SONOMA, Calif.—A crash followed by the crushing blow of criticism left a pall over the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team and Ross Chastain following Darlington on May 14.
Chastain, who has not fallen from the top five in the standings through 16 races and led points for seven of the 14 races, dropped to fifth following three finishes of 22nd or worst.
In Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350, the 29-year-old racer did nothing flashy, nothing controversial. Chastain simply focused on the track ahead of him, earning stage points and scoring a solid top-10 result.
“Gosh, I’m so proud of that, the effort, because that was a top-10 day,” Chastain said. “That was a 10th-place finish out of a car that could have very easily ran a lot worse.
“So really, really proud of the effort from everybody at Trackhouse.”
Chastain qualified 15th but lost ground during the first stage. He was 16th on Lap 30, and crew chief Phil Surgen elected to leave the No. 1 Chevy on the track following the first caution on Lap 50 when the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports pit crew lost control of a tire on pit road.
“Gosh, we were so, so loose,” Chastain said. “At any time that I just overloaded the rear any bit, I just slid. So, hard to attack. Hard to pass, because I really needed to be aggressive. And the one time I finally got by the 22 (Joey Logano), I just drove into Turn 2 like a little too hard. And off I slid and they got back by me.
“So, just really at the mercy of trying to hold my position, and we caught that one lucky caution with a tire on pit road.”
Chastain restarted third on Lap 54. He maintained his position through two circuits to gain stage points. On new tires, race winner Martin Truex Jr., quickly came through the field and passed Chastain six laps later. With adjustments, Chastain was able to manage his tires and manage his car.
“They could get me tight enough to start the runs–after the first run, and then it was up to me to try to prolong it,” Chastain said. “So the last two sets of tires I felt like we did a better job.”
After a few sponsor commitments, Chastain will head home to Florida to relax with friends and family during the off-week. But he left Sonoma with his seventh top-10 finish of the season and something the team can build on for the final 10 races of the regular season.
“Absolutely, a quiet day,” Chastain said. “I hope people didn’t see me very much. And yes, I got to experience getting hit in the back bumper a lot and I didn’t return anything.
“And so, it’s a balancing act for sure.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
