LEBANON, Tenn.—You never forget your first.
And after Ross Chastain won the pole for the Ally 400—the first of his career and the first for Trackhouse Racing—Saturday will be a day he won’t soon forget.
The driver of the No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet tried to hold back tears, but the 30-year-old finally succumbed to the moment.
“The tears out there were of joy and satisfaction; just happiness that it’s paid off,” Chastain said. “All this comes down to speed; hundreds and thousandths of a second and that we were able to do it. So much work for years and it didn’t pay off, and it paid off. That’s what those were.
“Look, we’re all human. When people tell you that you’re slow, then it’s easy to think that you’re slow. I have a good support group and they like to remind me why we’re here; that we’re in the Cup Series and this is where we wanted to get to. We did not have a clear path here, but we got here and now we’re going to stay here.
“Personally, I’m happy for my team and me. I mean I’m selfish – this was about the work that we’ve put in.”
The last six weeks have been tough on Chastain. After triggering a wreck with Kyle Larson at Darlington Raceway in May, the criticism—from his peers, other teams, Chevrolet, and even his team owner Justin Marks—has been harsh.
From his recent results, clearly, Chastain has tempered his aggressiveness. Following two finishes of 22nd at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Worldwide Technology Raceway, he scored his first top 10 in the last four races at Sonoma Raceway before the only off week on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
Chastain was a bit self-deprecating after his seventh top 10 in 16 events—and proud that he avoided running into anyone on the road course. Still, if any driver needed time to reset before a grueling 10-week stretch entering the Playoffs, it was Chastain.
Finding the balance between an all-out assault on the field versus the steady skill of handling a race car is not achieved overnight. But Chastain is working on it.
“It’s up to us to go about our business however we see fit,” Chastain said. “I’m definitely going to learn from Darlington. I don’t want to wreck myself. I want to win races. Whatever I can do to wreck less and win more will definitely be top of mind and priority.
“I take what people say to heart though, especially my boss, my owner. The guy that hires me and guides me. He’s a racer himself, so we’ve talked as just racers and buddies just as much as we’ve talked as owner and driver. People can think what they want. I know what our path is, has been and is currently in what we’re planning, and I’m totally comfortable in the spot we’re in.”
Chastain’s comfort level since coming to Nashville—the home base for Trackhouse—is at an all-time high. He posted the third fastest lap on Friday and ranked second in Best 10 Consecutive Lap Averages.
After two of his fellow competitors who had advanced to the final round of qualifying—including teammate Daniel Suarez—wiped out, Chastain locked into the top spot in time trials with a speed of 160.687 mph.
If there was any residual fallout affecting Chastain from the last month, it didn’t show on Saturday.
“After driving the rocket ship I had yesterday in practice, my expectations are high,” Chastain said. “We’ll have a shot. We’ll be able to race throughout tomorrow night’s race and put ourselves in position.
“Our expectations are to go compete. We have fast cars. We have good support. Trying to tie up all the little loose ends. We just want a shot…that’s it. It’s going to come down to restarts throughout the final stage and adjusting our car throughout the night. I feel like that’s been a bit where I struggled.
“I feel like when we’ve been better throughout the weekend or early in the race, I get kind of complacent because I’m not sure what to tell them. I’m pushing the car; I have good balance. And then somebody nails their balance—it’s been a little bit slower and they’ve nailed it because they kept firing changes at it.”
In Chastain’s last two visits at Nashville, he and crew chief Phil Surgen have executed the proper adjustments for the driver to capitalize. He finished second on the 1.33-mile track in 2021 and fifth last year. With experience, Chastain knows he’ll be able to take greater risks.
“I’m a little more reserved in my desire—as long as it’s close, I’ll go get the rest,” Chastain said. “But at this level, at the end of these races, it has to be pretty darn perfect. I feel like we’ve been beat there, so I’ve worked on just mentally, how do I push myself past where I’m comfortable with the car.
“I feel like I’ve got everything I need to go win. There’s probably something else I could ask for to make it a little bit better. The risk is that it could be worse, but let’s work on it – whether it’s air pressure or wedge. Our options are pretty small in the race, so what I’m looking for is small, little crumbs at the end of the race to be able to go fight for it.”
As Chastain was leaving the media center following his second visit of the day, he took one last look at the iconic guitars awarded to race winners at Nashville Superspeedway and with a grin said, “I’ll be back tomorrow night.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
