Ross Chastain had a chance. It was a very small one, but he technically had a chance to score his first NASCAR Cup series win Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver started 19th and was credited with leading 4 laps when he stayed out during a stage break.
In final 10 laps however, Chastain charged through the field knowing he had a more than enough fuel to make it to the end, something that for a time at least was in doubt for leader Kyle Larson.
Chastain was able to make it to second, and Larson had enough fuel for the win.
The second-place finish was Chastain’s second top five of the year, his best finish prior to Sunday had been in Austin where he finished 4th on the road course.
“It’s finally on a circle track, that’s all I’m happy about,” a smiling Chastain said. “I’m happy about the road courses, I just don’t really know what it’s happening. Here, I know why. I know what we did. I know what I’m doing to drive the car. Road courses, it’s not really pre-planned. This is pre-planned. It’s what we all grew up doing.”
While the run Sunday was promising, and puts Chastain in the Playoff discussion, he knows he will need to win.
“I just want to compete, that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “I’m racing with my heroes. I want to compete with them, and I want to beat them.”
Despite a career best second, Chastain knows he needs to get one spot better.
“I’m just trying to keep my confidence up,” he said. “I got down pretty early in the west coast swing. I’ve realized I just need to keep doing what I’m doing.”
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.