On Memorial Day Weekend, Ross Chastain gained NASCAR’s longest race in unprecedented vogue, coming from fortieth (final) on the grid in a backup automobile to take the lead 591 miles into the 600-mile occasion. Of his six victories within the NASCAR Cup Collection since 2022, none are extra prestigious than this crown jewel win.
“Endurance paid off,” stated Chastain as he mirrored on the spectacular drive in a Saturday media availability. “There have been instances the place I nearly obtained within the wall, however I lifted. There have been instances the place I nearly obtained to somebody’s exterior or nearly cleared them off the nook and lifted. In a 600-mile race, that lets you try this. These races are loads shorter this weekend, although.”
Nonetheless carrying the victory ring
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: David Jensen / Getty Photos
Chastain celebrated all through the evening together with his staff and even six days later, he is nonetheless carrying the ring awarded to the victor of the Coca-Cola 600. He lastly took it off, however solely as a result of he needed to get behind the wheel of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet as he plans to participate within the NASCAR Xfinity Collection motion on Saturday.
“It says ‘Champion’ and it says ‘Coca-Cola 600 2025’,” stated Chastain concerning the ring. “It had the SMI emblem proper entrance and middle. That automobile and that pink and blue emblem for SMI is so iconic, one thing that I bear in mind as a child seeing and I did not know what it was. And now to have it entrance and middle on the ring of what SMI and the Smith household have constructed the Coca-Cola 600 into is unbelievable.
“So yeah, positively going to take it off now for follow. However it has been motivation this week as a result of this week was a grind. And generally I simply needed to contact the ring and be like — okay, smile, go to the following factor, make the following flight, get dwelling, like all of the stuff … the ring is a really particular a part of it, in addition to the trophy, which I can not even decide the dang factor up … it’s too heavy.”
Preventing again from Saturday setbacks
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: Logan Riely / Getty Photos
One factor the Trackouse staff has been lacking this 12 months has been off-loading with pace for Saturday follow and qualifying. Chastain was vocal about it following a runner-up end at Texas and whereas he was the quickest driver over the course of a future throughout Coke 600 follow, he mockingly ended that day together with his worst beginning place of the 12 months. A reduce tire despatched the automobile into the wall, forcing him to skip qualifying whereas the staff labored in a single day to organize the backup automobile. However nonetheless, it was a step in the suitable path as they got here out of the gate with spectacular pace for as soon as.
“We had been proper there with the No. 24 [William Byron] for the quick lap in our (follow) group,” stated Chastain about final weekend.
“It simply comes all the way down to lap time. The game rewards pace and how briskly are you able to begin and end the lap from the place to begin and getting it finished. It is an actual easy reward system. You go quick, you get a variety of cool issues. And the lap time got here with the stability of the automobile final week. So for that follow at Charlotte within the Cup automobile, the stability stayed good.
“I requested my staff to only construct the (backup) automobile the identical as a result of I did not want any modifications. Often you need to migrate the stability slightly. You need to tighten up just a bit bit on nook entry, slightly bit on exit. However I used to be identical to simply construct it the identical, and we will probably be actually good. And we’ll modify within the race, however I did not have any — that is in all probability the primary time, positively in my Cup profession, that I’ve ever gotten out of a follow session and did not ask for something. And that is why I used to be so stuffed with a smile all Saturday as they had been constructing the following automobile. I knew if they may replicate that, we might have an actual shot. So the lap time comes with the stability.”
Chastain will attempt to go back-to-back this weekend at Nashville, a race he gained through the 2023 NASCAR Cup season.
Learn Additionally:
On this article
Nick DeGroot
NASCAR Cup
Ross Chastain
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