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  • Chastain survives double overtime for a Truck Series victory at Charlotte

    Chastain survives double overtime for a Truck Series victory at Charlotte

    Ross Chastain capitalized through two overtime attempts and a late incident involving teammate Carson Hocevar and Ryan Preece to fend off the field and win the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, May 27.

    The 29-year-old Chastain from Alva, Florida, led twice for four out of 143 over-scheduled laps as he overtook Christian Eckes on the final lap during the second of two overtime attempts before fending off Grant Enfinger to win in his fourth scheduled NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start of the season with Niece Motorsports as he also claimed his first triumph at Charlotte.

    With on-track qualifying to determine the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Ty Majeski earned his second career pole after posting a pole-winning lap at 178.312 mph in 30.284 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Zane Smith, who posted a fast qualifying lap at 178.277 mph in 30.290 seconds.

    Prior to the event, Hailie Deegan and Austin Wayne Self started at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective trucks.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Majeski received a huge push from Kyle Busch to assume command ahead of Zane Smith before being locked in a side-by-side battle against Busch for a full lap. When the field returned to the start/finish line, Majeski edged Kyle Busch to lead the first lap before Busch pulled ahead entering the backstretch. Not long after, Kyle Busch came under pressure from Zane Smith through Turns 3 and 4 as he challenged Busch for the lead, which he prevailed as the field behind jostled for positions.

    By the fifth lap, Zane Smith was leading by four-tenths of a second over Majeski and Kyle Busch while teammates Carson Hocevar and Ross Chastain battled in the top five. 

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, the top-five competitors were separated by a second as Zane Smith continued to lead ahead of Majeski, Kyle Busch, Hocevar and Chastain. Ryan Preece was in sixth place, trailing by nearly two seconds, followed by Christian Eckes, Matt Crafton, Matt DiBenedetto, and Tanner Gray while Chandler Smith, Grant Enfinger, Stewart Friesen, John Hunter Nemechek, and Ben Rhodes were in the top 15.

    Ten laps later, Zane Smith continued to lead by nearly a second over Majeski while Kyle Busch, Hocevar, and Chastain remained in the top five.

    Five laps later and as the leaders approached lapped traffic, Majeski narrowed his deficit to Zane Smith to three-tenths of a second. Smith, however, was able to navigate his way through the traffic that included Hailie Deegan to maintain the lead. Behind, Ryan Preece, Hocevar, and Chastain overtook Kyle Busch for positions as Busch was back in sixth in front of Christian Eckes.

    Despite being pressured by Majeski in the closing laps of the first stage, Zane Smith was able to fend off Majeski to claim his fifth stage victory on Lap 30. Majeski settled in second followed by Preece, Hocevar, Chastain, Kyle Busch, DiBenedetto, Eckes, Matt Crafton, and Enfinger.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted for adjustments and Zane Smith managed to retain the lead after exiting pit road first ahead of Majeski, Preece, Hocevar, Eckes, and DiBenedetto. During the pit stops, Stewart Friesen and Brennan Poole were penalized for speeding on pit road along with Dean Thompson and Kyle Busch, both of whom were penalized for having a crew member jump over the wall too soon.

    When the second stage started on Lap 36, Zane Smith managed to retain the lead while Preece made his move into the runner-up spot as the field jostled for positions. Behind, Chastain got loose while battling DiBenedetto entering Turns 3 and 4, but he managed to straighten his truck as he remained in seventh ahead of Chandler Smith.

    By Lap 40, Zane Smith was ahead by more than three-tenths of a second over Majeski, who moved back into the runner-up spot a lap prior, followed by Preece, Eckes, and Hocevar while DiBenedetto, Chastain, Nemechek, Tanner Gray, and Chandler Smith were scored in the top 10.

    Ten laps later, Zane Smith continued to lead by four-tenths of a second over Majeski, who continued to pressure the former for the top spot. Preece, Hocevar, and Eckes were in the top five followed by Nemechek, Chastain, DiBenedetto, Gray, and Enfinger while Chandler Smith, Colby Howard, Derek Kraus, Crafton, Kyle Busch, Tyler Ankrum, rookie Jack Wood, Chase Purdy, Kris Wright, and Ben Rhodes were in the top 20.

