It will be an intense weekend for Ross Chastain and the No. 1 Worldwide Express team as NASCAR’s first round of playoffs culminates Saturday night at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
The Trackhouse Racing driver arrives in Bristol eighth among the 16 playoff drivers, 18 points above the transfer position. Only the top 12 playoff drivers after Saturday’s race will advance to the second round.
He’s in a good, but far from comfortable, spot to advance as he prepares for racing on the half-mile, high-banked track known for multicar accidents.
“NASCAR knew what they were doing when they put Bristol as a cutoff race,” said Chastain. “The transitions the track goes through from the start of the race until the end are insane. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
If Saturday night goes well, Chastain will turn his attention to going even further in the playoffs. To do that, he will need to be in the top eight of the 12 drivers after races at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth on Sept. 24, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on Oct. 1 and the Roval at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Oct. 8.
After a third round, the playoff field will be whittled down to four remaining drivers who will run in an winner-take-all championship race on Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway. Last year, Chastain made it to the final round and finished runner-up to champion Joey Logano.
Chastain will drive the No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet at Bristol. Last year while driving the Worldwide Express livery at the Bristol playoff race, Chastain finished sixth.
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.
USA Network will broadcast Saturday night’s race at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Ross Chastain;
What are some of the challenges with Bristol?
“You can’t control much at Bristol other than your own car, most of the time. It’s happening so fast and you can’t see around the corner to the next straightaway. Something silly can happen. The cars are under immense stress and we as drivers are under stress. Its so loud for the crew chiefs and engineers, spotters and everything is so tightly packed in there. We aren’t as in control at Bristol as we are at some of the other tracks.”
Why do people like coming to Bristol so much?
“It’s an awesome place. If I wasn’t driving in a Cup car, I would still be there because I went the Bristol night race before I ever raced. And then when I was running in the truck series, I would stay over for the Cup race because the race is so awesome. If I wasn’t racing in it, I would definitely be in the stands with friends.”
Trackhouse Racing PR
