‘The Watermelon Man’ knows when to put his foot down. Remember the Coca-Cola 600 this year? Starting from the rear of the 40-car field, Ross showed his resilience by navigating through the back and securing the lead in the final laps. His victory was not only significant for track house racing but also highlighted his determination. His triumph was especially notable as he became the first driver in NASCAR history to win the Coca-Cola 600 after starting at the back of the field. However, now the 32-year-old faces problems in the playoffs as the field gets narrower.

Chastain has encountered difficulties on oval tracks. He has seen a mix of highs and lows in the playoff season so far. His performance at Kansas Speedway during the Hollywood Casino 400 last weekend was less impressive. Starting from the 9th position, he finished 11th, failing to lead any laps and earning 35 points with a driver rating of 90.6, in contrast to last year’s dominance, leading 52 laps and winning it.

However, Dale Jr. believes that Ross Chastain pulls up his socks when it’s needed. Speaking on the recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download, the NASCAR veteran sounds off on Chastain’s chances to end the last race of the Round of 12 with a bang. He said, ” But with Ross being at -13, he, by all means, believes he’s got a shot, and he will do everything and anything, as we’ve seen in the past: the Hail Melon, all the things, and he will do whatever it takes. So I would be watching him. If I had a camera, you know, one single camera just to put on Ross, I think that’d be worth it.” 

Heading into the Round of 12 finale at Charlotte Roval, Ross Chastain remains in contention for the playoffs, sitting 9th in the standings, just 13 points behind the cutline. But a striking statistic emerged from the 2025 season, as one fan mentioned that Chastain and SVG each recorded only 1 top-10 finish on oval tracks in the last 16 races.

For the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing driver, known for his aggressive maneuvers, the challenge was in balancing speed with consistency. However, Dale Jr. has his back. Inspired by his aggressive win this year, Junior knows the Florida native will pull through.

However, Dale Jr. is adamant about tracking Chastain’s Roval race. He added, ” I think, you know, if you had like a small basic cable channel that was willing just to show Ross for the race, that might be something I’d have. You know, if you have multi-unit, all these platforms, I wouldn’t want to miss something, ’cause I think Ross is gonna be doing some stuff. Oh yeah, oh, he’s gonna be. Yeah, yeah, he’s gonna have to. Ross is gonna Ross.”

However, with Daniel Suarez leaving Trackhouse and Connor Zilisch stepping in, a lot of changes have been made within the team, and with Ross Chastain’s new low, will he be able to keep the lead in the team?  And now to answer that, one NASCAR veteran has given his thoughts about it.

Is Ross Chastain’s Trackhouse Racing future in jeopardy?

Kevin Harvick recently weighed in on the shifting landscape at Trackhouse Racing, pointing to the strategic moves and hinting at a bigger shake-up ahead. On his podcast, Harvick highlighted how key appointments like Randall Burnett being tapped as Connor Zilisch’s crew chief suggest the organization has already been laying groundwork for its future.

Harvick remarked, “I mean, obviously, we saw Randall Burnett is going to be Connor Zilisch’s crew chief. We know that Steve and SVG are together. That’s an interesting dynamic when it comes down to the one car.”

For the 2014 Cup Series champion, the real question is how Ross Chastain fits into the puzzle as Trackhouse reshuffles. He added, “Now, when you look at where they were, they ran okay this weekend, at times, but it’s going to be interesting to see where Ross kind of falls in all of this as things cycle into next year. Do they leave his team the same? Do they change his team? What do they do with that one car?”

Harvick noted that Ross is in a weird spot as the team doubles down on emerging talent, investing heavily in Zilisch’s program while positioning Shane Van Gisbergen as a long-term cornerstone. With Trackhouse eyeing a broader 2026 overhaul, Chastain’s future will likely depend not just on results but also on how leadership chooses to divide resources and authority. The decisions made over the coming months could drastically shape his role in the organization.