Ross Chastain hopes his No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet is as fast Sunday at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway as it was in last year’s race on the 2.5-mile triangular-shaped track.
He just wants a better ending this time.
The 30-year-old Alva, Fla., native led 16 laps and was in prime contention to visit victory lane until a restart with 17 laps to go saw he and Denny Hamlin make contact in the first turn. The damage ended Chastain’s race and Hamlin went on to win, but was later disqualified after post-race inspection.
Chastain would like to finally make that trip to victory lane Sunday in Pennsylvania, not only because every driver wants more trophies, but he needs to accumulate the bonus points that will help him advance through the three rounds of NASCAR’s 10-race playoff that begins Sept. 3 in Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
The five bonus points for each race victory and one point for each stage victory carry over in each playoff round as NASCAR whittles the 16-driver field by four in each of the three rounds. The remaining four drivers left after the three rounds advance to the Championship race at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 5.
Chastain owns a victory already and is locked in the playoffs, but with just six races remaining in the regular season, earning race wins and bonus points is high on his and every drivers goals.
He would also like to take sponsor Worldwide Express to victory lane as he did at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway on June 25.
The WWEX group of brands, which comprises Worldwide Express, Unishippers and GlobalTranz, offers full-service logistics expertise to more than 115,000 customers across the country. With access to industry-leading small package, truckload, less-than-truckload and managed transportation solutions, its customers benefit from enhanced visibility and value for their supply chains.
It will be a busy weekend for Chastain.
In addition to the Cup Series, Chastain will also pilot the No. 41 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday at Pocono.
Before heading to the track, Chastain will race Thursday night at Utica-Rome Speedway in central New York. He’ll be driving a dirt modified on the half-mile clay surface.
USA Network will broadcast Sunday’s Pocono race at 2:30 p.m. EDT.
It seems you have a busy week of racing this week, can you talk about that?
“I’m headed to the northeast a little bit early to do some dirt racing on Thursday night at Utica-Rome Speedway in New York. I don’t have a lot of experience on dirt so I just go out there with the mindset to learn something every lap. Then I’ll drive over to Pocono to get in the No. 41 truck for Niece Motorsports to get some extra track time. We had a pretty good car at Pocono last year towards the end of the race so I’m hoping we can get a strong finish for Worldwide Express.”
With the Playoffs coming up here in a few weeks, how do you approach those?
“For me personally, I prepare the same every week whether its a regular season or playoff race. Preparation is key for me. It’s not just simulator work, it’s physical fitness, eating correctly, getting the proper amount of rest, all of those things. To really put your best foot forward I feel you need look at it as a whole. Not just put a bunch of extra time and effort into one thing but try to be well-rounded. At some point there’s only so much you can do though. But I want to control what I can control and the rest is just going to happen.”
Chastain Notes
- 2023 marks Chastain’s third full-time Cup Series season. The Chevrolet driver’s first Cup Series start occurred in 2017. The Alva, Florida native earned his third Cup Series victory at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway on June 25.
- In 2022, Chastain won his first career Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on March 27 and his second at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on April 24.
- The Chevrolet driver finished second in the season ending championshipstandings.
- Voted 2022 National Motorsports Press Association’s Driver of the Year.
- Known for the “Hail Melon” move at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway that has garnered over 225 million views and 1.2B impressions.
- Moose car from Martinsville topped all diecasts in sales for 2022.
- Chastain owns 200 Xfinity Series starts with two wins (Las Vegas in Sept. 2018, and Daytona in July 2019), 23 top-five and 49 top-10 finishes.
- The Florida native has 106 Craftsman Truck Series starts with four wins, three earned in 2019, and one in 2022 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, 21 top-five and 47 top-10 finishes.
- Chastain joined Trackhouse Racing for the 2022 season after Chip Ganassi Racing was acquired last off season by Justin Marks.
- Chastain has driven for Premium Motorsports, Spire Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing in the Cup Series before his first full-time season in 2021.
Trackhouse Racing PR
