Ross Chastain has many memories from his time at Dover Motor Speedway. After all, Chastain made his NASCAR Cup Series debut on June 4, 2017 in the 1-miler, driving the No. 15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet in the Delaware Office of Highway Safety livery to a 20th-place finish. His second career Cup appearance came less than four months later at Dover, with the Delaware Office of Highway Safeway again supporting the Chevy machine for his 38th-place finish on October 1, 2017.
Fast forward to 2024, and Chastain, despite starting 22nd in Sunday’s Würth 400 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), remembers his time at the track and surrounding surroundings fondly.
As a result, it’s only natural for Chastain to desire to return to Victory Lane at the track where he began his Cup Series career.
“I’ve wanted the Miles the Monster trophy for a long time,” Chastain stated. “I’ve spent a lot of time up here in Delaware with our Highway Safety programs like Protect and Use Your Melon, and I’ve also spent a week at the state fair over the summer. When we used to have two races, I spent the entire week building up to them. It’s always been amazing to make so many appearances, participate in so many activities, and visit so many residents. It was the impetus behind my first Cup start. We’ve spent the last few days doing events like we used to, which has been really fantastic.”
In nine career Cup starts at Dover, Chastain has finished in the top five and top ten. However, the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet driver has increased his momentum in the Next Gen era, with top fives and top ten finishes in each of the last two seasons. In fact, Chastain is the only Cup Series driver to finish in the top five at both Dover races during the Next Gen era. Chastain’s 613 laps and 754 laps run inside the top five and ten at Dover in the Next Gen era are also first.
So, what has clicked at Dover? Chastain believes the answer comes not from the driver, but from people around him.
“I feel like the team I’m driving for, Phil Surgen and Trackhouse, just brings really fast, really drivable cars,” Chastain stated. “They’re quite docile over bumps, turn well, have strong rear grip, and a good pit crew. It’s sort of a culmination of everything. We’ve experienced that at a lot of tracks, so I’m not sure why we were able to pull it together here, but it’s been nice.”
Chastain’s momentum has not been as positive recently, with five of his last six 2024 Cup finishes finishing outside the top ten. However, given his recent success at Dover, Ross Chastain may be able to guide the No. 1 to a top result at a circuit with a lot of attachment.
“We’re running well enough. I can feel the grip in the automobiles. “We’re almost there,” Chastain added. “We’re looking for the final tiny components to put it together, and then we’ll have that speed. We don’t have dominant speed, but we’re right in the mix and simply need to cross the finish line. It was the last lap. The last lap is a little different from the previous two weeks, with a completely different feeling. Of course, finishing outside the top ten does not feel nice, but it is acceptable. “We have the upper hand there.”
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