“I just thanked him for the hard work and the effort, giving everything he had, and being a part of this company.” These words from Justin Marks to Ross Chastain came right after the No. 1 driver’s desperate last-lap bid at the Charlotte Roval ended in a spin, letting Joey Logano advance to the next round. Chastain had run strong, grabbing fifth in Stage 1, but pit-road slip-ups and a last-lap wreck with Denny Hamlin knocked him out of the playoffs. For Trackhouse Racing, the day showed extreme contrasting sides.

Marks, as team owner, watched one driver (Shane Van Gisbergen) celebrate victory while another faced raw disappointment after giving it all in that final chicane clash with Denny Hamlin. Having raced himself in various series, Marks knows the sting of close calls firsthand, stepping in to lift Chastain amid the garage buzz about what comes next. Yet even in defeat, Chastain’s grit shone through, setting the stage for how Marks chose to frame the moment.

Justin Marks’ clear advice to Chastain

Right after the dust settled at the Roval, Justin Marks shared a private moment with Ross Chastain at the team bus, delivering a straightforward message amid the fresh sting of elimination. “But all I told him, you know, last night before we left the racetrack, we were at the bus for a little bit. I said, Just, just the one favor I’m going to ask you is just get over it quick. Just get over it quick,” Marks recounted on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

How does @TeamTrackhouse owner @JustinMarksTH lift up his driver @RossChastain after a heartbreaking end to his #NASCARPlayoffs?

Focus forward.

🗣️ “We still got work to do and a lot of opportunity for is ahead.”

More → https://t.co/MKhd9eLpQA pic.twitter.com/S6SfLOdHkH

— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) October 9, 2025

This plea stemmed from Chastain’s tendency to internalize setbacks deeply, as Marks noted how the driver “sits in his emotions, and he gets very, very quiet” while processing tough races like this one, where a self-admitted speeding penalty on pit road and a missed Turn 7 handed the spot to Logano.

The heartbreak hit hard for Chastain, who had clawed from a mid-pack car earlier in the season to playoff contention, only to unravel with unforced errors that left him four points short. “I single-handedly took a car out of the Round of 8 and a chance to go to the Round of Four… It’s all on me,” Chastain said post-race, owning the mistakes from overshooting the pit exit to the final spin that wrecked Hamlin’s No. 11, too.

Marks motivated him by highlighting the bigger picture: “Tomorrow’s a new day. We got to go prepare for Vegas and, you know, just keep those, those, keep the big picture, um, as clear as possible, which is, you know, that was a bummer that, you know, that they didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to turn out. But we have a lot to fight for the rest of this year.” This echoed Trackhouse’s push toward 2026, including a young talent like Connor Zilisch joining the fold.

Marks wrapped up his advice team-wide, urging everyone to shake off the sadness by Monday. “But just tell him; just get over it quick. As the boss and as the team owner, the only thing I’m going to tell you, and everybody really on that number one team, is just, you can be pi–ed off right now. You can be sad right now, but I don’t want to see any of that on Monday morning, because we’ve still got work to do and a lot of opportunity for us ahead.” This approach underscores Marks’ leadership in turning setbacks into fuel for resilience.

Chastain’s response showed resolve, vowing to “wake up tomorrow and go right back to work,” turning the Roval gut punch into fuel for the remaining races. While Marks focused on internal recovery, he also addressed the external chatter around that final-lap tangle. His take on Hamlin’s role offers a grounded view of racing realities.

Marks absolves Hamlin in Chastain’s roval exit

Justin Marks didn’t point fingers at Denny Hamlin for costing Ross Chastain his playoff spot, instead framing the incident as part of the sport’s inherent competitiveness. The clash unfolded when Hamlin passed Chastain cleanly in Turn 7, prompting Chastain’s aggressive dive that spun both cars. Marks saw it as self-inflicted pressure from earlier errors like the pit speeding, which put the No. 1 in a vulnerable spot needing every point against Logano.

“Ultimately, everybody’s out here to try to get the best finish and best result for their team, and I don’t think anybody really owes it to anybody else to try and help anybody else,” Marks said in a post-race presser, emphasizing that drivers like Hamlin prioritize their own squads; here, the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team is already safe in points. This came amid irony for Trackhouse, with non-playoff drivers van Gisbergen and Daniel Suárez finishing first and seventh, while Chastain missed by one position after starting 10th and battling through cautions.

Marks added context by noting the broader playoff dynamics, where decisions happen in the heat without full awareness. “It’s nice to hear Denny say those things, but Denny’s doing what he’s got to do for the 11 team and try to get the best finish that he can for the 11 team,” he explained, referring to Hamlin’s later regret over not knowing the points stakes. Ultimately, Marks stressed Trackhouse needed cleaner execution to avoid such Hail Marys, turning the focus inward for growth as they eye Vegas.