Ross Chastain Lands Haymaker, NASCAR Stars Wanted His 'A-- Beat,' Kyle Busch Calls Out A--holes, Hamlin Boos Crowd

Denny Hamlin wrecked Kyle Larson for the win and Kyle Busch called everyone a--holes, and those are both waaaaaaay down on my NASCAR Monday to-do list.

I reckon that's what happens when Ross Chastain drops his balls and connects on a pit-road haymaker that opened Pandora's beautiful box.

And you know what? It's about damn time Ross the Boss fought back. Did I think Noah Gragson would be the one to bring it out of him? No.

To be fair, though, I also didn't know Noah was given under-the-table orders from guys like Chase Elliott to put out the hit!

Yep -- true story, according to Noah. More in a bit.

What a damn NASCAR race we had yesterday at Kansas. It's been a pretty meh year up to this point, but my goodness did the drama queens in that Cup garage reel me back in yesterday like the idiot fish I am.

We'll obviously dig in on Ross Chastain's punch heard round the world while also watching it all unfold with Kyle Larson, which was incredible content. What else should we talk about?

Kyle Busch giving us another all-time Rowdy rant? Sure thing. Denny Hamlin wrecking his buddy for the win? Oh, hell yes.

NASCAR's alleged hit-list, according to Noah Gragson. Absolutely.

It's a loaded baked potato on this second Monday of May, so let's stop stalling and get to it.

Four tires, a round in the right rear and ringside tickets to watch all the action ... Monday Morning Pit-Stop -- the 'Haymakers & Hit-Lists' edition -- is LIVE!

Ross Chastain becomes NASCAR's No. 1 villain

Well, it was just a matter of time, right? For weeks -- a year, really -- we've been talking about how it's essentially Ross Chastain vs. the Field at this point, and it all came to a perfect tipping point at Kansas.

Gloves up, Noah!

Incredible content, from start to finish. Let's talk about the punch.

Great little jab here from Ross Chastain -- let's get that straight. These things don't always connect -- especially from little NASCAR drivers -- but Ross made sure this one landed.

No push policy! Never heard that one before, but I love it. Kudos, Ross.

Now, let's rewind to what caused all of this, because it's also not anything earth-shattering ...

Noah Gragson says guys like Chase Elliott wanted Ross Chastain hit

I mean, it's certainly Ross's fault, but riding a guy up the track and slightly into the wall usually doesn't lead to a cold-cock to the nose. Usually.

Unless, of course, you've had some whispers in your ear for the past few months.

YESSSSSSSSSS!

This is the damn content I want, baby! You wanna fix your crappy ratings -- and they've been awful this year -- give me Chase Elliott telling rookie Noah Gragson to beat Ross Chastain's ass. There, fixed. Just like that. Game over.

Chase and Ross had plenty of run-ins last year -- including the championship race at Phoenix -- so I can certainly see drunk Chase calling Noah from his couch while he was rehabbing his shattered leg and putting out the hit.

Love it. Need it. Need more of it.

By the way, I'm also not siding against Chastain here, either. He's clearly NASCAR's newest villain and has been for some time now. Might as well embrace it. I hear some fella named Earnhardt did that way back in the day and it worked out pretty well.

And how about these two reactions from Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin? Electric.

Denny Hamlin wrecks Kyle Larson for the win

Well, he told him to stop.

Perfect.

Speaking of you, Denny ... let's talk about that crap you pulled there on the final lap. Yeah, we didn't forget.

So close, but this ain't horseshoes.

The racing between Hamlin and Larson -- two of the best in the business -- was awesome over the final 10 laps. Seriously, it may have been the best I've seen in a while.

You had a feeling it was going to end like that, though. It had been nearly a year since Hamlin won a race, and Larson is simply too good to mess up. So he was either gonna have to give him a little wiggle, or likely finish second.

Don't know if you noticed, but Denny Hamlin ain't a fan of finishing second. Or being booed.

"Glad he was able to at least finish." Hilarious.

And hey, Kansas crowd -- "boo you!"

NFG Denny Hamlin (look it up) has been awesome this season -- especially for us in the #content game. Keep it up!

Kyle Busch calls out NASCAR a--holes

My goodness -- I can't believe it's taken us this long to get Kyle Busch's mid-race rant. This would've been the lead story most week.

Rowdy was wrecked early at Kansas, and, shockingly, wasn't thrilled about it!

And hey, here's another shocker -- it was Ross Chastain who pissed Busch off in the first place!

By the way, what that clip didn't include was the beginning of Rowdy's rant. Luckily, yours truly just happened to be listening to the radio at that exact time, so I'll fill in the blanks!

"Everybody running like a--holes."

Some would accuse me of making that up, but if you know Kyle Busch, you know I didn't.

Also, Busch little-boying Ross Chastain here, too. Such a great way to insult someone.

NASCAR girls ease tensions

This was a particularly angry Monday recap, filled with haymakers, hit-lists and a--holes. Great for the content machine, but definitely a heavy way to start our week.

So, let's cool down with Victoria's Secret model Toni Breidinger making her Truck Series debut, Danica Patrick hitting up the F1 race in Miami, and ex-NASCAR driver Brian Scott's wife, Whitney, enjoying the Kentucky Derby.

On to Darlington.