At Indianapolis Raceway Park, Layne Riggs stole the spotlight with a dominant drive to claim his fourth career Truck Series win. He crossed the line ahead of rising star Corey Day and points leader Corey Heim, sealing a thrilling TSport 200. But behind that front-running drama, Ross Chastain quietly authored one of the most eventful comebacks of the night- wrapping up in 9th place after a roller-coaster race. Driving the #44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet, Chastain was piloting a truck that’s shared across multiple drivers, including Bayley Currey, Matt Gould, Conner Jones, and Josh Bilicki.

Technically, Chastain didn’t finish ninth—he scored 10th at the checkered flag. But luck played its hand when Stewart Friesen, who initially crossed the line in 3rd, was disqualified for failing post-race inspection. That opened the door for Chastain to sneak into the Top 10 proper. And really, it’s a miracle he was even in that position, given how chaotic his race started.

Ross Chastain breaks down a nightmare pit stop

The drama began with a botched pit stop. The crew failed to secure a tire properly, causing it to break free just as Chastain was leaving the box. In a bizarre twist, he ended up running over the loose tire. Thankfully, the damage wasn’t race-ending. He looped around, got everything fixed, and clawed his way back through the field. It wasn’t just a win, but given the circumstances, finishing ninth felt like a hard-earned victory.

The 32-year-old didn’t hold back when recapping the pit road drama at IRP. He told Steven Taranto, “Yeah just the lugs on the left front. We got a great pit crew department at Niece, in-house developed crew. Trains there, practice there and comes out of the Salisbury shop. Just didn’t get them tight”.

As the truck rolled out, Chastain felt the looseness right away. “I went to back up and it was too loose. I had to go one way or the other, decided to go forwards. I didn’t care whose, I did go over it a bit. Was able to stop in the #45 box and come back around and get my tyres.” He admitted, “Got a lap back and got back to 10th.”

Despite the early pit road chaos and a brush with the wall in Turn 4, Chastain shrugged off the setbacks and clawed his way to a hard-fought 9th place finish at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

He was quietly thankful for NASCAR’s Lucky Dog rule. After an early pit crew mishap, his team worked quickly to minimize the damage. Fortunately, the issue was mostly cosmetic, allowing him to stay competitive. Even with a more battered truck, he managed to stay aggressive and pull off key overtakes. Ultimately, he crossed the line in 9th place, a respectable finish given the early drama.

Mixed results, strong potential: Chastain’s cup series playoff push

Ross Chastain didn’t have the smoothest weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but he rolled with the punches. Rain wiped out the first Cup Series practice, giving teams less track time. Chastain, though, saw it as a chance to reset and fine-tune his No. 1 Busch Light Lime Chevy. “We got an extra night to sleep on it, think about what it wants,” he said.

Come qualifying, things didn’t go his way, he’ll start 33rd in the Brickyard 400. Not ideal, but it’s a familiar challenge for someone who’s made a name clawing through the field.

Overall, Chastain’s season has been a mixed bag, but he’s still right in the playoff hunt. In 21 races, he’s racked up 1 win at Charlotte, 3 top-5 finishes, and 9 top-10s. He’s sitting 12th in points with an average finish of 15.6, and while he’s had 3 DNFs, he’s shown speed with 62 laps led. That Charlotte win was a big moment — not just for him, but for Trackhouse Racing, marking their first Coca-Cola 600 victory.

Whether he’s dealing with pit road drama or rainy race weekends, Chastain just keeps digging. His grit, experience, and trust in the car prove he’s not just going through the motions — he’s still fighting for results and chasing that playoff spot.