Sure, Kyle Busch was some ways off from fighting for the W on that final lap at Sonoma. But a top 5 wouldn’t have hurt at all, especially on the back of an uncharacteristically Rowdy season. And, there he was, Ross Chastain, snatching the #8 driver’s coveted P5 from under his nose with a heartbreaking spinout. Busch was certainly frustrated, to say the least, having to settle down with that disappointing P12 position. However, he would be happy to know that an unlikely contender took his revenge for him, on the very final turns.

Fans noticed a day later, how one Chase Elliott donned the cape of “karma” for an old-school bump-and-run on Chastain. If not for Elliott, Chastain could’ve even finished perhaps on the podium. But that might be too much of a stretch as P3 Chris Buescher was a little ahead of the duo, bumping and banging for a P4 position that should have been quite easy to claim, in theory.

Did Chase Elliott deliver “Justice” on Ross Chastain after Atlanta wreck?

A lot of movement happened around the top 5 on that final white flag lap. For starters, Martin Truex Jr fell short of fuel battling Kyle Larson for the win to finish P27. Michael McDowell took advantage of MTJ’s woes to score his first-ever career runners-up finish in the Cup Series. Chris Buescher rounded off P3 and marked his name on a podium for the third time in 2024 at Sonoma. And of course, Kyle Busch completely missed the Top 5, thanks to the Melon Man’s a little too-aggressive advance on the fifth spot.

But if MTJ fell out of contention and Busch was already out of the way, that would mean that Chastain should mathematically finish in P4, right? Wrong. Because Larson’s Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott came alive from P7 and passed the #1 Trackhouse Chevy on the very final turn. And if that wasn’t enough, Elliott moved Chastain out of the way, with a nudge on the rear bumper to finish right where he rolled off the grid from – P4.

Some would argue Chastain truly needed the top 5, and a one-spot differential doesn’t make much of a difference. However, Chase is already heading to the playoffs due to a victory claimed at Texas earlier this season. On the other hand, Chastain finished inside the first five positions for only the second time in 2024 at Sonoma. As we stand, the Melon Man is only 73 points above the cutline. Interestingly,  his Mexican teammate Daniel Suarez is also locked into the post-season through that unforgettable three-wide triumph at Atlanta.

On that same weekend, Chastain finished P7 but made headlines for wrecking out hometown hero, Chase Elliott during the final stages of the Ambetter Health 400 Atlanta race. Many claimed that ‘karma’ had struck Elliott for his teammate William Byron’s opportune block on the Melon Man the weekend prior at Daytona, which pushed the latter out of contention for his first victory at the season-opening crown jewel race track.

Regardless, this weekend it appears fans have turned on Ross Chastain, hailing Chase Elliott as Kyle Busch’s unlikely hero shifting out of Sonoma.

Fans believe it is Kyle Busch’s revenge instead

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While FOX cameras focused on celebrating Kyle Larson’s victory with his crew chief, NASCAR shared the thrilling final lap action captured from Chase Elliott’s #9 car on their official social media channels, a day later. The video shows a traditional “trademark bump-and-run” performed to the T on Ross Chastain’s rear bumper off Turn 11.

This led many fans to believe Elliott acted as the hand of vengeance on the perpetrator of Kyle Busch’s disappointments driving scot-free in front of his own car. Something like NASCAR’s very own ‘Batman,’ as this fan rightfully commented, “Bro saw what he did to Kyle and said not on his watch.” Others opined “Chastain can hardly complain when he did far worse to get past Busch.” 

The punishment, if it can even be called such was well executed, and this comment aptly explained the reasons for that sentiment: “Karma caught Ross after dumping Busch a few corners earlier.” However, many called for realism on the issue stating “Chase saw Ross use up Kyle, he was like I’m gonna get mine now.”

But one fan brought up a glaring grievance as they wrote, “Pretty sad we are just now seeing this a day later. I’m sure all of the fans would’ve loved this.” And that is how one of the most overlooked incidents of the 2024 Toyota/Save Mart 350 turned out. Let us know your take on the whole situation in the comments below.