Ross Chastain Demands “Legitimate Answer” From NASCAR Over Atlanta Controversy

NASCAR’s decision to remove practice sessions from superspeedway racing continues to receive backlash from Cup Series drivers. Ahead of the 2024 Ambetter Health 400 in Atlanta, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain spoke to the media and let his frustrations out by citing that the promotion had not a single reason for its controversial move.

Demanding a reasonable response, he said, “I want to practice. Trackhouse wants to practice. Why we are not? I haven’t heard a legitimate answer other than we don’t practice.” Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass confirmed last week that the Daytona-Summer race, the two Talladega races, and the two Atlanta races will not have practice runs.

With the first of these races popping up on the calendar, Chastain has been left visibly annoyed. Though the interviewer tried reasoning with him that the lack of practice was to even the scales between underfunded teams and well-funded ones on drafting tracks, the driver wasn’t convinced.

He concluded, “I am selfish. I am with the best team in the garage. I want some practice.” Chastain qualified 21st for the race on Sunday. He will be hoping to bounce back from his last-lap misfortunes at Daytona and kick off his championship run in better colors.

Why has NASCAR abandoned practice runs in superspeedways?

When superspeedway racing is under the scope, drafting plays a crucial role in determining outcomes. As a consequence of that, there is little use in practicing without being in a draft. Furthermore, doing so could result in dangerous accidents. This is one of the prime reasons why NASCAR decided to do away with practice sessions in every superspeedway race other than the Daytona 500.

Though the promotion’s logic makes sense, a few drivers contend that not being able to practice prevents them from knowing the nature of their cars before a race. And this, in turn, could result in an even more dangerous situation in the main race. As things stand, the top brass does not look set to reverse its decision when it comes to the matter.

Just like last year, there will be no practice at Daytona-summer, both Talladegas and both Atlantas. Teams likely wouldn’t draft anyway as they wouldn’t want to damage vehicles right before qualifying. (I’m for more practice than the current formats but that is why). https://t.co/km1fauTsny

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 21, 2024

The 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway was not considered to be a mainstream superspeedway track before 2021. However, after the track’s reconfiguration to include a higher bank and a narrower path, it has been categorized as so. The upcoming race can be caught live on Fox Sports starting at 3:00 p.m. ET.