Ross Chastain and his Trackhouse Racing crew have been slogging through one of the roughest stretches of their 2025 season. Since Michigan on June 8, the ‘Melon Man’ has put together just two top-10 finishes. Still, even in the midst of that dry spell, he remains within striking distance of advancing beyond the Round of 12, and knows he can rediscover the spark that made him a force in 2022.
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That rebound nearly began with a top-10 at Darlington, but Chastain had to surrender his spot in the closing laps. Explaining the setback after the race, he said, “We had a fueling issue on the last stop, so we were short on gas.
“So, I had to save a lot of fuel just to get to the end of the race. So, I had to give up. I mean, 7th to 11th, just bleeding spots trying to be off the gas, was half throttle the last 30 laps.”
After banking 12 stage points, his team told him the fuel load had come up short and that he’d need to stretch it by roughly two laps. With no cautions to bail him out, he was forced to play the long game, lifting early, coasting through corners, and even cutting the engine at times.
As the laps wound down, Chastain asked if he could fight for 10th, but the call came back to save every drop. He lifted and watched Chris Buescher slip past him without a fight.
It stung, but the bigger picture softened the blow. Chastain left Darlington 21 points clear of the cutline, a massive improvement for a driver who came in just a single point above elimination. Even so, he couldn’t hide his frustration.
He added, “We grabbed a good handful with the stage points. But no, we did not maximize it. The fuel issues, I call that like a stubbed toe. It cost us four spots.”
“I don’t even let it bother me anymore, just try to beat it.” –@RossChastain on dirty air in the NASCAR Cup Series.
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— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) September 1, 2025
Chastain also admitted his own misstep earlier in the green-flag cycle of Stage 3 had cost valuable track position. “We were going to be around fifth, and then we went to seventh, and then the fuel issue took us to 11. So good night, but not perfect,” he continued.
Now, the driver of the No. 1 Chevy sets his sights on Gateway, intent on putting his foot down and gunning for a statement run. He reflected, “If we want to think we’re going to keep going through these playoffs, we’ve got to go faster like we did tonight.
“Tonight was a big step forward for us. I think possibly one of our strongest in, I don’t know, months for sure. So, just had the makings of something special here, and we’ll try to take that to World Wide Technology.”
Chastain relishes the chance to run at Gateway, praising the effort to land a Cup date there. With one top-10 and a 14.0 average finish across three starts, he knows the track still owes him, and he’s eager to cash in next weekend with his Busch Light machine.
