May 21, 2023; North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain (1) during the All Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Trackhouse Racing superstar Ross Chastain couldn’t wait to get his hands on a wheel until the 2024 Cup Series season began at the L.A. Coliseum on February 4. The #1 driver traveled to Cordele, Georgia to participate in a Pro Late race on Saturday and eventually ended up losing the battle against Stephen Nasse. But that wasn’t before he revealed to the media why it was that he had taken such a long break from racing late models.
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Talking before his race in the Protect Your Melon – Buckle Up SpeedFest at the Crisp Motorsports Park, Chastain mentioned that the last time he’d driven a late model car was in 2011. He reasoned the long absence, “I took a long break from late model racing because I wanted to be the best NASCAR driver. There was a point in my life when my family and I had to make a decision, ‘Do we want to put everything in late models or do we want to go try to run some NASCAR truck races?”
In a move that NASCAR fans are certainly thankful for, Chastain and family decided to try out NASCAR. Bewildered at him beating the odds that he had at the time, the driver added, “I don’t know why we chose it but we chose NASCAR even though that it should have never worked but it did.”
13 years have gone by since the first time he stepped into a truck to drive in the series. Though he has earned his credentials in this time, Chastain is still working on becoming the best NASCAR driver.
How close is Ross Chastain to fulfilling the dream with which he came to NASCAR?
Though Chastain couldn’t make a strong mark of his skill in stock car racing in his initial years, he broke ground when he got to his current team Trackhouse Racing in 2022. In his very first season behind the #1 Camaro, he etched the memory of his name forever with the insane Hail Melon move at Martinsville. He finished the year second in driver standings.
While his second year was expected to be when he ascended that final step, he couldn’t quite find the groove that he had earlier. He finished the 2023 season 9th in the standings. The driver will go into next season with his eye on the highest prize. Though he could only garner second place on Saturday’s Pro Late Model race driving for Rackley WAR, it ought to have been a good preparatory race for what’s coming.
Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 350 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.
