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Ruling Out Rick Hendrick’s Warning, Denny Hamlin Unearths Reality Behind Ross Chastain’s Uncharacteristic North Wilkesboro Run

Published 05/23/2023, 9:55 AM EDT

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via Imago

Only a few weeks ago, because of his multiple run-ins with Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain was on the receiving end of a stern warning from Rick Hendrick. Chastain’s habitual aggressive antics and recurring incidents on the track had triggered this reproach. In response, Chastain vowed to curtail his unnecessarily aggressive behavior and evolve as a racer.

Following the recent All-Star Race at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, Denny Hamlin noted a discernible shift in Chastain’s approach on the track. Hamlin‘s observations were made in light of Chastain’s uncharacteristically measured performance during the weekend race, which seemed to suggest that Chastain might indeed be making strides toward change.

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Denny Hamlin thinks Ross Chastain changed his approach at North Wilkesboro

During the latest episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin talked at length about Ross Chastain, stating, “If you had a train of cars behind you, and you got someone beating off your back bumper and you’re worried about them passing. You knew you were gonna get passed by that entire train of cars.

“We got to have a repave because we need to have a second lane of some sort to help with that.

“I think that he did it, not necessarily because of [Kyle] Larson, but because he’s racing the racetrack.”

As for Hamlin, he did not have the best of races, finishing 13th. However, someone else from the JGR crew took the blame.

WATCH THIS STORY: “I Mean…”—North Wilkesboro Reviver Dale Earnhardt Jr Gives Verdict on His Participation in the 2023 All-Star Race

Hamlin loses out on All-Star win due to crucial JGR crew mistake

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Hamlin experienced an unfavorable result in the recent All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. Furthermore, his performance did not meet the expectations of his team. At the end of the day, he ended up finishing in 13th place, despite initially demonstrating promising momentum.

via Imago

The #11 team’s crew chief, Chris Gabehart took the blame upon himself in a post-race interview, saying, “You can’t pit under green. There was no evidence that that was going to do anything. Where we messed up was not pitting on lap 18. I knew better. 100% should’ve pit under that caution and didn’t.”

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Moreover, Gabehart pinpointed the critical misstep as the team’s decision to forego a pit stop for their #11 Toyota Camry TRD when officials raised the caution flag due to an issue with Ricky Stenhouse Jr on the 18th lap.

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Written by:

Srijan Mandal

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Srijan Mandal is a NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. With a Master's Degree in Journalism from a top institution, Srijan has written over 1000 articles across various platforms. His passion for racing began at a young age and has only grown stronger over time.
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Edited by:

Nischal Kandpal