Chastain drives ’em crazy on track
Ross Chastain has alienated one important NASCAR constituency while ingratiating himself to another.
That is no small undertaking for a driver who spent five fruitless seasons on the Cup Series Tour hustling to attain respect and attention under the umbrella of Trackhouse Racing.
Chastain’s outsized ambitions on the rough and tumble of the Cup Series Tour were realized in 2022 when he emerged as one of the top drivers on the circuit. He started 36 races with two wins, 15 top finishes, 21 in the top 10 and finished second overall in his first playoff appearance.
Chastain, 30, was emboldened to up his game this season by racing closer to the edge, a practice that did not go unnoticed by the other drivers in the field.
While Chastain’s enemies list on pit road would rival the Nixon White House, his widespread popularity among the hardcore bleacher creatures has cracked the ozone layer. Over 19 races this season, Chastain has cultivated his bad boy image while pulling off, with caveats attached, the ultimate tradeoff.
“I’ve said it and I’ve meant it and I believe it,” said Chastain. “I am comfortable making other drivers uncomfortable but I don’t need all of them uncomfortable with me at the same time.
“I can’t fight all of them but I’m sure I can race them all hard if they are all going to race me hard. I am learning to balance that while staying true to who I am and what got me here. Basically, it is keep finding the best ways I can to win and that is not always having every driver on the track mad at me.”
Chastain is the operator of the No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and on Sunday (2:30 p.m.) he will compete in the Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The Magic Mile is a short flat track with low banked turns and tight straights. Favorable track position is the key to success and the race is competed at close quarters.
The difference between aggressive racing and reckless driving is more of a gray area than a fine line. Chastain, along with most other drivers, routinely drifts into that chasm while conducting business on the Cup Series Tour.
Chastain finds it ironic that many of the drivers who have pointed the finger and hurled verbal brickbats in his direction are the same guys he’s tried to emulate since coming of age behind the wheel of a stock car.
“I feel like at time that the guys that claim I am
driving aggressive I learned from them,” said Chastain. “I’ve studied them and I’m racing against my heroes in a lot of ways out here on the Cup Series.
“I have studied them for years and I have watched them since I was a kid. I’ve tried to be like them and then when I get here, they point the finger at me and say, ‘no.’ I am doing a lot of the things I’ve seen them do and I’m just trying to be better at it.”
Nashville blitz
After his run through the playoffs in 2022, Chastain received a vote confidence from upper management at Trackhouse Racing and was tendered a contract extension. That is the kind of job security Chastain has sought since graduating from the Xfinity Tour.
“Going through the process, there were not many times in my past that I knew where I would be racing next year, let alone several years from now,” said Chastain.
Chastain became the flag bearer of Trackhouse Racing and he paid back his benefactors with a victory in the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 25. Trackhouse Racing is based in Nashville so the team claimed its first win of the season at its home track.
Chastain made his presence felt early by securing the pole position for the start of the race. Chastain fended off a late challenge from Martin Truex Jr. to take the checkered flag. The victory secured a place for Chastain in the Cup Series playoffs.
“For us, Nashville is that fourth crown jewel of NASCAR and it was a heck of a race to win from that point of view,” said Chastain.
Chastain enters the Crayon 301 fifth overall in the driver standings with a win, six top five finishes and eight in the top 10. Chastain placed third at Richmond on an oval shorter than NHMS. If you can run well at Richmond, you can do the same at New Hampshire.
Chastain will be making his fifth Cup Series start at the Magic Mile and he is still getting a feel for the track. His average finish is 16.5 but he placed eighth in the last two races.
“We are looking to qualify well and that’s number one,” said Chastain. “New Hampshire is so flat and I’ve honestly struggled there despite the last two years, which are a bright spot.”
Chastain has a longdistance connection to the Boston sports scene. He grew up in Alva, Fla., which is one town over from the Red Sox training facility in Fort Myers. Chastain’s father, Ralph, went to high school with former Red Sox All- Star left fielder Mike “Gator” Greenwell.