NASCAR Cup Series veteran turned FOX Sports broadcaster Kevin Harvick recently spoke his mind on how former competitor Ross Chastain’s year has gone so far in the highest echelon of the sport. Ever since Chastain’s blazing debut in the #1 Chevrolet fielded by Trackhouse Racing two years ago, the Florida native and his team have managed to stay in the headlines for one reason or another.
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However, the 2024 season has seen Justin Marks’ #1 team in a slump, going somewhat unnoticed this year. While teammate Daniel Suarez managed to win his way into the upcoming Playoffs with a 3-wide photo finish at Atlanta earlier in the year, Chastain is yet to bank his spot in the postseason.
We made some really good progress on our @MooseFraternity @TeamChevy from the start of the weekend. Appreciate the 1 crew for sticking with it and making adjustments throughout the race. We’ll be back stronger after the Olympic break! pic.twitter.com/LwlAImra9W
— Ross Chastain (@RossChastain) July 22, 2024
The ‘Melon Man’ as he is fondly referred to sits +7 points to the cutline as of now. With Bubba Wallace trailing right behind him with the same deficit, Harvick opined on how the 23XI Racing crew could be a threat to the #1 crew.
“I’m super concerned for Ross Chastain. I feel like Bubba’s kind of, they’ve got their ship righted. When their ship is right and headed in the right direction, they have more speed than the #1. The #1 hasn’t shown the speed that the #23 has in general and they’ve had some bad luck.”-Harvick elaborated on his podcast.
It remains to be seen whether the Trackhouse Racing crew and driver can turn their fortunes around by winning and qualifying with a definite spot in the 2024 playoffs. Upcoming races at venues such as Daytona could witness a surprise winner given the nature of superspeedway racing. This could in some ways work towards as well as against drivers who hover around the cutoff line.
How has Bubba Wallace’s performance been of late?
After turning a corner in his career according to team owner Denny Hamlin during the 2023 season and qualifying for the playoffs on the basis of points, the #23 driver and crew seemingly find themselves in the same position in 2024. Sitting below the cutoff line with a 7-point deficit, Wallace’s best bet to make it into the postseason is to either win a race, or race for stage points every weekend until the Playoffs begin.
This weeks @RTICCoolers Nobody’s Cooler goes to Bubba Wallace who is getting hot at just the right time pic.twitter.com/9kj2hqoLYr
— Rubbin is Racing (@rubbinisracing) July 25, 2024
The Mobile, Alabama native’s performances of late behind the wheel of his #23 Toyota have been impressive, with a top-5 finish at Indy and a top-10 at Pocono in the last two weeks. Wallace was also destined to finish in the top-10 during the sport’s Chicago visit. However, an on-track tussle with Alex Bowman relegated him to P13 that weekend.
23XI Racing have proven their race winning speed with the #45 crew as well, with Tyler Reddick getting a string of P2 finishes during the season. While Reddick already has a playoff berth to his name, Wallace needs to put in the work once NASCAR resumes regular schedule at Richmond Raceway in August.
