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  • Ross Chastain to make 200th Cup career start at Darlington

    Ross Chastain to make 200th Cup career start at Darlington

    Competing in his fourth consecutive full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Ross Chastain is within reach of a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, the driver of the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will achieve 200 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series. 

    A native of Alva, Florida, Chastain made his inaugural presence in the Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway in June 2017. By then, he was campaigning in his third full-time season in the Xfinity Series, all with JD Motorsports. Driving the No. 15 Chevrolet entry for Premium Motorsports, Chastain started 36th and finished 20th in his Cup debut. Four months later, he made his second Cup career start with Premium at Dover during the 2017 Playoffs, where he finished 38th. 

    In 2018, Chastain, who remained a full-time Xfinity competitor, also competed in all but two of the 36-race Cup schedule. Making his first start of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February, where he finished 30th, the Floridian achieved a season-best 18th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April, a single-lap lead at Talladega Superspeedway in October and an average-finishing result of 28.4, all while competing for Premium Motorsports. 

    The following season, Chastain, who made 77 career starts across NASCAR’s top three national touring series and contended for the Truck Series title, also competed in all but one of the 36-race Cup schedule with Premium Motorsports. He commenced the season by notching his first top-10 career finish during the 61st running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway by finishing 10th. He would then notch a 12th-place finish at Talladega in October while tallying a total of 11 laps led and an average-finishing result of 28.2 before the 2019 season’s conclusion. 

    In 2020, Chastain, who became a full-time Xfinity competitor for Kaulig Racing, made his first Cup start of the season during the 62nd running of the Daytona 500 with Spire Motorsports, where he ended up 25th after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. He then competed in the following three events as an interim competitor for Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 Ford Mustang team as veteran Ryan Newman was recovering from a harrowing final lap wreck during the Daytona 500. In Chastain’s three-race stint with Roush, his highest-finishing result was a 17th-place run at Auto Club Speedway in March. Chastain would then make four additional Cup starts for the rest of the season with Spire Motorsports, where he achieved a season-best 16th-place result at Daytona in August. 

    In September 2020, Chastain was announced as a full-time Cup Series competitor for Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry for the 2021 season. He commenced the season by finishing seventh during the 63rd running of the Daytona 500 despite being involved in a final lap multi-car wreck before finishing no higher than 14th during his next 12 starts. After notching his first top-five career result during the series’ inaugural event at Circuit of the Americas in May, Chastain rallied from finishing 37th during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway to finish seventh at Sonoma Raceway and a career-best second place behind Kyle Larson during the series’ inaugural event at Nashville Superspeedway in June. Despite recording two additional top-10 results during the final nine regular-season events on the schedule, Chastain fell short of making the 2021 Cup Playoffs.

    Nonetheless, Chastain achieved a third-place finish during the Playoffs opener at Darlington Raceway followed by a seventh-place run at Richmond Raceway in September. He then managed to secure three top-15 results during the final eight events on the schedule before ending up in 20th place in the final standings. By then, Chastain boosted his average finishing result to 18.6 and tallied three top-five results, eight top-10 results and 62 laps led throughout the 36-race schedule. He had also surpassed 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series. 

    In early August 2021, Chastain, who was initially labeled a free agent after Trackhouse Racing purchased Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR operations for the 2022 season, was hired by Trackhouse to pilot the team’s No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in 2022. Despite finishing 40th and 29th, respectively, during the season’s first two-scheduled events, he rebounded by finishing in the top three, including two runner-up results, during his next three starts. Then at Circuit of the Americas in March, Chastain outlasted an overtime battle against AJ Allmendinger and Alex Bowman, where he bumped and sent Allmendinger into Bowman before the former spun with two corners remaining, to notch the first Cup Series career victory for himself and for Trackhouse Racing, with the victory occurring in Chastain’s 121st Cup career start.

    Four races later, he overtook both Kyle Larson and Erik Jones through the tri-oval on the final lap to score his second career win at Talladega Superspeedway in April, where he only led the final lap. The pair of regular-season victories along with a total of 10 top-five results and 14 top-10 results in 26 starts were enough for Chastain to qualify for his first Cup Series Playoffs.

    After recording three top-10 results during the 2022 Playoff’s first six events, he was able to transfer from the Round of 16 to 8. Then after recording back-to-back runner-up results during the Round of 8’s first two events and entering the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway above the top-four cutline to make the Championship 4 round, Chastain achieved an incredible feat on the final lap by sending his car at full speed against the outside wall through the final two turns to go from 10th to fifth before taking the checkered flag.