    Another two laps later, the caution flew when Tate Fogleman made contact with the outside wall in Turn 4 before sliding his truck down towards the pit road entrance. During the caution period, nearly the entire field led by Zane Smith pitted while Derek Kraus, Rhodes, and Timmy Hill remained on the track.

    With three laps remaining in the second stage, the race restarted under green. At the start, Rhodes took off with the lead on the inside lane followed by Preece and Eckes while Kraus spun the tires on the outside lane. As the field stacked up and fanned out entering Turn 1, the caution returned when Jack Wood and Matt Mills collided against the outside wall in Turn 1. 

    The incident involving Wood and Mills concluded the second stage scheduled for Lap 60 under caution and at the moment of caution, Rhodes was scored the leader and he managed to claim his sixth stage victory of the season. Teammate Eckes settled in second followed by Preece, Hocevar, Nemechek, Zane Smith, DiBenedetto, Chastain, Majeski, and Kraus.

    Under the stage break, some like Rhodes, Kraus, Timmy Hill, and Spencer Boyd pitted while the rest led by Eckes remained on the track.

    With 69 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green. At the start, Eckes retained the lead through the backstretch until Preece received a push from John Hunter Nemechek to muscle his Ford F-150 on the outside lane to take the lead through Turns 3 and 4. 

    Then with 62 laps remaining, Hocevar, who spent the previous five laps overtaking Eckes and Nemechek, overtook Preece, who got loose, to assume the lead while Nemechek was in third.

    With 55 laps remaining, Hocevar was out in front by more than a second over Preece followed by Nemechek, Eckes, DiBenedetto, Chastain, Majeski, Kyle Busch, Zane Smith, and Chandler Smith while Enfinger, Friesen, Gray, Kraus, Purdy, Crafton, Rhodes, Colby Howard, Ankrum, and Kris Wright occupied the top 20.

    Fifteen laps later, Hocevar extended his advantage to more than four seconds over Preece while Nemechek, Eckes, and Majeski were in the top five. 

    Not long after, green flag pit stops commenced as Chandler Smith, who dealt with power issues throughout the event, pitted. Soon after, names like Chastain, Rhodes, Preece, Nemechek, DiBenedetto, Eckes, Friesen, and the race leader Hocevar also went in to pit. 

    As the cycles of green-flag pit stops ensued, names like Majeski, Kyle Busch, and Kraus pitted while Crafton, who had yet to pit, assumed the lead.

    When the green flag pit stops concluded, Hocevar, who despite enduring a slow pit stop under green, cycled his way back to the lead with 27 laps remaining. Trailing Hocevar by more than three seconds was Preece along with Chastain, Nemechek, and Eckes.

    Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Hocevar extended his advantage to more than four seconds over Preece while Chastain, Nemechek, and Eckes remained in the top five. Chandler Smith was up in sixth followed by Enfinger, DiBenedetto, Zane Smith, and Majeski while Rhodes, Kraus, Kyle Busch, Friesen, and Tanner Gray were in the top 15.

    Soon after, DiBenedetto surrendered eighth place to pit due to a flat tire as the race remained under green. 

    Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Hocevar continued to lead by nearly six seconds over Preece followed by Chastain, Nemechek, and Eckes. By then, Majeski carved his way back to sixth ahead of Chandler Smith, Enfinger, Zane Smith, and Kraus while Kyle Busch was mired in 11th.

    With five laps remaining, Hocevar remained as the leader by more than six seconds over Preece while third-place Nemechek trailed by nearly 11 seconds.

    Then a lap later, the caution flew when Jesse Little and Ankrum collided entering Turn 3, sending Little against the outside wall while Ankrum was slipping sideways towards the wall. The caution and the incident all but evaporated Hocevar’s advantage over Preece and the field.

    Under caution, some like Rhodes, Friesen, Chandler Smith, Tanner Gray, and Colby Howard pitted while the rest led by Hocevar remained on the track.

