driver may have replaced Ross Chastain as the NASCAR villain.

HMS Crew Chief-turned NBC commentator Steve Letarte feels Joe Gibbs Racing driver and 23XI racing co-owner, Denny Hamlin has now taken over the villain crown.

“The new villain”: Steve Letarte feels Denny Hamlin has taken over Ross Chastain’s title 

Back in February, the Busch Light Clash At The Coliseum saw Ross Chastain punt Denny Hamlin, causing the #11 Toyota to spin out. Chastain finished the race in the 8th position with Hamlin following him at 9th. On NASCAR tracks, payback is the currency, and payback is what Ross Chastain received.

During the United Rentals Work United 500 at the Phoenix Raceway, Denny Hamlin intentionally rammed Ross Chastain’s #1 car into the fence in the closing laps. Later, stating that he hadn’t forgotten about the incident at The Clash, Hamlin confessed he was seeing red and that his actions at Phoenix were intentional. For this NASCAR penalized him with 25 driver points and $50,000. 

In a bonus episode of The Dale Jr. Download podcast, Steve Letarte joined Dale Earnhardt Jr along with a houseful crowd at Ole Red Tavern in Nashville. Speaking about Hamlin’s actions at Phoenix, Letarte said, “We talked about Denny earlier, and we got a little mixed reaction as you’d imagine. Denny is sort of the new villain of the sport because another driver is no longer the villain.”

This statement provoked a response from podcast host, Dale Jr, who exclaimed, “5 episodes! Took him 5 episodes to begin to find, that’s a record!”

Conducting a poll in the tavern, Letarte further added, “I wanna poll the room, alright, do you all think that Denny wrecked Chastain on purpose in Phoenix? Do you all think he should have gotten a penalty from NASCAR?” The crowd could be heard responding in unison to Letarte’s poll, replying “Yes” and “No” respectively.

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Dale Jr joined the crowd’s response, agreeing that the penalty was an “overreach.” Dale Jr further went on to say he has a problem with NASCAR’s penalties.

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s problem with NASCAR penalties

Post Steve Letarte’s two-question poll, Dale Earnhardt Jr went on to explain his problem with NASCAR’s penalty. Expressing his feelings, Junior said the penalty system just turns drivers dishonest.

“Listen, here’s the problem I have with the penalties; now you are just asking drivers to be dishonest. Like, now I wreck you, and then I get out and be like – No I didn’t! No, I didn’t!” said Junior. To elucidate his point, Dale Jr gave the example of Chase Elliott intentionally wrecking Denny Hamlin at Charlotte, where Elliott denied foul play. 

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This revelation from Dale Jr had Steve Letarte questioning NASCAR’s penalty system saying, “What’s that doing then now, by the way?”