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Ross Chastain lost the season finale race to newly crowned 2022 Cup Series Champion Joey Logano by 1.268 seconds last Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, leaving Chastain as the runner-up behind Logano in the Cup Series 2022 final standings.
The #1 Chevrolet driver started deepest in the field but made his way into the top-10 by the start of Stage 2 and was the fastest on the track in the closing miles. Ross Chastain, however, could not keep pace with eventual title winner Logano’s charge in the final lap and crossed the finish line in third place.
Despite coming so close to lifting his first Cup trophy on Sunday, Ross Chastain said that he felt more hopeful than disappointed with his performance.
The Florida-born driver admitted that he feels proud and happy to make his first career appearance in the playoffs with Trackhouse Racing. Speaking about his finish during the post-race interview, Chastain said:
"The emotions are surprisingly good. Like, I’m not sad. I’m not upset. I honestly thought when we started the playoffs that if we made it, as I go through different scenarios — I do think about what I’m going to think about ahead of time and think about what my thoughts are going to be and what I want them to be, and then I try to evaluate as I go."
He continued:
"I thought if I — like this scenario, if I lost by a little bit, that I would be really upset, and I’m not. Like I’m so proud and so happy to give our first shot at these playoffs and at racing in the Cup Series with Trackhouse, and we just ran second."
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season marked a career-changing year for Ross Chastain
Ross Chastain, the driver of #1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has been the impressive driver of the 2022 season and enjoyed the best season of his NASCAR Cup Series career.
Chastain's efforts from 2021 to 2022 have been very fruitful, securing his first two Cup Series victories at Circuit of the Americas and Talladega Superspeedway. He has also finished with 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes as well as second in the Cup standings. His last year and a half has been a topsy-turvy ride on the aforementioned journey.
Ross Chastain’s dream season ended two spots short at the Phoenix Raceway, but he and his #1 Trackhouse Racing team did all they could. An eighth-generation watermelon farmer has set the stage for future championship runs.
