Ross Chastain defied the odds, drove through the pack, and proved that he’s an elite driver.
Coming into this weekend, it seems like all of the chatter was about Kyle Larson‘s second attempt at the Memorial Day Double. Racing a combined 1100 miles in one day is no small feat, especially considering that those miles would be split between two very different race cars. If anyone could do it, it’s Larson. Racing is a cruel sport, however. Racing does not always reward talent or persistence. Sometimes you end up wrecking out of both races and completing just 595 miles between the two of them.
Sometimes, though, persistence is rewarded. Ross Chastain and his embattled Trackhouse Racing team had a lot to be excited about when they showed promising speed in practice. All of that promise, however, was shattered when Chastain wrecked bad enough to require the preparation of a backup car. This required the team to stay up late – with some team members coming in on their day off to help – to get the backup car ready for race day. Thank God the race was in Charlotte, the home base for just about every team in the garage, including Trackhouse.
Chastain would start dead last in an expanded forty-car field. While the excellent Amazon Prime (more on that later) broadcast booth did a great job covering the race, it seemed that Chastain was more or less lost in the shuffle. Larson, William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin all had their time in the spotlight running up front. For a moment, it even looked as if Carson Hocevar may win the race before his engine expired on a restart.
Meanwhile, Chastain was quietly making his way up through the pack. He was patient. He chose his moves carefully. At the end of the 600 mile race, he proved to everyone that he’s not the all-out-all-the-time aggressive driver that he was made out to be a few seasons back. This win is a popular one, and for good reason. Chastain’s a likeable guy, with a feel-good backstory – especially this particular weekend – and a cool watermelon-smashing gimmick. This new and improved Chastain, however, has the makings of a guy who is a threat to win every weekend. Watch out.
I wanted to take a moment to talk about the Amazon Prime broadcast. No disrespect to the guys in the Fox booth – especially Mike Joy, who is, to me, the voice of NASCAR – but the Amazon Prime crew knocked it out of the park. Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s perspective as a driver combines perfectly with Steve Letarte‘s insights as a crew chief. Corey Lajoie and Carl Edwards were pleasant suprises, and the post-race content in particular was quite memorable.
Going into this season, I wasn’t excited about yet another broadcast partner, and yet another streaming service. My previous experiences with Amazon Prime Video have been less than ideal, with numerous issues related to skipping video, audio, or both. However, seeing NASCAR – and the Coca-Cola 600 in particular – treated with such reverence was a sigh of relief compared to the occasionally cartoony Fox broadcasts. I’m excited for these next five races.
Photo: Logan Riely/Getty Images
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