    As a result, Chastain, who was initially scored two points below the cutline, ended up making the Championship 4 cutline by four points over rival Denny Hamlin, who Chastain also managed to edge at the finish line. Eventually, Chastain would be credited with a fourth-place result after initial fourth-place finisher Brad Keselowski was disqualified for failing post-race inspection. During the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Chastain finished in third place on the track and in a career-best second place in the final standings behind Joey Logano. Despite falling one position short of winning his first Cup title, the 2022 season was a career year for the Floridian, who nabbed his first two career victories and achieved career-high stats in top fives (15), top 10s (21) and laps led (692) along with a career-best average-finishing result of 13.3.   

    Returning to Trackhouse Racing while under a new multiyear deal in 2023, Chastain commenced the season by finishing ninth during the 65th running of the Daytona 500. He then finished in the top five a total of five times during his next 11 starts before finishing no higher than 10th during the next four. Then at Nashville Superspeedway in June, Chastain secured his spot for the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs after scoring the first victory of the season for himself and Trackhouse Racing, where the Floridian led a race-high 99 laps and started on pole position for the first time in his career. After recording only a single top-10 result for the remaining nine regular-season events, Chastain then finished fifth, 13th and 23rd, respectively, throughout the Round of 16, which were enough for him to transfer into the Round of 12.

    With respective finishes of second, 37th and 10th during the Round of 12, however, he was eliminated from title contention. Nonetheless, Chastain proceeded to finish fifth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the Round of 8 opener in October before concluding the season with a dominant win in the season-finale event at Phoenix Raceway in November. The finale victory at Phoenix was enough for Chastain to end up in ninth place in the final standings in a season where he notched two victories, a pole, 10 top-five results, 14 top-10 results, 640 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.0. 

    Chastain commenced the 2024 campaign by nearly winning the 66th running of the Daytona 500 until he and Austin Cindric wrecked through the frontstretch on the final lap, which relegated the Floridian to a 21st-place finish in the final running order. He has since recorded a total of four top-10 results through his next 11 starts and is currently ranked in 10th place in the 2024 driver’s standings while trailing the points lead by 136 points.

    Through 199 previous Cup starts, Chastain has achieved four victories, one pole, 29 top-five results, 48 top-10 results, 1,515 laps led and an average-finishing result of 20.3 as he continues his pursuit for his first Cup Series championship. 

    Ross Chastain is scheduled to make his 200th Cup Series career start at Darlington Raceway for the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 12, with the event’s coverage to commence at 3 p.m. ET on FS1. 

  • Chastain to make 100th Truck Series career start at Sonoma

    Chastain to make 100th Truck Series career start at Sonoma

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ return to Sonoma Raceway in 24 years is set to mark the fifth and final scheduled series start of the season for Cup Series competitor Ross Chastain. It is also the site that will mark a milestone start for the two-time Cup winner who currently competes for Trackhouse Racing in NASCAR’s premier series. By competing in this weekend’s event at Sonoma with Niece Motorsports, Chastain will make his 100th career start in the Truck circuit. 

    A native of Alva, Florida, Chastain made his Truck debut at Lucas Oil Raceway in July 2011, where he replaced his future team owner Justin Marks in the No. 66 Chevrolet Silverado for Turn One Racing. By then, he was also making his inaugural presence within NASCAR’s top three national touring series. Starting in 15th place, Chastain notched a 10th-place result in his series debut. He returned to compete at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway between August and November, where he finished in the top 30 during the four-race stretch.

    During the following season, Chastain competed as a full-time Truck competitor in the No. 08 Toyota Tundra for SS-Green Light Racing. The highlight of his full-time rookie season was notching his first top-five result in the series by finishing in third place at Bristol in August. To go along with a total of four top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 21.3 during the 22-race schedule, he capped off the season in 17th place in the final standings.

    In 2013, Chastain joined Brad Keselowski Racing as a part-time competitor of the No. 19 Ford F-150 for 14 of 22-scheduled Truck events. He commenced the season by finishing 14th at Daytona followed by a 20th-place result at Martinsville. After finishing no higher than fifth during his next six scheduled starts, Chastain was placed in prime position of notching his first Truck victory at Iowa Speedway in September. Despite starting on pole position and leading a race-high 116 of 212 laps, he was overtaken by the reigning series champion James Buescher during two green-white-checkered restarts and settled in a career-best second place. Four races later at Phoenix in November, Chastain led 63 of 150 laps until he was overtaken and beaten by newcomer Erik Jones during a 10-lap shootout to the finish. Finishing in second place for the second time of the season, Chastain capped off the season with an eighth-place result at Homestead along with his first two career poles, four top-five results, seven top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 10.0 in 14 starts.

