On Memorial Day Weekend, Ross Chastain gained NASCAR’s longest race in unprecedented style, coming from fortieth (final) on the grid in a backup automotive 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 bought within the wall, however I lifted. There have been instances the place I nearly bought 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 so much shorter this weekend, although.”
Nonetheless sporting the victory ring
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Photograph by: David Jensen / Getty Photographs
Chastain celebrated all through the night time together with his group and even six days later, he is nonetheless sporting 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 in regards to the ring. “It had the SMI brand proper entrance and heart. That automotive and that pink and blue brand 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 heart on the ring of what SMI and the Smith household have constructed the Coca-Cola 600 into is unimaginable.
“So yeah, undoubtedly going to take it off now for follow. But it surely 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 subsequent factor, make the subsequent flight, get house, like all of the stuff … the ring is a really particular a part of it, in addition to the trophy, which I am unable to even choose the dang factor up … it’s too heavy.”
Combating again from Saturday setbacks
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Photograph by: Logan Riely / Getty Photographs
One factor the Trackouse group 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 sarcastically ended that day together with his worst beginning place of the 12 months. A reduce tire despatched the automotive into the wall, forcing him to skip qualifying whereas the group labored in a single day to arrange the backup automotive. However nonetheless, it was a step in the correct course 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 right down to lap time. The game rewards pace and how briskly are you able to begin and end the lap from the start line and getting it accomplished. It is an actual easy reward system. You go quick, you get lots of cool issues. And the lap time got here with the steadiness of the automotive final week. So for that follow at Charlotte within the Cup automotive, the steadiness stayed good.
“I requested my group to simply construct the (backup) automotive the identical as a result of I did not want any modifications. Normally you need to migrate the steadiness just a little. You need to tighten up just a bit bit on nook entry, just a little bit on exit. However I used to be identical to simply construct it the identical, and we shall be actually good. And we’ll regulate within the race, however I did not have any — that is most likely the primary time, undoubtedly 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 filled with a smile all Saturday as they had been constructing the subsequent automotive. I knew if they might replicate that, we would have an actual shot. So the lap time comes with the steadiness.”
Chastain will attempt to go back-to-back this weekend at Nashville, a race he gained in the course of the 2023 NASCAR Cup season.
Learn Additionally:
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Nick DeGroot
NASCAR Cup
Ross Chastain
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