Dale Earnhardt Jr. sets the record straight on black flagging Ross Chastain amid the Denny Hamlin drama

On the latest episode of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s podcast 'The Dale Jr. Download,' he opened up about the rivalry that flared between Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin at Talladega Superspeedway. The incident happened at the Jack Link's 500 race held on Sunday, April 27, 2025.

On his own podcast 'Action Detrimental,' Hamlin claimed that Chastain made a move at Talladega Superspeedway as the Toyotas made their way on the outside of the track to catch up with everyone, putting a nasty block. Following the same, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver stated that the governing body should have black-flagged Chastain for stalling the Toyota's momentum.

However, the former NASCAR star driver has a different take on the same scenario. Dale Earnhardt Jr. claimed:

"Dude, we can’t be black flagging drivers for swerving or blocking." [01:34:37]

Continuing further, the former two-time Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained:

"Listen, what Chastain did was absolutely reckless as hell, but yeah, it's reckless as s**t, but it's kind of like if he has the obligation or the right to make that move, if it wrecks the field, he's f***ed, and everybody will be disappointed and upset with him." [01:35:05 onwards]

"But he has that obligation, uh, prerogative to make that move and not be, uh, not—there's no, uh, there should be no conversation of a penalty. Um, and if he wants to drive that way, or anybody wants to drive that way, right, then he'll suffer the consequences of public opinion and his reputation, if it were to create a problem, right? It didn't," he added.

After Ross Chastain's block, the #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver Denny Hamlin finished one spot behind him, securing a P21 finish. Riley Herbst, who drives for 23XI Racing, i.e. the team co-owned by Hamlin, wrapped up the 188-lap race in P22.

---

Dale Earnhardt Jr. also reacted to Austin Cindric and Joey Logano's situation

Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. invited Team Penske driver Austin Cindric on his podcast, 'The Dale Jr. Download,' after the Jack Link's 500 race. During the episode, the duo discussed how Cindric calmly reacted to the situation involving his teammate, Joey Logano.

The incident happened during the final lap of stage two of the race. The #2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse driver decided to slow down and let the 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace pass through, ending Logano's chance to land the stage win. Reflecting upon the same, the defending champion blasted his teammate over the radio and called him "stupid."

During the podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr. pointed out that MLB legend Chipper Jones criticized Logano for his radio message. Continuing further, Cindric claimed that he had a Braves hat in his truck, and he decided not to wear it to the team meeting to keep things cool between him and Logano.

However, Dale Jr. hilariously mentioned the #2 Ford driver should have worn the hat to the meeting and stated:

"That would've been awesome!" [00:52]

Despite being the defending champion, Logano currently ranks 11th on the Cup Series points table. Meanwhile, Cindric ranks 14th with one win at Talladega Superspeedway and three top-ten finishes in ten starts this season.