    After departing Brad Keselowski Racing at the conclusion of the 2013 season, Chastain competed the first two Truck events of 2014 with RBR Enterprises. He finished 30th during the season-opening event at Daytona after being involved in a late multi-truck wreck and rallied to finish 14th at Martinsville during the following event. Chastain returned for the season finale event at Homestead, where he piloted the No. 35 Win-Tron Racing Toyota Tundra to an 11th-place result.

    After failing to qualify for a single Truck event in 2015 and making just a single start at Talladega with Bolen Motorsports in 2016, Chastain campaigned in seven of the first 10 scheduled Truck events with Bolen. During the stretch, his season-best results were a 10th-place result at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February followed by a seventh-place result at Martinsville in March. He would then compete in a total of seven Truck events in 2018 between Beaver Motorsports, Premium Motorsports and Niece Motorsports. During his part-time season in 2018, his best result was a seventh-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September.

    Despite having a full-time Xfinity Series ride with Chip Ganassi Racing fall apart due to sponsorship woes, the 2019 season produced a hefty schedule for Chastain, who campaigned in nearly all events between all three national touring series. Entering the season as a full-time Cup Series competitor for Premium Motorsports and as a part-time Xfinity competitor between JD Motorsports and Kaulig Racing, Chastain initially commenced the season as a part-time Truck competitor for Niece Motorsports. After finishing in the top 10 during the first six scheduled events, he notched his first Truck career victory at Kansas Speedway in May after overtaking Stewart Friesen, who ran out of fuel, under the final two laps. Chastain’s first win in the Truck circuit also marked the first victory in NASCAR for Niece Motorsports. A month later, he elected to compete for the Truck Series title as a full-time competitor for Niece Motorsports. 

    Commencing his late season charge for the 2019 Truck title, Chastain notched what would have been his second victory of the season at Iowa Speedway in June. The victory, however, was short-lived due to his truck failing post-race inspection, which prompted NASCAR to strip him of the victory as part of the sport’s new disqualification policy and demote him to last place of the 32-truck field. Despite the disqualification, Chastain and Niece Motorsports responded back with vengeance during the following event at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway by utilizing a fuel only pit stop to win and notch a second victory of the season along with a $50,000 bonus as part of the series’ newly formed Triple Truck Challenge. The Gateway victory along with his third victory of the season and of his career at Pocono Raceway in July were enough for Chastain and Niece Motorsports to qualify for the 2019 Truck Playoffs. 

    At the start of the 2019 Truck Playoffs, Chastain finished no lower than eighth during the Round of 8 to advance to the Round of 6. Despite being involved in a late multi-truck wreck at Talladega Superspeedway in October, he earned back-to-back top-10 results during the following two events to earn a spot in the Championship 4 round and contend for the 2019 Truck title at Homestead in November. During the finale, however, Chastain finished in fourth place on the track and in the runner-up spot in the final championship standings behind Matt Crafton. To go along with a runner-up result in the final standings while achieving his first three carer victories in the series, Chastain capped off the 2019 Truck season with a pole, 10 top-five results, 19 top-10 results, 591 laps led and an average-finishing result of 8.6.

    As Chastain moved up to compete for the 2020 Xfinity Series championship for Kaulig Racing, he also returned on a part-time basis in the Truck circuit for Niece Motorsports. He competed in eight of the first nine scheduled events amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, where his best result was a third-place effort at Homestead in June. His final start of the season occurred at Bristol in August, where he finished eighth. By then, he accumulated six top-10 results in nine starts of the season.

    In 2021, Chastain, who became a full-time Cup competitor for Chip Ganassi Racing, returned to compete in four Truck events for Niece Motorsports. His first start of the season occurred at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, where he finished seventh, followed by Kansas in May, where he earned a runner-up result behind Kyle Busch. At Texas in June, Chastain initially finished third, but he was later disqualified and demoted to last place of the 36-truck field due to his truck failing post-race inspection pertaining to a throttle body. His final start of the season occurred at Nashville Superspeedway in June, where he finished 22nd.

