Chase Elliott’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson, vowed to get back at Ross Chastain after his antics during the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA. The incident, which was caught on dashcam footage, showed Chastain dive-bombing Elliott on Turn 1. The aggressive move sent Elliott spinning, immediately thrusting his race into uncertainty.
Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain’s Early Beef at COTA
Angered by Chastain’s actions, Elliott’s crew chief promised to get payback on the Trackhouse Racing driver.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Gustafson said over the radio. “It’s just stupidity, but you know, we’re gonna have to pay that shit back because I’m over people like that constantly doing dumb shit. When we get a chance to send him, we’re sending that 1 car.”
Fortunately, Gustafson’s rage did not push Elliott to undertake any dangerous moves to get back at Chastain. He was more concerned if his actions had prompted Chastain’s aggression in any way and if he had been in the wrong first.
Elliott responded, “No, that’s totally fine. I’ll do what I need to do. But I just need to make sure I wasn’t in the wrong before I do it.”
Although Elliott’s crew chief sought revenge, Elliott himself handled the situation very maturely. Even after being spun out, the Hendrick Motorsports driver remained calm and continued the race. Fortunately for Elliott, he rebounded to finish in fourth place, an impressive feat given the circumstances.
Chase Elliott's team isn't happy with Ross Chastain. Elliott doesn't exactly sound thrilled but wanted to make sure he didn't do anything wrong first.
"We're gonna have to pay that shit back, because I'm over people like that constantly doing dumb shit. When we get a chance to… pic.twitter.com/02KLcK8EJU
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) March 2, 2025
Elliott’s calm response paid off as, towards the end of the race, Chastain slowed down to let the Hendrick Motorsports driver pass him.
After the race, speaking to Performance Racing Network, Elliott said, “Got run over in the first corner. I’m curious to see it, I still haven’t seen it, to know whether or not I did something wrong. Happy to own it, but it was the first corner of the first lap.” Elliott benefited from the incident occurring so early in the race that he had ample time to recover.
Chastain did not comment on the incident.
