Maybe extra spectacular than Ross Chastain driving from final to first to win the Coca-Cola 600 was the work his group needed to put in simply get the race-winning automobile ready on Sunday.
Chastain crashed attributable to a tire failure in observe, forcing the Trackhouse Racing Staff to scramble as they ready the backup automobile. The automobile was meant to be a backup for subsequent weekend’s race at Nashville and plenty of modified wanted to be and in a single day. Crew chief Phil Surgen admitted to solely sleeping for about “two-and-a-half hours” earlier than the marathon race on Sunday.
Chastain himself stayed with the group till round 10pm on Saturday when Trackhouse competitors director Tony Lunders was “actually pushing me out, saying, ‘go dwelling, fall asleep, I would like you to be prepared tomorrow evening.'”
Whereas Chastain lastly went dwelling to relaxation, the group remained, burning the midnight oil as they ready the automobile that may in the end win NASCAR’s longest race. However earlier than they might even get to work on that. practically 90 minutes had been spent on the first automobile earlier than they realized they weren’t going to have the ability to repair it.
“As we begin pulling components off, it simply grew to become extra evident that there was a piece of the rear body that was bent most likely past restore,” defined Surgen [Chastain’s crew chief]. “Then at that second it grew to become a necessity to go to a backup automobile.
“Sadly, that was most likely an hour or an hour and a half after we obtained to the storage and had already began engaged on repairing the first automobile. Though it took a very long time to establish, by the point we obtained all of the components and the automobile disassembled to the purpose the place we might absolutely see all of the injury, it was evident we wanted to return to the automobile.”
Folks dropped every thing to come back and assist
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: Logan Riely / Getty Pictures
Surgen additionally defined the way it was a complete group effort in the long run as round 30 individuals got here in to assist after taking the backup automobile again to the race store.
“We had clearly all of the highway crew that was on the observe was there. We had engine help from ECR. We had store guys that had been at concert events and ball video games and every thing that simply dropped what they had been doing, got here to the store,” revealed Surgen.
“Like I stated, most likely 30 individuals there at 8:30pm (Saturday) evening. Because the evening wore on and totally different phases of the method form of advanced, we despatched a few of these guys dwelling, and the final of us, there have been most likely eight or ten of us that left at 2:30am final evening. The primary guys obtained again there at 5:30am.”
What wanted to be finished
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: Logan Riely / Getty Pictures
However what truly wanted to be finished to be able to get the backup automobile race-ready? Surgen stated they started with a “absolutely assembled automobile” nevertheless it had no engine in it. There have been numerous different adjustments wanted to get it prepared for 600 miles at Charlotte when it was solely meant for a 400-mile race at Nashville.
“After we obtained there, there was actually a ton of labor to do. We put a very good little bit of inside in it. We modified the transaxle. We had to make use of the engine from the first automobile that was on the racetrack. Then there’s the wrap, remaining set on suspension, remaining set on the physique, after which remaining scale and such, all these last-minute changes. Variety of hours, it is exhausting to say. Like I discussed earlier to the gentleman over there, we had 30 individuals working there for some time, and into the evening that dwindled right down to perhaps ten. You understand, it was a ton of man hours within the final 36 hours that went into the automobile we had in the present day.
Staff proprietor Justin Marks praises the exceptional effort
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: David Jensen / Getty Pictures
Staff proprietor Justin Marks was surprised by the hassle by each driver and group as they celebrated their first win of the 2025 season.
“This weekend I believe was a grasp class in by no means giving up and grinding,” stated Marks. “It wasn’t simply the #1 Staff that constructed that automobile final evening. It was individuals from all corners of the group that stated, I will drop what I am doing and drive to the store and assist, as a result of we have all been working so exhausting the final month, month and a half to form of flip this group round
“I stood in entrance of everyone at this group the primary day that I took possession of it again on the finish of 2021, and I stated, you already know, Now we have every thing that we have to be profitable right here. We simply should work collectively. Now we have to consider in one another, and we’ve got to basically consider that we are able to do it, that we are able to go win huge races and contend for championships. If we help one another and go the additional mile and do no matter it takes, then we are able to get there.
“I believe this weekend was a fantastic expression of that, and I’m so — I do not wish to sound romantic, however I’m simply so unbelievably happy with everyone as a result of what they did this weekend was very, very, very troublesome. It was really a group win. Placing a race automobile collectively — constructing a race automobile final evening, bringing it to the racetrack, beginning final, making good adjustments, good pit stops, good technique, and simply placing it on the shoulders of our wonderful race automobile driver, Ross Chastain, to punch it into victory lane. It is unimaginable.”
Learn Additionally:
On this article
Nick DeGroot
NASCAR Cup
Ross Chastain
Trackhouse Racing Staff
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