The rivalry between Ross Chastain and Team Penske’s Joey Logano shows no sign of cooling, as tensions escalated once again at Texas Motor Speedway. The intense back-and-forth that began at the COTA race earlier this year took another turn when Chastain openly admitted he was supporting Michael McDowell, hoping the Team Penske driver would be defeated late in the race.
Throughout the weekend, Chastain acknowledged feeling frustrated with his car’s setup, lacking confidence after both practice and qualifying. Despite those setbacks, his competitive fire burned even hotter in the heat of battle, with Chastain openly expressing his wish to see McDowell triumph, explicitly because it meant seeing Logano lose out. This sentiment, delivered with brutal honesty, underscored the bitterness fueling this ongoing rivalry.
Even before Texas, the relationship between Chastain and Team Penske’s top driver had already unraveled. At Martinsville, a crash entangled Logano, who promptly pointed the finger at Chastain for initiating the incident. Chastain, however, pushed back against the accusation, expressing bewilderment at Logano’s comments. He explained,
He’s [Logano] mad from COTA. He says that I pushed a car into him late in the race. When I first heard about it, I honestly didn’t understand what they were saying, he said.
According to Chastain, Logano blamed him for being involved in both the COTA and Martinsville wrecks, despite clear evidence that the reality was not so simple.
During the race in Texas, McDowell surged to the front after a bold move past Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney. Logano, relentless as ever, began to close the gap, while Chastain found himself rooting harder than anyone for McDowell’s #71 car. Yet, fate had other plans. As four laps remained, Logano ramped up the pressure and McDowell, battling fiercely, lost control as he exited Turn 2, slamming into the barrier and finishing a devastating 26th.
The drama peaked when McDowell’s aggressive block forced both himself and Logano toward the inside wall, raising the tension between drivers and teams. Logano quickly recovered, launching a charge that ultimately secured him the race win—his first victory of the season, and a gut punch to Chastain and his supporters. Chastain lamented after the race,
There’s never been anybody in the series cheering for the #71 car harder, not on his team, than I was, so wanted to see him win over that guy for sure.
The ongoing feud between Chastain and Team Penske is not just personal, it ripples through the competition, injecting frustration and intensity into every encounter. With accusations, pointed comments, and emotionally charged moments now defining their relationship, the question becomes whether these drivers can ever truly put the past behind them. For now, all signs point to a rivalry that will continue to fester, leaving Team Penske and its rivals bracing for more fireworks in the races to come.