    This season, Chastain, who is a full-time Cup competitor for Trackhouse Racing, made his first Truck start of the season with Niece Motorsports at Atlanta in June, where he finished 23rd following multiple flat tire issues. After finishing 26th and 12th at Darlington Raceway and at Texas Motor Speedway, respectively, Chastain benefitted through two overtime attempts and a late incident involving teammate Carson Hocevar and Ryan Preece to notch his fourth Truck Series career victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

    Through 99 previous Truck starts, Chastain has recorded four victories, three poles, 18 top-five results, 43 top-10 results, 913 laps led and an average-finishing result of 14.7 as he pursues his first NASCAR national touring series victory at Sonoma Raceway.

    Chastain is scheduled to make his 100th Camping World Truck Series career start at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday, June 11, with the event’s coverage to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Preece to make 100th Cup career start at The Glen

    Preece to make 100th Cup career start at The Glen

    Competing in his third full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Ryan Preece is within reach of a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Cup event at Watkins Glen International, the driver of the No. 37 JTG-Daugherty Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will achieve 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

    A native of Berlin, Connecticut, Preece made his Cup debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September 2015. By then, he was a veteran and a former champion in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Driving the No. 98 car for Premium Motorsports, Preece started 37th and finished 32nd in his series debut. He returned for the final four Cup races of the season, where he finished 42nd, 36th, 37th and 38th in the following races at Martinsville Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway and at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    In September 2018, Preece was named a full-time Cup driver of the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for JTG-Daugherty Racing for the 2019 season, replacing AJ Allmendinger. By then, Preece was coming off two strong part-time seasons in the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing, where he earned one victory apiece in each season.

    Making his debut with JTG-Daugherty Racing in the 2019 Daytona 500, Preece dodged a series of late multi-car incidents to finish in eighth place, which also marked his first top-10 result in NASCAR’s premier series. After finishing no higher than 16th during the following eight races, Preece notched a career-best third-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in April. He went on to earn another top-10 result, seventh, at Michigan International Speedway in August before finishing in 26th place in the final standings and in the runner-up spot for the 2019 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title behind Daniel Hemric.

    Preece continued to drive for JTG-Daugherty Racing for the 2020 season, but he transitioned from the No. 47 car to the No. 37 car formerly driven by Chris Buescher. During the season-opening Daytona 500, Preece was in position for a strong result until he was eliminated in a multi-car wreck in the final laps. His best results throughout the season were ninth place at Bristol Motor Speedway in September and 10th place at Talladega Superspeedway in October before finishing in 29th place in the final standings.

    Though he remained at JTG-Daugherty Racing for the 2021 season, Preece’s team entered this season without a charter and a guaranteed entry for all Cup races. In addition, Preece’s team only had sponsorship guarantees for 24 of the 36-race schedule. Uncertain of the future, Preece commenced the season on a strong note by finishing in sixth-place in the Daytona 500 despite being involved in a multi-car wreck on the final lap. He went on to finish ninth the following week at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

    Through the first 22 Cup events of this season, Preece has recorded three top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 22.1 and is ranked in 26th place in the regular-season standings, with plans on completing the remaining 14 events of 2021.

    Through 99 previous starts in the Cup circuit, Preece has achieved one top-five result, eight top-10 results and 25 laps led.

    Preece is primed to make his 100th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, August 8, at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Chastain to achieve 100th Cup start at Atlanta

    Chastain to achieve 100th Cup start at Atlanta

    A significant milestone start is in the making for Ross Chastain, driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the NASCAR Cup Series. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Chastain will accomplish 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series. 

    A native of Alva, Florida, Chastain made his Cup Series debut at Dover International Speedway in June 2017. By then, he was a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for JD Motorsports. Driving the No. 15 Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports, Chastain finished 20th in his Cup debut. He returned for the Cup Playoff race at Dover in October, where he finished 38th while driving for Premium Motorsports.

    The following season, Chastain competed in 34 of the 36-race Cup schedule, making all of his starts with Premium Motorsports. Throughout the season, he earned two top-20 results, including a season-best 18th-place result at Texas Motor Speedway in April.

    In 2019, Chastain campaigned in all but one of the 36-race Cup schedule with Premium Motorsports. He also competed the entire Truck Series schedule with Niece Motorsports and on a part-time basis in the Xfinity Series between JD Motorsports and Kaulig Racing. During his Cup tenure, Chastain earned a 10th-place result in the season-opening Daytona 500 and a 12th-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in October. He also led a total of 11 laps and averaged a finishing result of 28.2.