    With the event sent into overtime, Hocevar and Preece led the field to the start of the first overtime attempt. At the start, Hocevar and Preece engaged in a heated side-by-side battle for the lead through the backstretch while Chastain, Eckes, and Nemechek battled for third place. Entering the backstretch, Hocevar and Preece made contact with one another as Hocevar squeezed Preece into the outside wall. Despite the contact, both competitors continued to duel for the lead. Then in Turn 3, Hocevar’s truck slipped up the track against Preece’s and the contact sent Hocevar’s truck around as he backed his truck against the outside wall and damaged the rear deck lid while Preece scraped the wall after getting hit by Hocevar. The incident spoiled Hocevar’s opportunity of winning his first NASCAR race as the field was sent into a second overtime attempt. During the caution period, Preece, who was briefly out in front, pitted to have the damage to his truck repaired as Chastain assumed the lead.

    At the start of the second overtime attempt, Chastain and Eckes dueled for the lead entering Turn 1 through the backstretch before the former received a push from Nemechek to briefly move ahead of the field. Eckes, however, fought back on the inside lane through Turns 3 and 4. 

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Eckes was out in front by a narrow margin over Chastain while Nemechek made a bold three-wide move on both to try and take the lead through Turn 1. Nemechek briefly gained an advantage entering the backstretch until Chastain gained a draft from Enfinger to pull ahead entering Turn 3. Having the clean air and the advantage to his favor through the final two turns, Chastain was able to fend off Enfinger by a tenth of a second to grab the victory amid the late turn of events.

    With the victory, Chastain recorded his fourth career victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and his first in the series since winning at Pocono Raceway in July 2019, which also marked the last scheduled victory for Niece Motorsports. The victory was also a first for crew chief Cody Efaw.

    During his post-race interview on the frontstretch, Chastain took the time to acknowledge teammate Hocevar’s dominant run and sympathize with Hocevar’s late incident that cost him the victory. 

    “You know, Carson Hocevar and that No. 42 team, they dominated tonight,” Chastain said on FS1. “[Team owner] Al Niece has given us trucks to come out here and fight for wins. I hate it so much for Carson. If I had chosen the bottom [lane] right there [during the first overtime attempt] like he did, I would’ve done the same thing. It’s just you’re in a bad spot. I didn’t give him the push he needed to win. Man, I’m so proud of Carson Hocevar. I just want to say that over and over. That guy’s a future star. He’s such a goofy kid and I love him. He learns so quick and he’s in the program all of us Chevy guys are in. We learn together and we lose together.” 

    Enfinger came home in second place followed by Nemechek and Eckes while Zane Smith finished in the top five. Tanner Gray, Kyle Busch, Chandler Smith, Friesen, and Rhodes completed the top 10 on the track. 

    Meanwhile, Preece settled in 11th while Hocevar, who led a race-high 57 laps compared to Chastain’s four, concluded his night in a disappointing 16th place. While Hocevar was left heartbroken and in tears of frustration, Preece was left fuming at Hocevar over the contact and the incident

    “A dumbass move by myself,” Hocevar said. “That’s it. It sucks. I tried really hard and tried too hard. I didn’t get a good restart and just tried too hard. I tried to wash [Preece] up and I just crashed myself. I feel like a sis crying, but it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

    “All you kids watching right now, wanting to get to this level, don’t do that,” Preece said. “Race with respect, don’t wreck the guy on the outside of you trying to win your first race. It doesn’t get you anywhere…I’m pissed right now. We got two more races to try and go have some good runs, but that’s just stupid. Just really stupid. Don’t be like that.”

    There were 15 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 25 laps.

    With six races remaining in the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular season, John Hunter Nemechek leads the standings by seven points over Ben Rhodes, 25 over Zane Smith, 29 over Chandler Smith, 33 over Stewart Friesen 38 over Ty Majeski, and 40 over Christian Eckes. 

    Zane Smith, John Hunter Nemechek. Ben Rhodes, Chandler Smith, and Stewart Friesen are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 Truck Playoffs based on winning at least once throughout the season while Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, Carson Hocevar, Grant Enfinger, and Matt Crafton are above the top-10 cutline based on points. Tanner Gray trails the top-10 cutline by 25 points, Derek Kraus trails by 52, Matt DiBenedetto trails by 60, and Tyler Ankrum trails by 72.

    Results.

