Dale Earnhardt Jr. drops big statement on Ross Chastain’s driving, says he’s among the “best” in one key aspect

Dale Earnhardt Jr. thinks that Ross Chastain is an artist when it comes to blocking his fellow racers. Chastain’s aggressive blocking maneuver at Talladega a few weeks ago sparked controversy among the NASCAR aficionados.

Just recently on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, the Hall of Famer explained how aero blocking is one of the most useful moves that a driver can master in the NextGen era. It makes sense because with the usher of the Gen-7 car, an overkill based solely on speed is practically impossible.

Defense is now, maybe the most important strategy,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “That’s interesting, it’s entertaining.…Ross (Chastain) is the best at it; one of the best defenders.”

It wasn’t the first time Chastain blocked a fellow racer using his exceptional defending skills. During the 2023 championship race at Phoenix, the Trackhouse Racing sensation held off Ryan Blaney on the final laps using the same tactics and won the race. Blaney, however, was crowned the NASCAR Cup Series champion, as Chastain had failed to make it past the Round of 12.

“He drives in the corner, in the middle of the corner…he drives down in front of them and they just can’t finish the throttle. It’s an art,” Earnhardt further added.

The drivers are now days ahead of the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Scheduled for Sunday, May 18, the 250-lap event will be televised on Fox Sports 1, 8 pm ET onwards. Additionally, radio updates will be available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Notably, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the marquee event back in 2000. At the time, the Mooresville native used to drive the iconic No. 8 Budweiser Chevy for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. ranks teams ahead of the upcoming All-Star weekend

Dale Earnhardt Jr. thinks that only three teams drive the momentum of the NASCAR Cup Series. These teams are Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet), Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota), and Team Penske (Ford). But 12 races into the season, the two-time Xfinity Series champ finds it hard to rank them.

“I think Hendrick up until this race (Kansas), this is my opinion before the race, Penske was the fastest, which is odd because usually that’s them at the end of the year.” Dale Jr. said on Tuesday’s episode of the Dale Jr. Download. “I don’t know what that means at the end of this year because they’re rarely this quick early in the season.”

Hendrick Motorsports, on the other hand, has been monotonous, Earnhardt stated. Kyle Larson is having a great year with three wins to his name already. But other than that, the trajectory for the organization has been “very boring”.

“So, I would say they’re kind of the No. 2 team to me and Gibbs — I know Christopher Bell has been awesome but they’re up and down. Here, lately, they’ve kind of been more down than up,” he added.

Notably, the top five drivers in the current driver standings belong to Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Team Penske. As of today, Larson tops the list, followed by William Byron, Bell, Chase Elliott, and Ryan Blaney.