The Texas race was a whirlwind of intensity. Wrecks littered the track, and cautions kept drivers on edge. Ross Chastain, starting mid-pack in his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, had to navigate a minefield of spinning cars and debris. His teammate, Shane van Gisbergen, a Cup Series rookie transitioning from Supercars, could not handle tricky Texas, saying he “Just wasn’t comfortable.” This is a sentiment that was echoed by Chastain, too.
The Trackhouse Racing team has not had the most glittering start to 2025. After hopes were pinned on them to have a breakthrough season with the addition of SVG and Red Bull as his sponsor, along with the firepower of Chastain and former Xfinity Champion Daniel Suarez, things have fallen flat. The team has just four top-5 finishes so far this season, with two of them coming in the same race at Las Vegas. Now, at Texas, Trackhouse had a horrible qualifying run with Chastain and SVG outside the top-30 and Suarez at 25. The race was fruitful for Chastain, but he didn’t mince his words after a rough day out.
Ross Chastain needs better cars
The high-risk, high-reward mayhem of the NASCAR Cup Series race stretched Chastain to the breaking point, earning him a season-high second-place finish. But his candid, unrehearsed post-race remarks exposed a team struggling with a crisis of faith, one that goes beyond the confines of any one race. For Chastain, the race was an endurance test, one of flexibility.
His car was unbalanced and lacked grip early on, and he couldn’t compete with the leaders. A busted jack at a make-or-break pit stop added drama, with jackman Shane having to scramble to find a spare. The resiliency of the pit crew kept them in the battle, but the ultimate game-saver was courtesy of crew chief Bill Surgen and the Trackhouse crew.
That confidence, or lack thereof, became the heart of Chastain’s post-race revelation. Speaking on pit road, his voice heavy with exhaustion and pride, he laid bare Trackhouse’s struggles: “Yeah, that’s a working-class day… Just no confidence in the car yesterday. And y’all saw that. Just the speed of the Trackhouse cars on Saturdays is terrible. And we’re just not confident, all three drivers. So there was one pit stop today that Bill Surgen and the group it takes a ton of people back at Trackhouse and on the box here in GM at Chevrolet. And they made me a confident driver all of a sudden with one adjustment.” Chastain’s words were a bombshell.
Chastain led zero laps and had zero stage points for the day, summarizing Trackhouse’s struggle to keep up with the speed. If not for a slew of late cautions, which allowed the #1 team to make adjustments, Chastain would have probably faded away like his teammates did. Daniel Suarez recovered to finish in 10th place while SVG was lagging in 22nd.
Ross Chastain brings it home P.2 after “a working-class day” for the No. 1 team in Texas.#NASCAR | @regansmith pic.twitter.com/q7AdbGrq8Y
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 4, 2025
Ross Chastain continued his rant, adding, “And it was small stuff. It doesn’t even make sense. But after that, I was a confident driver. We still had a jack break, so hats off to Shane to quickly recover and get that other jack out there. But yeah, I can’t drive an uncomfortable car. I can’t personally. So as soon as they got it comfortable or at least gave me some confidence, we started going forward.” His revelation that all three Trackhouse drivers—himself, Suarez, and van Gisbergen—were short on confidence, especially during Saturday’s practice and qualifying, was a rare peek into the team’s mindset.
Chastain’s second-place finish was a season-best effort that showcased his tenacity, but it came after a brutal fight against a car that felt foreign. Trackhouse’s challenges are multifaceted. Suarez’s season has been inconsistent, and Van Gisbergen is still adapting to NASCAR’s oval racing. SVG has leaned on advice from fellow New Zealander Scott McLaughlin, who told SVG, “There’s going to be a point where it’s going to either click or you’re just going to have some luck go your way and that’s going to change that qualifying metric, you’re going to be able to qualify not third-last.” Van Gisbergen’s Texas performance, avoiding wrecks while finishing respectably, showed progress, but his journey continues to go on a steep learning curve.
The Texas race summed up Trackhouse’s 2025 season: moments of brilliance tarnished by doubt. Trackhouse Racing has the ability, the money, and the will to be among the best, but Chastain’s confession implies they’re struggling with demons of their own. The Texas outcome was a win of sorts—a reminder that minor tweaks and pure grit can lead to monumental returns.
Yet, the road ahead remains daunting. As Chastain envisions a well-earned drink at Tootsie’s, Trackhouse must find a way to rebuild its confidence and consistency. For now, they’ll carry the lessons of Texas forward, knowing that every “working class day” brings them closer to their potential.
Chastain was rooting for Joey Logano’s downfall
The tension between Ross Chastain and Joey Logano is chaotic, and it’s not cooling down anytime soon. Chastain took a subtle jab at Logano that had fans buzzing. He was rooting hard for Michael McDowell to win, despite helping out Logano. “I gave the 22 [Joey Logano] a really good push. There’s never been anybody in the series cheering for the #71 [Michael McDowell] car harder, not on his team, than I was, so wanted to see him win over that guy for sure,” Chastain said, disappointment clear in his voice after McDowell’s crash.
This feud traces back to COTA and flared up again at Martinsville, where Logano blamed Chastain for a crash that spun him out. Chastain, confused, fired back, “He’s [Logano] mad from COTA. He says that I pushed a car into him late in the race. When I first heard about it, I honestly didn’t understand what they were saying, he said.” He insisted Logano was wrong, claiming there was a gap when he made his move.
At Texas, McDowell’s #71 Chevy grabbed the lead with 10 laps left, and Chastain was all in. But with four laps to go, Logano closed in. McDowell spun out while attempting a block, hit the SAFER barrier, and finished 26th. Logano seized the moment, taking the lead and his first win of the season. Chastain’s frustration was palpable, as he’d hoped McDowell would steal the spotlight.
Chastain’s comments certainly had some sting to them, and it seems like his chapter with Logano isn’t done yet. What’s next for these two? Only the track will tell.
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