    1. Ross Chastain, four laps led

    2. Grant Enfinger

    3. John Hunter Nemechek

    4. Christian Eckes, five laps led

    5. Zane Smith, 52 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    6. Tanner Gray

    7. Kyle Busch

    8. Chandler Smith

    9. Stewart Friesen

    10. Ben Rhodes, five laps led, Stage 2 winner

    11. Ryan Preece, nine laps led

    12. Derek Kraus, two laps led

    13. Ty Majeski, four laps led

    14. Colby Howard

    15. Chase Purdy

    16. Carson Hocevar, 57 laps led

    17. Matt DiBenedetto, one lap down

    18. Matt Crafton, one lap down, five laps led

    19. Kris Wright, one lap down

    20. Tyler Ankrum, one lap down

    21. Timmy Hill, two laps down

    22. Lawless Alan, two laps down

    23. Jack Wood, two laps down

    24. Spencer Boyd, two laps down

    25. Austin Wayne Self, two laps down

    26. Max Gutierrez, three laps down

    27. Hailie Deegan, three laps down

    28. Dean Thompson, four laps down

    29. Tate Fogleman, four laps down

    30. Blaine Perkins, four łaps down

    31. Josh Reaume, five laps down

    32. Jesse Little – OUT, Accident

    33. Keith McGee – OUT, Suspension

    34. Matt Mills – OUT, Accident

    35. Brennan Poole – OUT, Driveshaft

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule is the series’ annual event at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, which will mark the series’ first of three Triple Truck Challenge events. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, June 4, at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Interview – Q&A with Truck Series driver Ryan Truex

    Interview – Q&A with Truck Series driver Ryan Truex

    In this week’s interview, Speedway Media catches up with Niece Motorsports newcomer, Ryan Truex. Truex recently joined the team for a full-season and will contend for the 2021 Truck Series championship. During the interview, the Mayetta, New Jersey native discusses what he considers his best season, if he has any superstitions about racing and his “Welcome to NASCAR” moment, among other topics.

    SM: You’ve run 52 races in your Truck Series career over the past seven years and have come close to winning multiple times. In your opinion, what’s the best you’ve ever run? 

    RT: “I’d say my best season was 2017 with HRE (Hattori Racing Enterprises),” Truex said. “We were starting to build new trucks during that year and really started performing well and coming close to winning races. I knew the team was on the verge of winning races at the end of the year. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to put something together for the following season and the rest is history.”

    SM: Following up on that question, you finished second twice in the series, once in 2016 at Daytona and then three years ago in 2017 at Loudon. Both times you had strong trucks. What do you think you could have done differently to score the victory or were those races just not meant to be? Is Daytona still a heartbreaker as you reflect back or is there a different race that you wish you had back?

    RT: “Daytona was a tough one because I felt like we were in the right position to race back to the checkered flag and have a great shot at the win. The caution just came out at the worst time when I was trying to build a run to take the lead back,” he said. “2017 Loudon was another tough one. We took the lead on a late restart and I did everything I could to hold (Christopher) Bell off, he just had a stronger truck than me at the end of the day. I believe things happen for a reason and that my time will come. I just have to keep working at it.”

    SM: Has there ever been a moment where you’ve gotten lost at a racetrack? If so, where did you get lost, and how did you get back to the right spot?

    RT: Road America 2018, it took me quite a while to find the garage area,” Truex said. “I ended up in a random corner like two miles from where I was supposed to be and had to open up maps on my phone and turn on satellite view to figure out where I was and where I needed to be.”

    SM: Most drivers have their ‘Welcome to NASCAR moment that’s happened during a race. When did you have that moment and how did you take that learning lesson moving forward? 

    RT: “One that sticks out to me is Talladega, 2012,” Truex said. “I was running an Xfinity car for JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) in a limited schedule. Back then we were still allowed to tandem draft at the superspeedways. I was running mid-pack, just riding, and none other than Dale Jr. latched to my bumper and pushed me all the way to the front. As soon as we got there, he left me out by myself and took the lead and I got pushed right to the back again. I like to imagine he was smirking behind that visor when he did that.”

    SM: In racing, many drivers are skeptical of myths or urban legends, things like the No. 13, no peanut vendors at the racetracks, etc. In your mind, what’s the craziest superstition you’ve ever heard as a racecar driver and do you believe in that superstition? 

    RT: “I don’t believe in superstitions but I’ve heard them all,” he said. “MTJ (Martin Truex Jr., Ryan’s brother) with the rabbit’s foot for Homestead in 2017 that Darrell Gwynn (former NHRA Driver) gave him is probably the craziest one that I’ve heard, but it obviously worked out pretty well.”

