
via Imago
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series-Practice and Qualifying Sep 6, 2025 Madison, Illinois, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain 1 walks to his car during practice and qualifying for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Madison World Wide Technology Raceway Illinois USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJoexPuetzx 20250906_tbs_pa2_022

via Imago
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series-Practice and Qualifying Sep 6, 2025 Madison, Illinois, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain 1 walks to his car during practice and qualifying for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Madison World Wide Technology Raceway Illinois USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJoexPuetzx 20250906_tbs_pa2_022

‘The Watermelon Man’ knows exactly when to hit the gas. Take this year’s Coca-Cola 600, for example. Starting from the very back of the 40-car pack, Ross Chastain carved his way forward, seizing the lead in the closing laps. The victory was a major boost for Trackhouse Racing and a testament to his grit and determination. In doing so, he made history as the first driver ever to win the Coca-Cola 600 after starting from the rear. But now, the 32-year-old is facing a new challenge. As the playoffs are tightening and the margin for error is getting slimmer, Chastain has opened up about the jitters.
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We also saw how he delivered a solid performance at the Round of 12 opener at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Starting from eighth place, he maintained a consistent pace throughout the 301-lap race, ultimately finishing ninth. But now, all that has come undone as the last race of the R12 is underway.
Speaking to Bob Pockrass, Chastain honestly admitted his feelings heading into the elimination round: “Just how, is it nerve-wracking time right now for you or do you feel like, look the way we’ve been running, we just see what we can do and you know I don’t know that there’s a lot of, I mean I know you want to advance but I don’t know that what the expectations are considering the season that you’ve had. Expectations are to keep going. We’re a, we feel like a race-winning operation and that we can continue down this path.”
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Chastain has recently struggled to find consistency on oval tracks this season, experiencing a rollercoaster of highs and lows in the playoffs. His outing at Kansas Speedway at last weekend’s Hollywood Casino 400 was underwhelming. Despite starting ninth, he finished 11th, didn’t lead a single lap, and collected 35 points with a driver rating of 90.6, a far cry from last year’s performance when he dominated by leading 52 laps en route to victory.
Ross Chastain on being 13 points below the cutline (Joey Logano is the last driver above the cutline) going into Charlotte. He was at the track Tuesday for the paint the walls pink event. pic.twitter.com/IGky76OR8u
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 1, 2025
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Moreover, heading into the finale at Charlotte, the No. 1 Chevrolet driver remains in contention for the playoffs as he sits ninth in the standings. He is 13 points behind the cut line, but a striking statistic has emerged about Chastain only recording one top 10 finish on oval tracks in the last 16 races.
For a driver known for his aggressive maneuvers, the challenge was in balancing speed with consistency. And now, the Florida native has hit an all-time low in his career.
And Ross Chastain didn’t hesitate to give away his strategy to keep afloat at the road course. He said, “In the past, we’ve stayed out and gotten points just to minimize the loss to other people if we’re running behind them. And then other times you’re doing it to gain points. And then the third option is we feel like we’re fast enough to win. And yes, I’ll be giving my opinion. I’m only one opinion of many that will decide when we pit this weekend.”
But amid structural changes within the Trackhouse camp, many fear that Chastain’s long-standing “leader” title is at risk with Connor Zilisch stepping into the car next year. However, that is the least of the worries for Chastain, as he needs to battle it out with one of Team Penske’s strongest drivers. It is about to be a dogfight.
Why the tension between Joey Logano and Ross could boil over at the elimination race?
Ross Chastain and Joey Logano are no strangers to their on-track rivalry. The duo, who have traded words after a fiery clash at the Chicago Street Course in July, are set for another high-stakes showdown at the Charlotte Roval on Oct 5.
The point gap between the two couldn’t be tighter. Logano sits 8th with just 3,083 points, 13 ahead of ‘The Watermelon Man’ in 9th with 3,070. Both are in the thick of the Round of 12, an elimination battle, where every position matters.
Logano’s late-race incident at Kansas left him 21st, setting the stage for a direct tussle with the 32-year-old. Meanwhile, Chastain, previously found chasing Chase Briscoe, can now turn his sights squarely on the three-time Cup Series champion. Briscoe’s 4th place at Kansas gives him a 21-point cushion — safer, but not untouchable.
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The No. 1 driver has shown the edge on road courses this season, posting solid results on four of the five road tracks in 2025. Across COTA, Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma, and Watkins Glen, he has averaged a 14.4 finish with a best result of ninth at Sonoma, proof that he can push hard. But Joey is right on his heels, as Chastain admitted that Penske “kicked our b*tts” at New Hampshire amid Penske domination.
But with Dale Jr. backing Chastain’s Hail Mary performances when it matters the most, Chastain is the man to keep an eye on as the playoff standings get shuffled after the Charlotte race.
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