Chastain into NASCAR playoffs
Ross Chastain has defied the odds and an army of drivers vowing to stop him, to dominate the Ally 400 in Nashville today, securing himself a spot in the 2023 NASCAR playoffs.
Chastain finished nearly a second clear of Martin Truex Jr with Denny Hamlin in third another five seconds back.
Chastain led a race-high 99 of the 300 laps run on the unique concrete oval after a blisteringly hot day where the mercury pushed to nearly 40 degrees Celsius.
He started from the pole for the first time in his Cup career and looked to have complete control for most of the night despite a late race challenge by Truex Jr that amounted to little.
Truex Jr, with Australian crew chief James Small calling the shots, closed to within 0.3s of Chastain in the closing laps before a bold move to split back markers by Chastain broke the will of the Toyota driver who remains the pointscore leader as the playoffs approach.
The win for Chastain looked as much of a relief after a tough month as anything else. He and team owner Justin Marks spoke of the learning process for a young, aggressive driver who created many enemies in the pitlane.
Ross Chastain fends off Martin Truex Jr at Nashville Superspeedway. Photo by Nigel Kinrade / NKP / LAT Images
Marks hinted that be believes his controversial driver is the best in the series at the moment, and defended him through the criticisms of the past month, adding that he, too, is growing as a new team owner just as his driver is growing.
“I think Ross showed today that he’s really in rare air in this series, at this level,” Marks said Sunday night after the win. “He’s learning, he’s maturing. It’s an incredible moment for us.”
The win is Chastain’s third in the series, first since the 2022 GEICO 500 at Tallagdega and his first on an oval track in the hometown of Trackhouse.
“To get an oval win is incredible,” he said before reflecting on the criticisms of Truex and Hamlin. “Did you see the two cars we passed? It felt pretty good. To drive by him (Truex) and the #11, it was a definite statement.
“When he passed me early in Stage 3 he gave me the peace sign, and I thought that was OK because he wasn’t angry with me. When the sun went down, the car came alive, and I was able to pass him back.”
Chastain said he hoped running three wide for three laps with Truex on the inside and William Byron running in the middle, earned him some credits and respect that was later paid back.
The race ran green for most of the night, with the biggest crash of the night coming on the second restart when Ryan Blaney was spun to the infield after contact and went headfirst into the concrete wall.
The series now moves to Chicago for the street race this weekend where Shane van Gisbergen will race for Trackhouse with the playoffs two months away.
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