    SM: The Truck Series has really evolved from its beginnings in 1995 and has had a lot of storied drivers and unique races. If you could go back in time to race in a certain event, which event would you choose and why?

    RT: “I think the first year of the series would be cool to be a part of,” Truex said. “Lots of unique tracks and drivers and the atmosphere around the new series seemed like a really exciting thing to be involved with.”

    SM: Who is one race car driver that you believe will always have your back no matter what happens on the racetrack?

    RT: “I think the obvious answer is my brother (Martin Truex Jr.), but there are a few others out there that I have a lot of respect for and feel like that feeling is mutual,” he said. “Brett (Moffitt) and I have known each other for a long time and we’re teammates which makes it a great combo for us. I feel like (Matt) Crafton and (Johnny) Sauter have always been two drivers that I’ve always had a great relationship with on and off the track as well.” 

    SM: Sometimes people get mistaken for different people in real life and being on the grid. Has there been an instance where you were mistaken for somebody else?

    RT: “If I had a nickel for every time someone thought I was Kyle Larson, I could start my own truck team.”

    SM: As in most cases in racing, there are more bad days than good. Whenever you have a bad day at the tack, how do you pick yourself up and not let it ruin the rest of the day or the weekend?  

    RT: “I just have to remind myself that quitters never win and the bad days will always pass,” Truex said. “You can’t let yourself dwell too much on them.”

    SM: Rain delays are never fun during racing. How do you pass the time during a rain delay?

    RT: “Eat all the food.”

    SM: There are several new tracks on the Truck Series schedule, such as Bristol Dirt, Circuit of the Americus, Nashville returning to the schedule, Knoxville and Watkins Glen. Which of these tracks are you looking forward to the most and why?

    RT: “I have Watkins Glen circled on my calendar,” he said. “I’ve always run well there, and its a track I’ve been going to for a long time – since Martin was racing there in the Busch North Series. I feel like we will have a good shot at a win there.”

    SM: Wrapping this up, what’s one goal or expectation that you would like to achieve before the end of the year? 

    RT: “I’ve been around the national series level for a long time,” Truex said. “I’ve been very close to winning races multiple times and feel like I’ve proven I can get the job done, but I know I need to win. Bottom line. I think I have a team capable of doing it and my plan is to finally get some trophies this year.”

    Truex has made 53 Truck Series starts to date over a span of seven years, with 11 top-fives and 20 top-10 finishes with two poles along with 151 laps led. Additionally, the New Jersey native has made various starts in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series and won back-to-back NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Series Championships in 2009 and 2010.

    Fans of Ryan Truex can follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Additionally, you can check out his website here.

    Fans of Niece Motorsports can like them on Facebook, “follow” them on Twitter and Instagram. You can also visit their website here.

    Special thanks to Michelle Brachowski for coordinating this interview and many thanks to Ryan Truex for taking the time out of his busy schedule for the interview.

  • Chastain to reach 350 starts across NASCAR at Darlington

    Chastain to reach 350 starts across NASCAR at Darlington

    A significant milestone is in the making for Ross Chastain, a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor for Kaulig Racing and part-time competitor in the NASCAR Cup and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. By the time Chastain completes this weekend’s Xfinity and Cup doubleheader events at Darlington Raceway, he will achieve 350 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series (Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series).

    A native of Alva, Florida, who grew up as a watermelon farmer for his family’s farm and started racing after watching his father hobby racing, Chastain started his career by winning in late models and Fastruck Series races. His first start within NASCAR’s three major division series occurred at Lucas Oil Raceway in July 2011, where he drove the No. 66 Chevrolet Silverado for Turn One Racing in the NASCAR Truck Series. Starting 15th, Chastain finished 10th in his series debut. He went on to compete in four additional Truck races with Turn One Racing.

    In 2012, Chastain was named a full-time competitor of the No. 08 Toyota Tundra for SS-Green Light Racing as he entered the Truck Series as a Rookie-of-the-Year contender. Throughout the 22-race season, Chastain achieved four top-10 results, a career-best third-place run at Bristol Motor Speedway in August and he concluded the season in 17th place in the final standings. He made one start in the No. 07 Chevrolet Silverado for SS-Green Light Racing at Phoenix, where he finished 33rd.

