Ross Chastain has come a long way. Just a few years ago, the Trackhouse Racing star had developed a notorious reputation for being NASCAR’s ‘bad boy’, and had a full-fledged ‘feud’ with Denny Hamlin. The two drivers traded paint on more than one occasion while attempting to wreck each other, and it quickly became clear that there was no love lost between them. And who can forget the iconic ‘Hail Melon’ at the Martinsville Speedway, when Chastain drove his car into the outside wall at 130 mph to gain track positions.
Having dominated headlines for plenty of wrong reasons back in the day, Chastain knew that something needed to change. A stern warning by Rick Hendrick will do that, and since then, the No. 1 Chevy driver has mellowed down in some ways, quietly improving his racecraft. And NASCAR insider Jordan Bianchi couldn’t help but praise the Florida native for his development.
Insider hails Ross Chastain’s versatility
Ross Chastain made history at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He became the first driver to have started last (not because of a penalty) and win a race since the legendary Richard Petty at Richmond in 1971. It’s a testament to how much he has improved as well, as the 32-year-old finished second in the Truck Series race at Memorial Day weekend, but an incident during Coca-Cola 600 practice sent him hard into the wall. Starting in 40th place, ‘The Watermelon Man’ knew he had his work cut out in a backup car.
And the rest, as they say, is history. Steadily gaining track positions, Ross Chastain went on to win the crown jewel event for the first time in his career, and Jordan Bianchi was thoroughly impressed. Giving credit where it’s due, the NASCAR journalist said, “He’s won at intermediate tracks, he’s won at superspeedways, he’s won at road courses, he’s won a small oval at Phoenix. Like, there really isn’t much of a weakness in his game right now. The weakness for so long was bad decision-making and impatience, and that is no longer the case. He has evolved. He’s gotten better, and now he’s one of, if not the best driver in the sport.”
It certainly looks like Chastain has turned a corner. For all his skill, talent, and experience, the Florida native only has six wins at Trackhouse Racing since 2022, highlighting not just glaring weaknesses but also his team’s struggles in giving him a competitive car. This season alone, the No. 1 Chevy driver has finished in the top 10 seven times, but the win at Charlotte Motor Speedway felt like a real breakthrough. He not only made the right decisions, but patiently gained track positions as the laps ticked on. That’s a big contrast to the ‘old’ Chastain.
Is Ross Chastain the most well-rounded driver in the field?
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And when the time came, Ross Chastain pounced at the opportunity. With six laps to go, he drove into the narrowest of gaps, threading the needle between Denny Hamlin and William Byron. In what looked like an incredibly precise move, the racer snatched the lead and didn’t look back. For someone who had built a notorious reputation for making bad decisions on the racetrack, driving with that kind of maturity at Charlotte was a real warning sign to the rest of the grid. But now, all he needs to do is perform consistently to become a genuine title contender during the playoffs.
Bianchi calls out Trackhouse Racing for limiting Chastain
For all their ambition, Trackhouse Racing has struggled to live up to expectations in the last few years. The team, co-owned by Justin Marks, has a talented stable of drivers in Ross Chastain, Daniel Suárez, and Shane van Gisbergen in the Cup Series, but results have been hard to come by despite the quality of their racers. Jordan Bianchi believes that the team isn’t doing enough to support its drivers, which may go on to explain SVG’s performances this year.
Sharing his thoughts on ‘The Teardown’ podcast, Bianchi said, “You look at Ross Chastain, we need to start giving Ross Chastain some love. He’s just turning in good finish after good finish. One, he’s not qualifying well. He’s not qualifying well because Trackhouse isn’t bringing great cars to the racetrack every week. They don’t have a lot of speed in the race car.” He went on to say, “It’s like, man, if Trackhouse can just find some speed, you know Chastain is going to be able to go do his job. So impressive.”
Ross Chastain has come agonizingly close to lifting the Bill France Cup before. Back in 2022, the racer finished second in the drivers’ standings, but the results have dropped off since then. However, if the race in Charlotte is anything to go by, Trackhouse Racing giving Chastain a ‘backup’ car capable of taking on NASCAR’s heavyweights is a very encouraging sign. Could he go on to mount a serious title challenge this time around? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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