Ross Chastain admits ‘I just need to hit less things’

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Cup points leader Ross Chastain knows that while he needs to adjust how he drives, he can’t back down.

“If I drive my car at 90%, I’m going to go 10% slower,” Chastain said after finishing 19th in Wednesday night’s Cars Tour Late Model race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. “I have to find the limit of the tire, and I just need to hit less things. It’s as simple as that.”

A lightning rod in Cup, Chastain has been the center of controversy each of the past four weeks. It reached a crescendo last weekend at Darlington Raceway when Chastain and Kyle Larson crashed racing for the lead with six laps to go.

Larson’s car owner, Rick Hendrick, was critical of Chastain. The Darlington incident marked the third time in the last four races that Chastain’s actions led to Larson wrecking.

“He’s going to make a lot of enemies,” Hendrick said last weekend. “It’s hard to win a championship when you’ve got a lot of paybacks out there.”

Chastain spoke with Hendrick this week. While Chastain didn’t go into details about the conversation, he said it went well.

“We talked about things other than just Darlington,” Chastain said. “He had some really good life advice.”

As for his conversion with Marks this week, Chastain said the message was clear.

“Stop hitting things,” Chastain said. “I know that. … I get it. I hear him. I hear everybody. I take it all in, and I form my own opinion.

“I’m not going to let a quarter mile of asphalt with six laps to go at Darlington in a Cup race change who I am or what I believe about myself, and we’ll continue to go on.”

Chastain understands the frustration he’s caused with his actions this season and last.

“When I drove into Turn 1 in Darlington last week, it did not play out how I