    The following season, Chastain competed in 14 Truck races with Brad Keselowski Racing and in the No. 19 Ford F-150 led by Chad Kendrick. His first start with the team was at Daytona International Speedway in February, where he finished 14th. He went on to finish 20th at Martinsville Speedway in April and ninth at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. He achieved his first top-five result of the season at Pocono Raceway in August. Two races later at Iowa Speedway, Chastain was dominant as he started on pole position and led a race-high 116 of 212 laps, only to be overtaken by James Buescher on a late restart and settle in a career-best second place. He went on to finish third at Talladega Superspeedway in October and second at Phoenix in November following a late battle with eventual winner Erik Jones. He finished in eighth place in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and capped off his 14-race stint at BKR with four top-five results, seven top-10 results and his first two career poles.

    In 2014, Chastain competed in his first seven NASCAR Xfinity Series races along with three Truck Series races. He competed between Viva Motorsports, Hattori Racing Enterprises and TriStar Motorsports in the Xfinity circuit, with his best result being 10th place at Kentucky Speedway in September. He competed between RBR Enterprises and Win-Tron Racing in the Truck Series, with his best result being 11th place at Homestead in November.

    For the 2015 season, Chastain was named a full-time competitor for JD Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. Making 31 starts in JDM’s No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro and two in JDM’s No. 01 Chevrolet Camaro, Chastain achieved four top-10 results and a career-best result of ninth place at Daytona in February. He concluded the season in 15th place in the final standings.

    Between 2016 and 2017, Chastain continued to drive for JD Motorsports and the No. 4 Chevrolet on a full-time basis in the Xfinity Series. Following the 2016 season, he surpassed 100 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series. He finished 15th in the final standings in 2016 and 16th in 2017. Between June and July 2017, Chastain achieved back-to-back top-10 results, which included a career-best fourth-place result at Iowa Speedway. He also made a total of eight starts in the Truck Series with Bolen Motorsports, where his best result was seventh place at Martinsville Speedway in April. In addition, he made his first two NASCAR Cup Series career starts in both Dover International Speedway races while driving for Premium Motorsports. He finished 20th in his debut at the Monster Mile in June and 38th in his second start in October.

    The 2018 season was an eventful season for Chastain, who made 34 starts in the Cup Series, 33 starts in the Xfinity Series and seven starts in the Truck Series. In the Truck circuit, he made a total of seven starts between Beaver Motorsports, Premium Motorsports and Niece Motorsports. His best result was seventh place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September. In the Cup circuit, he competed in 34 of 36 races with Premium Motorsports. His best results were an 18th-place result at Texas Motor Speedway in April and a 20th-place result at Las Vegas in September.

    For the first 23 Xfinity Series of the season, Chastain recorded one top-five result and six top-10 results, all while during his fourth season with JD Motorsports. Then, in September, Chastain made his first of three starts in the No. 42 DC Solar Chevrolet Camaro for Chip Ganassi Racing led by crew chief Mike Shiplett at Darlington Raceway. During the main event, Chastain started on pole position for the first time in his career, led a race-high 90 laps and won the first two stages. His strong run, however, was spoiled following a late on-track incident with Kevin Harvick as Chastain ended his race in 25th place. Competing the following race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for JD Motorsports, Chastain returned to the No. 42 team at Las Vegas in September seeking redemption. During the main event, Chastain dominated again as he won the first two stages and led a race-high 180 laps. This time, Chastain sealed the deal after beating Justin Allgaier to achieve his first career win across NASCAR’s three major division series. His first Xfinity career win, which occurred in his 132nd series start and also occurred in the regular-season finale at Vegas, was enough for the Floridian to secure a spot in the 2018 Xfinity Playoffs as he introduced his celebratory trademark by smashing a watermelon.

    During his first run in the Xfinity Playoffs, Chastain went on to finish in second place at Richmond in September, which also marked his final start with Chip Ganassi Racing. Returning to JD Motorsports, he finished 12th at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and 13th at Dover. When the dust settled, Chastain was beaten by Matt Tifft for the final transfer spot to the Round of 8 by three points. He went on to conclude the season in a career-best 10th place in the final standings as he also achieved a career-high three top-five results, eight top-10 results and 272 laps led. Following the 2018 season, he surpassed 200 career starts across NASCAR.

