Ross Chastain is usually a quiet guy and lets his driving do the talking. He is rarely seen showing frustration in front of the media, prefers to smash a watermelon in Victory Lane, and moves on to the next week. However, with the 2026 Chase upon us, the Trackhouse Racing driver seems to have had enough.

With zero wins and just one top-five finish all season, his hopes to reach the post-season are fading fast. This sudden slump has pushed Chastain to break character and go off on his team’s slump.

“It’s hard for people to read me when something’s going bad. I’ll be honest, last month I told them I’m not that because I’m pulling the fire alarm. It’s been pulled, and the sirens are going off in our meetings,” Chastain said on the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast.

This came as a surprise, especially with team owner Justin Marks sitting right next to Chastain. And he has a point. Through 23 races, the No. 1 team has only managed five top-10 finishes. For a driver who made the Championship 4 just a few seasons ago, becoming a mid-pack afterthought is a tough spot to be in.

This season, Trackhouse expanded to a three-car setup, adding rookie Connor Zilisch alongside Shane van Gisbergen. While the roster looked solid on paper, the expansion also meant that the resources got stretched thin. And SVG’s two road-course wins cover up for the lack of overall speed for the team.

Chastain didn’t stop there. He went deeper into the issues the No. 1 team is facing while competing against its rivals every week.

“Justin knows that we’ve cycled to this spot in the grid, but we’re not okay, we’re not complacent. And that comes from ownership, that comes from drivers. Shane’s two road course wins are not what Trackhouse is going to be known for… So that’s what’s happening inside our meetings.”

However, the struggles are not entirely on Chastain and 2026 crew chief Brandon McSwain. The issue is manufacturer-wide. During the offseason, Chevrolet updated the body of the Camaro ZL1. They added a larger hood, power dome, and a revised front grille. That, instead of adding speed, has caused an issue with the aerodynamic balance for all Chevy cars.

Even Rick Hendrick recently admitted the new body is causing setup headaches for his teams, saying, “We’re never going to surrender.” If a powerhouse like HMS is having trouble, a younger team like Trackhouse is naturally going to struggle.

Despite the problems with the car, Chastain is fighting. He finished seventh in Iowa and 12th in Richmond. Two decent results heading into the final two races to qualify for the Chase. The “Melon Man” currently sits 18th in the standings with 504 points. The driver currently in the 16th spot? His own teammate, Shane van Gisbergen, with 567 points.

That means Chastain, Ryan Preece, and Brad Keselowski are all on the wrong side of the bubble. To make the Chase, Chastain has to overcome a 63-point deficit with only New Hampshire and Daytona left on the schedule.

Chastain’s last two trips to Loudon have been positive, and he’ll be hoping to put together another solid points day—or, even better, a win. Joey Logano was in a similar situation, but a couple of wins and top-five finishes saw him climb back into the standings and move outside the cutline.

This year, the path is harder for Chastain because of a massive change. With NASCAR shifting back to the Chase format, the “win-and-in” playoff format is gone. Only a win alone won’t guarantee a spot. Instead, he will need to be perfect in the next two weeks to even have a shot at making it to the postseason.

But that isn’t going to stop Chastain from asking questions and demanding better performance from his team. And don’t be surprised if Chastain somehow manages to erase the points deficit and make the cut for the Chase.