The Melon Man did not qualify very well. Just a mediocre P16. Ross Chastain feels as though he has a much better car, though. In NASCAR, one slip in qualifying can cost you a ton of spots.
With only one top-5 this season, Ross Chastain is far from his 2023 performance or even his 2022 season. It has been since Las Vegas since Chastain found himself near the front of a race. Since then, he hasn’t be terrible, but hardly able to run in the top-10.
So, why does Chastain feel good about his chances this week? According to the Trackhouse Racing driver, he has a top-five car. The only problem is he will have to move up in the field to prove it.
“I got really loose off turn two,” Chastain explained about his qualifying run, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports.
“For sure, I think we’re a top-five car,” he responded when asked if he felt better than what that P16 result showed.
Trackhouse Racing has not had the speed they have had in the last two seasons. Things just are not clicking from their sim work and other prerace prep to the actual race track. The last time Chastain went 13 races with only one top-five was his 2021 season with Chip Ganassi.
The season has not been going how Ross Chastain envisioned it. But that doesn’t mean things are falling apart. He can turn things around with a win coming up soon. Nashville is around the corner and with a win, he can make a run in the postseason for the championship.
The Enjoy Illinois 300 is another opportunity. Both Chastain and his teammate Daniel Suárez have had their struggles. The only difference is that Suárez has that Atlanta win to lean back on. Right now, the No. 1 team has nothing to lean on besides their points standing, and that could be risky.
Besides Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, no one has really found a consistent groove. A lot of up-and-down drivers and teams trying to make it work each week. The only problem is, there’s just one winner on Sundays. Everyone else goes home a loser.
In 2022, Ross Chastain was P8 in the Gateway race. He has experience here and has had speed in the past two years. He just has to stay out of trouble, avoid blowing up his brakes on this tricky track, and run a complete race.
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