    While competing as a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for Kaulig Racing in 2020, Chastain also made a total of eight Cup starts, starting with the season-opening Daytona 500 in February. Driving the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in a partnership between Spire Motorsports and Chip Ganassi Racing, Chastain was in position to win the 500 until he was involved in a late multi-car wreck that relegated him to 25th in the final running order.

    Two days after the 2020 Daytona 500, Chastain was named a substitute competitor for Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 Ford Mustang driven by Ryan Newman, with Newman hospitalized after suffering non-life threatening injuries from a final lap accident during the 500. Making his first Cup start with RFR at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in February, Chastain finished 27th after being involved in a late spin. He went on to finish 17th and 23rd during the following two race weekends at Auto Club Speedway and Phoenix Raceway in March before the COVID-19 pandemic put a hiatus to all racing activities.

    When NASCAR resumed the 2020 season in May at Darlington Raceway, Newman was medically cleared to return to racing. Chastain, meanwhile, returned the following week at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600. Driving for Spire Motorsports, he finished 21st. He made three more Cup starts for the remainder of the season, all for Spire Motorsports, beginning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, where he finished 17th. He also competed at Daytona in August, where he finished 16th, and at Darlington Raceway for the Southern 500 in September, where he finished 29th.

    Prior to the 2021 season, Chastain was selected by Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the team’s No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE on a full-time basis. The move fulfilled the fruition of Chastain competing with CGR following sponsor DC Solar’s fallout and FBI raid in December 2018, an event that cost Chastain an opportunity to compete with CGR for the 2019 Xfinity Series season due to sponsorship woes and resulted with CGR’s Xfinity team ceasing operations.

    Commencing this season with a seventh-place result in the Daytona 500, Chastain has achieved two top-five results, five top-10 results, 40 laps led and an average-finishing result of 18.1 through the first 20 Cup races of the schedule. This includes a career-best runner-up result achieved at Nashville Superspeedway in June along with a strong fourth-place finish at the Circuit of the Americas in May. He and Ganassi’s No. 42 Chevrolet team are currently ranked in 18th place in the regular-season standings.

    Through 99 previous Cup starts, Chastain has achieved two top-five results, six top-10 results, 53 laps led and an average-finishing result of 25.7.

    Chastain is primed to make his 100th Cup career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 11, with the race scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. on NBCSN.

  • 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.

  • The Final Word – Atlanta was like a Happy little children’s song for Harvick

    The Final Word – Atlanta was like a Happy little children’s song for Harvick

    If you’re Happy and you know it,
    Drive your car.
    If you’re Happy and you know it,
    Drive it far.
    If you’re Happy and you know it,
    End the day doing donuts,
    If you’re Happy and you know it,
    Be as you are.

    That pretty much sums up the 500 mile race Sunday at Atlanta. Kevin “Happy” Harvick dominated the opening stage, and though an air gun mishap dropped him back, he was near the front after the second stage. The third, it was all Harvick, with a few cameos as some anticipated rain, others tried different strategies, but all to no avail. It marked his first win at the track on which he claimed his first back in 2001. This victory was his 38th and locked him into the playoff hunt.

    While Harvick led more than half the time, Brad Keselowski was second after holding point for 38 laps. Denny Hamlin was fourth with 26 up front, while Kurt Busch settled for eighth, taking the second stage and leading 52 circuits.

    Only 13 drivers managed to run the full 325 laps, including Top Five finishers Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. Pole sitter Kyle Busch was seventh but did well enough throughout in accumulating extra notches to wind up third best in points on the day. Rounding out the Top Ten was Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott.

    Good days for some, bad days for others who one would think would have done better. A blown tire that did some serious renovations to the front fender did in Jimmie Johnson. After the Daytona disaster, it would be an understatement to say that he is off to a slow start. He already sits way down in 35th in the standings. Others with 10 points or less on Sunday included A.J. Allmendinger, Matt DiBenedetto, Bubba Wallace, and a blown engine parked Trevor Bayne in 35th.

