“Are you not entertained?”: Ross Chastain reviews thrilling Cup Series race at COTA

Ross Chastain uttered a famous line from the Gladiator movie referencing the chaos in the final few laps. NASCAR's first road course race of the season turned from a thrilling duel to a demolition derby in the final laps of the race.

The 68-lap race was extended to 75 laps due to triple overtime being added. Most of the action was at the back of the grid, where drivers were playing 'bumper cars'.

In the post-race interview, Ross Chastain evoked the famous dialog from the 'Gladiator' movie, as he said:

"Are you not entertained? This is what we love. I don’t love doing it, but … as a sport we’re not boring."

While the #1 driver comically said the lines, it does raise the question of whether NASCAR has crossed the line concerning the way the race ended. The governing body should consider reviewing the addition of overtime. The race marked the third time in the last four road course events that went into overtime.

The on-track battles have become more aggressive this season, as was clearly evident since the Busch Light Clash. Drivers are slamming into the back of cars instead of braking to slow down for tight turns.

Speaking about the restarts, Ross Chastain said:

"These cars are so tough, We can run into each other. There are just lines of cars all pushing each other (on the restarts) on the brakes. Nobody is going in there saying, ‘I’m going to hit somebody,’ but it’s just the leader has to check up and it just magnifies itself."

Most drivers were upset with the way the race ended. Chris Buescher simply termed Sunday (March 26)'s race "our first bumper car race of the year". While Austin Dillon stated that this is how typical NASCAR road course races end. He called the restarts a mess where everyone piled up at turn one.

The road course ringers also received rough treatment at COTA. Jordan Taylor, making his Cup Series debut, was bogged down on the final restart, losing out on a top-ten finish. The #9 driver finished the race in 24th position.

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Ross Chastain's teammate Daniel Suarez endures a tough race

While Ross Chastain finished the race in fourth position, his teammate Daniel Suarez had a forgettable outing at COTA. The #99 driver started the race in the top five but ran into a lot of trouble late in the race.

Suarez was on course for a top-five finish in the second overtime finish but was hit by Alex Bowman, who received a bump from Ross Chastain. The #99 car spun Martin Truex Jr. and both dropped down the order. Suarez finished the race in 27th position.

Post-race, the Mexican driver bumped into Ross Chastain at the pit entry, knocking him out of the way. He then hit the back of Alex Bowman on the pit road. The #99 could receive a $50,000-$100,000 fine and/or 25-50 driver/team owner points deduction.