    In November 2018, it was announced that Chastain would compete in the No. 42 DC Solar Chevrolet Camaro for Chip Ganassi Racing on a full-time basis for the 2019 Xfinity Series season. The announcement came a month after Chastain revealed plans to compete in the Cup Series for Premium Motorsports. However, the team ceased operations in January when DC Solar was raided by the FBI. Fortunately, Chastain was picked up by Niece Motorsports to compete in the Truck Series on a part-time basis led by crew chief Phil Gould and by JD Motorsports for 30 Xfinity races. In addition, he signed a three-race deal to pilot the No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing.

    Competing in all three series’ openers at Daytona International Speedway, Chastain finished third in the Truck Series with Niece Motorsports, 13th in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing after winning the second stage and 10th in his first Daytona 500 start with Premium Motorsports. Through the beginning of June, Chastain competed in the first 12 Xfinity races and recorded a best result of seventh place at Las Vegas in March. He also competed in the first eight Truck races with Niece Motorsports, achieving top-10 results in all of his starts and collecting his first Truck career win at Kansas Speedway in May following a late pass on Stewart Friesen. To cap off his eventful start to this season, he competed in the first 14 Cup races with Premium Motorsports.

    On June 4, Chastain declared himself a full-time Truck Series competitor to contend for points and the series title with Niece Motorsports. In order to achieve his goal of making the Playoffs, he would have to win again throughout the regular-season stretch and be scored inside the top 20 in the standings. After finishing in 10th place at Texas Motor Speedway following his announcement, Chastain achieved his second victory of the season at Iowa Speedway following a dominating performance. Following the race, however, Chastain was disqualified due to his truck failing post-race technical inspection and NASCAR awarded the win to runner-up finisher Brett Moffitt. Chastain’s disqualification from winning was a first in NASCAR since Emanuel Zervakis was disqualified from winning at North Carolina’s Wilson Speedway in April 1960 due to an oversized fuel tank.

    Chastain rebounded the following race with vengeance after scoring a late win at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway and collecting a $50,000 for winning a Triple Truck Challenge race. This time, Chastain’s win at Gateway was ruled official. After finishing seventh at Chicagoland Speedway and fourth at Kentucky Speedway the following two races, Chastain made himself Playoff eligible after moving into the top 20 in the standings. The following race, he achieved his third victory of his career/season at Pocono Raceway and he entered the postseason as a title favorite. During the Playoffs, Chastain achieved three top-five results and five top-10 results as he made the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the finale, however, he finished fourth at Homestead and fell short of his first NASCAR championship to Matt Crafton. Despite the final outcome, he logged in a successful season in the Truck circuit, where he recorded three wins, a pole, 10 top-five results, 19 top-10 results, an average result of 8.6 and 591 laps led before concluding the season in a career-best second place. In the end, he was named the 2019 Truck Most Popular Driver.

    Chastain’s on-track success in 2019 did not only come from the Truck Series. At Daytona in July, while piloting Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro, Chastain led a 1-2-3 finish for the team across the line as he achieved his first victory at Daytona, second of his Xfinity career and the first NASCAR win for Kaulig Racing. Despite teammate A.J. Allmendinger being disqualified from third place for failing post-race technical inspection, Chastain’s victory and teammate Justin Haley’s runner-up result were deemed official by NASCAR. He made a total of seven additional Xfinity starts since June, where he also finished in second place at Texas in November behind Christopher Bell while driving for Kaulig. Overall, he capped off the 2019 Xfinity season with a win, a pole, two top-five results and eight top-10 results between JD Motorsports and Kaulig Racing.

    On the Cup side, Chastain made 35 starts in the No. 15 Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports. His best results were a 10th-place result at the Daytona 500 in February and a 12th-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in October.

    In total, Chastain made 77 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series in 2019. Early into the season, he broke Kyle Busch’s record in competing in the most consecutive races across all three series to start a season. Following the 2019 season, he surpassed 300 career starts across NASCAR.