    Next stop is Las Vegas, as the teams answer the call to go west with their young men. Just 36 entries last week marked a 22 year low, but Premium Motorsports will add the uncharted entry of Joey Gase for the trip to the Strip to push the entry tally to 37. It will be the 23rd career Cup start for the 25-year-old from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

    Truex is the defending race champion, though a second visit to the venue comes up in September, a date that once belonged to New Hampshire. Keselowski has won two of the past four in Las Vegas, sandwiching the 2015 victory of Harvick. It could be a case of the rich getting even richer next weekend. It might be early, but Johnson is not the only one who could use a little luck to come their way on their visit to The Entertainment Capital of the World. Alex Bowman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jamie McMurray, Erik Jones, William Byron, and Daniel Suarez are just some of those who have seen craps come up enough times already. Something better than snake eyes is what they will be looking for the next time they roll ‘dem bones on Sunday.

    As for Harvick and Daytona winner Austin Dillon, they might prefer the wheels on the bus to continue going round and round. However, if the damn things fall off, there is always next week. The pressure is off.

  • The View From My Recliner: Pre-Clash Edition

    The View From My Recliner: Pre-Clash Edition

    After taking the holidays to recharge and fight this never ending cold, it’s time to park myself in the recliner and share my view of what is going on in the world of NASCAR.

    To be honest, the view right now is foggy at best. There are a ton of questions that need to be answered. Some we will never find out the true answer (How long is the contract with Monster Energy and how much did they pay to sponsor the premiere series?) and many others we will find out on the track.

    Last year, the Charter system was going to help give owners something tangible for their teams if they decide to get out. This off-season, we have watched so many charters move around that it is hard to figure out who actually owns charters.

    According to NASCAR.com, here is the updated charter shuffle as we get close to the Clash.

    Premium Motorsports sold this Charter to Furniture Row Racing for its second team, the No. 77. In 2016, the Charter was leased by the No. 46 team of HScott Motorsports.

    Richard Petty Motorsports is leasing the No. 44 Charter to the No. 32 team of Go Fas Racing in 2017 and Roush Fenway Racing will lease the No. 16 Charter to JTG Daugherty Racing’s newly formed second team (No. 37) in 2017.

    Near the end of the 2016 season, Tommy Baldwin Racing sold its Charter to Leavine Family Racing.

    HScott Motorsports’ No. 15 Charter was sold to Premium Motorsports and Go Fas Racing is leasing the No. 32 Charter to the No. 21 team of Wood Brothers Racing.

    Circle Sport and The Motorsports Group merged operations to field the No. 33 team with the Charter Circle Sport had. In 2016, Circle Sport partnered with Leavine Family Racing to field the No. 95 for the season.

    BK Racing sold the No. 83 Charter to Front Row Motorsports, who is leasing the Charter to TriStar Motorsports for the 2017 season.

    This charter shuffling makes me worry about the sport’s future. That is something we can attack later in the season.

    Three big questions in 2017:

    1. Will the new even lower downforce package help the racing product?
    2. How big are the sponsor issues at Stewart-Haas Racing with plenty of inventory available on the 10 and 14 cars?
    3. Will there be a surprise driver who makes the playoffs like Chris Buescher did in 2016?

    Three things I think will happen:

    1. Dodge will announce they will return to the sport with a surprise team in the lead of the effort.
    2. Danica Patrick will be replaced at Stewart-Haas Racing by Matt Kenseth.
    3. William Byron replaces Kasey Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports, Erik Jones replaces Kenseth at Joe Gibbs Racing and Kahne replaces Jones at Furniture Row Racing.

    Enjoy the wreck fest this Saturday and we’ll talk next week with my thoughts on the Clash and the new race formats.

  • Hot 20 – The cream of the crop for the Daytona 500

    Hot 20 – The cream of the crop for the Daytona 500

    There will be no Daytona 500 victory listed on Tony Stewart’s resume. His recent off-season back injury ensured that. Well, maybe. I cannot help but notice that Michael Waltrip already has a lock on his 29th place in the Great American Race. There is always the chance that, given an opportunity and still with the ability to squeeze into a firesuit, Smoke could be back, at some time.

    The hottest 20 drivers heading into Sunday are all locked in. Thanks to some large wallets, even Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch are good to go for the rest of the season, buying up those Charters from Waltrip’s defunct operation.

    As far as the debate over the Wood Brothers not getting a Charter, I agree that as they have been running part-time, they should not have received one. I do disagree that B.K. Racing got two, or that Go Fas Racing or Premium Motorsports received any. Instead of the only criteria to receive one being reduced to only those who attempted to quality for the past 108 straight races, maybe they should have taken performance into consideration. I mean, between them, those four operations failed to qualify for 29 events last season. Maybe those Charters should have been held for those who attempted the past 36, AND who were among the Top 36 in owner’s points. Good enough to earn a one-year Charter, something they could regain through a Top 36 finish in 2016.

