Ross Chastain did not win Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but he did spend some time ahead of the pack. And that means something to Chastain, who has had a terrible series of races leading up to Charlotte.
“It was obviously a fantastic decision to ride forward there at the start of Stage 2. It felt fantastic to lead. “It felt good to win something,” Chastain said after the race, according to John Newby of NBC Sports. “I’m a competitor, and it’s fantastic to be leading laps again. We were running competitively and had been in the top ten all night.
Chastain officially finished eighth before rain cut the Coca-Cola to just 249 laps. That is his highest finish and first top-10 since a seventh-place finish at Circuit of the Americas in March. During the seven-race period between top -10 finishes, Chastain frequently ran inside the top-20 but rarely had a car capable of challenging for a win.
He took a step in the right direction on Sunday, even if it was bit frustrating that he didn’t get to fly through the field before it rained.
“Mother Nature wins,” Chastain posted on X. “We wanted to see what we could’ve done in the final 151 laps with our @Jockey @FoldsofHonor @TeamChevy, but we’ll accept a top ten! “Hoping for dry weather in St. Louis next weekend.”
Ross Chastain celebrates his 200th NASCAR Cup Series start.
Chastain made his 200th NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington Raceway earlier this month, marking a momentous moment for the 31-year-old.
“I told the folks planning my first Cup start for Dover in 2017, ‘No, I didn’t want to do it. “I didn’t think I was prepared,” Chastain told NASCAR.com. “And then I went home, slept about it, woke up, drove back here, and realized I should reconsider and seize this opportunity. I’m not sure if it will ever happen again. So, it’s similar to how the first truck started. I just wanted to do one Cup race to say I did it, and now we’ve reached 200. It’s incredible.
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