CONCORD, N.C. -- A frustrated Joey Logano said after last weekend's race at Martinsville that Ross Chastain "races like a jackass." Chastain heard these comments and was disappointed by them.
"He's a three-time champ, he can say what he wants, but those words have a lot of weight," Chastain told media members Wednesday at the NASCAR Production Facility.
"And to just get out and spew that, call me those names, is not appreciated, not warranted, I don't think. And honestly, pretty disappointing that he would do that."
Chastain explained why he was disappointed. He said that he was caught off guard by Logano's post-race interview and indicated that he didn't view his moves during the race as egregious.
He said he pulled in front of Logano in the same way other drivers did to him last weekend.
Yes, Chastain felt that Logano had hit him from behind harder than necessary after one move, but he didn't expect to be on the receiving end of strongly worded comments later.
He also didn't expect Logano to bring up Circuit of the Americas, a race weeks in the past. As Chastain explained, Logano blamed him for an incident during the race even though he was two cars back of the No. 22 Ford.
"When I first heard about it, I honestly didn't understand what they were saying he said," Chastain explained. "I didn't. I mean, I was just standing behind the hauler having a Busch Light, like, 'Man, that was a nice day.'
"I wish I had fifth versus sixth, but not greedy. And I just couldn't believe what they were saying and what they were telling me he said."
The two drivers have not spoken about the Martinsville race or the comments that disappointed Chastain. Logano indicated after the race that he didn't want to talk. Chastain said that texting or calling to clear the air can be tiring.
What the Trackhouse Racing driver hopes is that Logano rewatches the race after having time to cool down and sees the situation differently, especially considering how they raced each other has changed since a discussion at Kansas Speedway in 2021.
"We had probably a 20-minute conversation on pit road with our general managers of the teams down there, with (Travis) Geisler and (Tony) Lunders and cleared the air," Chastain said.
"And we have raced great ever since. Now, fast forward to (Circuit of the Americas), he's mad, and now here, he's mad."