    Thirty-six entries, just like the 36 provisional spots once awarded in past years; awarded based on performance. Qualifying spots should have remained at 43, giving teams seven openings to make it and still be able to challenge for one of those 36 Charter positions. A Charter gives peace of mind, but seven open spots still allow those without a parachute an opportunity to challenge, to compete, to succeed. Just what in hell NASCAR and the members of the Race Team Alliance were thinking when they guaranteed places for at least the next three years while all but closing the door on challengers is beyond me.

    At least, we still have the race, albeit minus three entries and the entire backstretch grandstands. I am sure nobody will notice, or ponder the reasons why. Here are our hot 20, based on their 2015 season long performance.

    1. Joey Logano – 6 Wins – 1299 Points
    Logano arrived in 2014, confirmed that in 2015, and as for 2016….

    2. Jimmie Johnson – 5 Wins – 1155 Points
    The official standings have him finishing 10th; a rather misleading statistic.

    3. Matt Kenseth – 5 Wins – 1046 Points
    When Matt says he is going to run a driver down, he just might mean it.

    4. Kyle Busch – 5 Wins – 867 Points
    His greatest year featured a championship, a busted leg, and a late May start to the season.

    5. Kevin Harvick – 3 Wins – 1321 Points
    Recorded an average of nearly 36.7 points per race in 2015.

    6. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 Wins – 1198 Points
    After just two wins in seven seasons, he has seven wins in his last two.

    7. Denny Hamlin – 2 Wins – 1117 Points
    Finishing in the season’s Top Ten eight times in 10 tries, is this the year he takes all the marbles?

    8. Carl Edwards – 2 Wins – 1108 Points
    Wins two and still has to pay for a Charter spot, while BK Racing gets two, after four DNQ’s.

    9. Kurt Busch – 2 Wins – 1108 Points
    Kurt wins twice and gets nothing while the No. 62 DNQ’s 19 times last season and “earns” one.

    10. Brad Keselowski – 1 Win – 1217 Points
    Just a single win but a personal high of 25 Top Tens kept him close.

    11. Martin Truex, Jr. – 1 Win – 1165 Points
    A team that made it all the way to top tier status without the benefit of a Charter.

    12. Ryan Newman – 1052 Points
    I still think Tony let go the wrong driver.

    13. Jamie McMurray – 1052 Points
    He might not be great, but you might have to be in order to out-point him.

    14. Paul Menard – 972 Points
    You hear more about his driving ability and less about his daddy’s cash these days.

    15. Aric Almirola – 940 Points
    Last year, Petty trumped Roush.

    16. Kasey Kahne – 939 Points
    In fact, Hendrick’s weak sister would have led the way for Jack’s crew.

    17. Clint Bowyer – 891 Points
    Teammates once were Waltrip and Truex. Today, he is Michael Annett.

    18. Kyle Larson – 872 Points
    Maybe the best of the kiddie corps…but Chase probably will contest that thought.

    19. Greg Biffle – 869 Points
    Damn good driver with what has become a damn poor team.

    20. Austin Dillon – 832 Points
    Grandpa expects more this time out.

  • The Final Word – NASCAR is back, but how many of the fans have also returned?

    The Final Word – NASCAR is back, but how many of the fans have also returned?

    The return of NASCAR for 2016 was a smashing success. I mean, if smashing cars was the intent, they could not have done better. By the time the Sprint Unlimited, which is actually limited to 25 drivers, came to a conclusion, someone had tallied up that an estimated $2.5-million in damages had been racked up.

    Was it worth watching? I think so. So does Denny Hamlin who, despite some early right side damage, came through to take the checkered flag. What I love about NASCAR are the close calls; the drivers who can demonstrate why they are in those cars and I am not. Any damn idiot can wreck a car, which is why the smart folks ensure the idiots are left typing up columns such as this and leave the professionals to do what they do best. Sure, there was some carnage out there, but I failed to see any idiots. I did see some folks taking chances, some who got bit when the rubber no longer wanted to meet the road, and one or two who made 200 mph mistakes.

    Was I burning with excitement, did I feel an itch scratched as the three-month layoff came to an end? Not really. Something is missing, something more than just the disappearance of the backstretch seats I sat in when Kevin Harvick won the Daytona 500 in 2007. Back then, we sat in the southwest corner in a grandstand that was quite full for both the big race and the Saturday Busch event. In recent years, those numbers dwindled to the point the seats and the butts that once filled them are no longer to be seen. Attendance overall has fallen so far NASCAR is too embarrassed to even announce attendance figures for any event.

