Ross Chastain on the Same Path as Tony Stewart & Kevin Harvick Per Justin Marks

Every NASCAR driver, certainly a great one, goes through an arc. They break on the scene as exciting, often uncontrollable talents who inject a sense of adrenaline into the sport. But then, the very things that make them exciting, often bite them back and lead to setbacks. Yet, they learn from it, improve and adapt their craft, and emerge better than ever. This has been more or less the case for Ross Chastain.

Last year he broke on the scene as the most exciting driver in the sport, the excitement which soon turned into notoriety around him, which subsequently turned into a controversy, all of which has now put him on a path to becoming a better driver than ever, something his Nashville win cemented on Sunday.

But is Ross Chastain’s journey similar to that of other NASCAR greats before him? Names such as Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, or the outgoing Kevin Harvick? The answer to that question, obviously, will vary a lot.

However, Chastain’s boss Justin Marks has no hesitation in comparing his driver’s journey to those big names.

Justin Marks likens Chastain’s journey to that of Harvick and Stewart

In an interview with Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut, Marks likened Chastain’s aggressive tendencies on the track, and how he had to channel them for the greater good, similar to that of drivers like Brad Keselowski, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, and Carl Edwards.

“This sport has had guys that show up that have so much speed and aggression, they have to learn how to compete with it,” Marks said.

“That’s the process that Ross is going through right now. You look at a race like tonight, I mean, he just did everything right, everything perfectly. He had a super-fast car. The conditions changed from day to night. They ran three-wide for three laps, which was incredible. He did everything right.”

Winners!! Thank you @TeamTrackhouse, @WWEXRacing and @TeamChevy for everything! pic.twitter.com/XTWWOzAEoy

— Ross Chastain (@RossChastain) June 26, 2023

Ross Chastain claims “a lot of self-reflection” has led him to this place

Just like last year when he broke out on the big stage in his first year with Trackhouse, Chastain was the center of criticism from a lot of ends. But his style of driving remains unchanged, something which took him directly into the final 4 in Phoenix.

But this year, the criticism, although it was consistent too, came from, well, powerful voices, like Rick Hendrick. Mr. H called out Chastain publically after the race at Darlington and warned him that he needs to change his ways. For the next few weeks, many saw a change in the #1 driver’s driving, a theory he recently rejected.

Now with his win at Nashville, he has redeemed himself in the eyes of his fans and his critics. And what led him to the victory lane was a combination of two very simple things. “I got to tell you, a lot of self-reflection through all this, but I had a group that believed in me and they didn’t let me get down,” Chastain said.

He added that his team brings him “rocket ships” and all he tries to do is to point them to victory lane.