Will the real Ross Chastain please stand up? A few years ago, the Trackhouse Racing driver had embraced the role of NASCAR’s ‘bad boy’. From his feud with Denny Hamlin to the many incidents with Kyle Larson, the Florida native didn’t shy away from controversy and became the figurehead fans loved to hate. However, fast forward to the present day and the 32-year-old is a shadow of his former self. Has he mellowed down with age or does Rick Hendrick have something to do with it?

The Hendrick Motorsports team owner had issued a warning to Chastain in 2023 after repeated on-track incidents with Kyle Larson. Despite both the racers driving under the Chevy umbrella, the team owner didn’t mince his words, which may have something to do with a change in the Trackhouse Racing star’s demeanor.

A look into Ross Chastain’s tumultuous past

Ross Chastain has been there and done that. While many drivers including Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have embraced the ‘villain’ arc over the years, few have perfected it the way the Trackhouse Racing star had. From punching fellow Cup Series driver Noah Gragson in the pits at Kansas Speedway to doing the ‘Hail Melon’ at Martinsville in 2022, Chastain wasn’t afraid of bending the rules whenever he saw fit. However, wrecking Kyle Larson three times in four races took a step too far for Rick Hendrick, who issued a stern warning to the racer.

The Hendrick Motorsports team owner told Ross Chastain in 2023, “I don’t care if he’s driving a Chevrolet if he wrecks our cars. I don’t care. I’ve told Chevrolet that. If you wreck us, you’re going to get it back. If you don’t do it, they’ll run all over you. I’m loyal to Chevrolet, but when somebody runs over us, then I expect my guys to hold their ground. I’m not going to ask them to yield just because of Chevrolet. He doesn’t have to be that aggressive.”

However, one can say that driving on the edge is what made Chastain a force to be reckoned with. The No. 1 Chevy driver finished the 2022 season runner-up in the drivers’ standings, securing two wins that year and followed that up with a ninth-place finish in 2023. However, his performance has significantly dropped since then, as the racer ended up 19th in the standings in 2024, securing just one win at Kansas Speedway. His ongoing Cup Series campaign hasn’t begun on a good note either, as the Trackhouse Racing star was 40th at the Daytona 500.

It almost looks like Ross Chastain is a shadow of his former self. Has Rick Hendrick’s warning curbed his killer instincts on the track? That certainly seems to be the case, especially considering that his teammate Daniel Suarez finished seven spots higher in 12th last year while competing with the same equipment. It’s well within the realm of possibility that Chevrolet may have had some words with Chastain to keep him in check on Hendrick Motorsports’ request, which may be holding him back subconsciously.

Fans blame Hendrick for Chastain’s underperformance

As expected, it didn’t take long for NASCAR fans to point fingers while discussing Ross Chastain’s ongoing dilemma. Many recall his infamous alterations with Kyle Larson in 2023, prompting the Hendrick Motorsports team owner to threaten a payback. Believing that the stern words issued had a detrimental effect on the racer, one fan wrote, “Rick Hendrick buried him.” Echoing that sentiment, another X user blamed NASCAR’s most successful team for making Chastain lose his edge and urged others to deflect the blame by saying, “hms bullied him into mellowing out. if you want someone to hate point at them.”

With talks of a fourth manufacturer joining the sport, a fan believes that Trackhouse Racing would jump on the opportunity to switch its allegiances so that it can be free of Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports’ influence. The motorsports enthusiast wrote, “Rick Hendrick complained to chevy and that’s probably why trackhouse fell off a cliff. Don’t be surprised if when the new OEM comes to cup trackhouse jumps ship.” Another X user felt that the only way for Ross Chastain to get back to his former self would be to work under a different manufacturer, writing, “If he gets out of a Chevy it’s gonna be scary nothing Rick can do then.”

A motorsports enthusiast thoroughly enjoyed Chastain’s controversial era as it spiced things up in the NASCAR Cup Series. Accusing Rick Hendrick of being a spoilsport and reducing the Trackhouse Racing driver to just another racer, the X user wrote, “He wasn’t even an antagonist, he was just really fun. He was an anti hero. But Hendrick threw a hissy fit and now he’s just another driver, except he was in a super bowl commercial.”

Is switching the OEM the only way to unlock the ‘real’ Ross Chastain? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!