Popular driver Ross Chastain formally declared he would be running for the Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship – switching his original plan from challenging the Xfinity Series, where he declared himself championship eligible at the beginning of the year.
Chastain must still win a race sometime in the remainder of the regular season and get into the top-20 in the points standings to earn a championship berth. He won at Kansas two races ago and is a perfect eight-for-eight in top-10 showings. Now he will start earning points toward the championship.
As unorthodox as it may be to switch championship focuses in the middle of the season, Chastain’s decision was well-received in the truck series.
“He’s a great guy,’’ said Stewart Friesen, who is currently second in the championship standings. “I’ve gotten to know Ross a little bit the last year or so. He’s a great competitor and it’s cool.
“Basically we’ve been racing him all year long anyway so he’s been there, just not on the scoreboard midweek. He’s a great racer so he’ll be good.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.