    Three months after winning at Daytona, Chastain was named a full-time competitor of the No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing led by crew chief Bruce Schlicker for the 2020 Xfinity Series season. Prior to the 2020 season, he also planned to compete in select Truck Series races with Niece Motorsports and in the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE sponsored by AdventHealth in the Cup Series for the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. His No. 77 ride was under a partnership between Spire Motorsports and Chip Ganassi Racing.

    Chastain started the 2020 season by finishing in eighth place in the Truck opener at Daytona with Niece Motorsports. For the Xfinity opener, however, he initially failed to qualify for the event, along with teammate A.J. Allmendinger, due to mechanical issues. Nonetheless, he was able to compete when veteran Jeff Green relinquished his seat at RSS Racing. Chastain went on to finish 22nd in the Xfinity opener. For the Daytona 500, he made a late charge to the front until he was involved in a multi-car accident and settled in 25th place.

    Through September 2, Chastain has made eight starts in the Truck Series with Niece Motorsports and has recorded one top-five result and five top-10 results. He has also made seven Cup starts between Spire Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing, where he served as an interim competitor for the injured Ryan Newman. His best results in the series include a 16th-place run at Daytona in August and a pair of 17th-place results at Auto Club Speedway in March and at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.

    Through the first 22 Xfinity Series races of this season and as a full-time competitor, Chastain has recorded one stage win, two Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonuses, nine top-five results and 19 top-10 results. He is currently in third place in the Xfinity regular-season standings and is 420 points above the top-12 cutline to make the Playoffs and with four regular-season races remaining. Thus far, his average result is 8.8.

    While Chastain is set to compete in this weekend’s Xfinity and Cup races at Darlington, he will also be sporting a special white, red, blue and gold paint scheme to his No. 77 Spire Motorsports/Dirty Mo Media Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE on the Cup side while paying tribute to the late NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt and his 1976 Hy-Gain Chevy.

    Catch Chastain’s milestone start on Sunday, September 6, at Darlington Raceway for the Cook Out Southern 500, which will occur at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Ross Chastain And Niece Motorsports Lose Appeal

    Ross Chastain And Niece Motorsports Lose Appeal

    On Sunday what would have appeared to be a big win for Chastain and the No. 44 Niece Motorsports team, who won every stage and led a dominating 141 of the scheduled 200 laps, Chastain’s truck was found too low following post-race inspection, thus his win was taken away along with the $50,000 courtesy of The Triple Truck Challenge.

    After the decision was made by NASCAR officials, Chastain and his team had until noon eastern to appeal the penalty. Thus, Niece Motorsports chose to appeal the penalty.

    Al Niece stated this on Sunday following the post race failure inspection.

    “Our Niece Motorsports team works hard to ensure that our race trucks are within the confines of NASCAR’s rules,” Niece said. “Both of our Chevrolets passed opening and pre-race inspections. We believe that the No. 44 Truck sustained minor damage during the event, which left the truck too low following the race. We will appeal NASCAR’s decision. Regardless of the outcome, this team will be prepared to go to Gateway and win again.”

    With that said, the penalty appeal hearing was held on Wednesday morning and a decision was made early afternoon. Despite all efforts by Chastain and Al Niece, they lost the appeal, therefore will not be able to get the win back and will receive a last-place finish along with five points.

    “Although our team disagrees with the decision, we have exhausted our options for recourse and must move on,” Al Niece (Team Owner) added following the appeal hearing. “Our sights will remain set on the obstacle in front of us which is making the playoffs. I firmly believe that Ross and this Niece Motorsports team are capable of rising to the challenge, no matter what gets in our way.”

    Cody Efaw, General Manager of Niece Motorsports also added to the statement.

    “I’m proud to work with every single member of this Niece Motorsports team,” Efaw said. “This team is all heart- we aren’t going to let anyone or anything get in our way. We have one goal. We’re incredibly thankful to our owner who continues to believe in us and invest in this team. We are looking forward to Gateway.”

    Chastain also chimed in on the statement and gave his side.

    “It’s actually very simple- Sunday is in the past,” Chastain added. “I’m focused on getting to Gateway and putting this Niece Motorsports Truck in Victory Lane for the third time this year.”

    Up until the post race failure at Iowa this past Sunday, Chastain and his No. 44 Niece Motorsports team had finished inside the top-10 in every race dating back to the season opener at Daytona.