    Do you remember those commercials from back in the day? While they started coming out in the late 1990s, most of us got to see them and the races on a regular basis from 2001 through to about 2011. They were funny, clever, and certainly aimed at NASCAR fans. Not so much these days. It seems even the sponsors no longer have it bad. I got me a nice black Goodwrench jacket hanging in my closet. I have not worn it in ages. My ole No. 3 ballcap and the National Guard edition have since been replaced by a L.A. Dodger chapeau. At one time my family would gather at each other’s homes for races, especially the big ones. Now, I am the only one who continues to follow the circuit. Why is that?

    NASCAR has done some good things; more SAFER barriers, but the job is not yet done. The cars are safer and back to looking more like stock cars. At least that damned unsightly flat decked splitter is gone. Still, for every good thing we can come up with, a lot of fans, or former fans, can pick out a handful of examples of where things have gone wrong. Handing out franchises, or charters, makes business sense, but when all they do is select the 36 entries that attempted each of the last 108 races in order to make the determination who gets what, it comes across as amateur hour. In fact, an hour is about all it would have taken any of us to come up that idea.

    The No. 98 of Premium Motorsports, and formerly owned by Phil Parsons Racing, failed to attempt five races the past three seasons and lost out. The team led by Kurt Busch did not exist in 2013 while Carl Edwards got into his new car last year. Despite their victories won in those rides, both needed more than a million dollars spent to buy a Charter from Michael Waltrip’s defunct operation. A team has to finish among the worst three Charters for three straight seasons to be in danger of losing it, and there is no provision to earn one through success. What in hell is up with that?

    I am sure there are some who totally disagree with me. I envy those people, who still can hardly wait for the next Sunday afternoon, or Saturday night, who go into a funk on those rare off weekends wondering how they might fill the void. I still get excited when Daytona, Talladega, or Bristol are the feature tracks. I have learned to love watching the action from Fontana and Watkins Glen. I still look forward to each race, but it is nowhere like it was a few years ago. Sadly, as FOX Sports does not broadcast to the north country, the truck series for us has gone the way of the dodo. As for the XFINITY Series, when 23 races are claimed by Cup guys, obviously the regulars of the circuit must not be worth watching, so I do not.

    In truth, it does not really matter if one schmuck from Canada is losing the spark. However, I get the feeling that I am not alone. I might not even be any longer in the minority. If that is true, then maybe it should start to really matter, at least to NASCAR.

    How bad have you got it? I do not know where it went, but I sure would love to feel that way again.

  • Premium Motorsports Signs Cole Whitt to Drive No. 98 Car in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

    Premium Motorsports Signs Cole Whitt to Drive No. 98 Car in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

    HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (February 2, 2016) — Premium Motorsports is pleased to announce it has officially signed Cole Whitt to drive the No. 98 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car. The 24-year-old Whitt, who will be entering his third full season in the premier Sprint Cup Series, finished 31st in driver points each of his first two seasons.

    “We believe Cole is an accomplished young driver who drives aggressively, yet smart,” team owner Jay Robinson said. “He’s a great fit for our team as we look to improve our competitiveness in the Sprint Cup Series.”

    This off-season, Premium made several strategic moves to upgrade the team and its race cars. On the competition side, Premium acquired additional updated equipment along with hiring Mike Hillman to fill the role of competition director and Mark Hillman to serve as crew chief. Mike and Mark join team manager Scott Eggleston along with owner Jay Robinson to round out the Premium Motorsports management team.

    “Jay and the crew at Premium Motorsports impressed me with their vision for the future and commitment to making the No. 98 car competitive week in and week out,” said Whitt. “I look forward to being a big part of the family atmosphere at Premium and having a successful start at the Daytona 500 in a few weeks.”

    Whitt starting racing at a young age out of his native state of California, rising up through the karting, midget and sprint car ranks. In 2008, he became the youngest winner of the USAC National Midget Championship. Whitt switched to NASCAR in 2010 to run a full season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, later moving up to run full seasons in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2011 and the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 2012. He finished in the top 10 in driver points each of those rookie seasons.

    Many of Whitt’s previous partners in the Sprint Cup Series the past two years are expected to support him again in 2016 at Premium. More details regarding car sponsors will be released at a further date.