Ross Chastain reveals how the Chevrolet synergy helped him snatch William Byron’s Coca-Cola 600 victory

Ross Chastain passed William Byron with five laps to go and won this year’s Coca-Cola 600, held on Sunday night (May 25) at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Chastain led only eight laps during the 400-lap event, as opposed to Byron’s 283.

The way Chastain leaped from a P40 starting position and snatched the lead from his fellow Chevy icon, who happened to have swept all three stages, was quite impressive. However, in no way was the Trackhouse sensation trying to dominate the Hendrick Motorsports ace.

Explaining the same during an interview with PRN, Chastain said,

“I have no interest in winning by a lap ever. So as soon as I got the lead, it was just 'don't hit the wall, don't get tight'. We were both tight. The 24 (of Byron) and the 1 car (of Chastain) had very similar setups tonight, part of the Chevy key partner alliance.“

“We were both sliding our front tires, and I just thought, 'give myself some wiggle room off the wall', and he wasn't able to get back to me,” he added.

It was Chastain’s maiden victory of the 2025 season, sixth all-time and first crown jewel triumph. 13 races into the season, the man sits eighth in the championship standings with 350 points to his name. Byron tops that list with 499 points.

Next up for the drivers is the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. Scheduled for Sunday, June 1, the 300-lap race will be televised on Prime Video, 7 pm ET onwards, with live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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"No one can tell me what to do”- Ross Chastain makes a clear statement following his stellar Charlotte outing

Like every time, Ross Chastain celebrated his Coke 600 victory by smashing a watermelon on the racetrack. While some might find his tradition over-the-top, it is safe to say that Chastain does not care.

Reflecting on his post-race celebration, the speedster said (via Yardbarker),

“I won and no one can tell me what to do. I will admit that we reached the two-hour mark a little bit ago since the finish, and they were barking at me in victory lane and I was a little more cordial earlier.”

Ross Chastain became the first driver in more than 50 years to start a points-paying race from the back of the field (last place), and then win it. That explains why he was so excited by the results of Sunday’s race.

“They know, and I've told them in the past, when I win, I'm going to soak this in because of the times I didn't,” he added.

With the win, Ross Chastain also qualified for the playoffs.