There are a multitude of reasons why Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth in Daytona is an important week in the life of No. 1 Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain.
For a NASCAR Cup Series driver and his manufacturer, no trophy surpasses the hardware awarded in victory lane at the Daytona 500. If Chastain hoists that trophy Sunday, it will mark his first and Chevrolet’s 25th Daytona 500 victory.
It will also mark Chevrolet’s 50th Cup Series victory at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
The Great American Race in front of Florida race fans in his home state also holds special significance to the eighth-generation watermelon farmer from Alva, about 240 miles southwest of the track. Sunday’s race also marks the start of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Season and the 30-year-old Chastain seeks a fast start to the 38-race schedule.
Last year, Chastain couldn’t have started much worse nor could he have finished much better.
He finished last (40th) in Daytona after a lap-63 crash and 28th the following week at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. But in just his second full-time Cup season, Chastain exploded on the scene winning at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on March 27 and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on April 24 while posting 15 top-fives and 21 top-10s.
He finished just .301-seconds behind winner Joey Logano in the championship race at Phoenix Raceway.
There will be a great deal of familiar faces around the No. 1 when it rolls onto the track for qualifying Wednesday night and in the qualifying Duels Thursday night. Every pit crew and race team member returns from the 2022 season on the Phil Surgen-led team.
They’ll also look the same.
The 2022 breakout driver of the year will pilot an AdventHealth Chevrolet for the third time at Daytona. The Altamonte Springs, Fla., company first partnered with Chastain at Daytona in 2020 when he was a part-time driver. AdventHealth will serve as primary sponsor a total of six times in 2023 as Chastain battles for the title.
It’s a big week for Chastain, FS1 and Fox will air every second of on-track action. Fox will broadcast Sunday’s 500-mile race at 2:30 p.m. EST.
Trackhouse Racing PR
