Ross Chastain deemed “one of if not the best” in NASCAR at present by insider

Following Ross Chastain's phenomenal win last Sunday (May 25), NASCAR Insider Jordan Bianchi argued that the Trackhouse Racing driver could be the best on the field today. He believes Chastain is the ideal go-to for teams looking for someone to drive for them.

Chastain, driver of the #1 Chevrolet Camaro, put on a show in the Coca-Cola 600 after winning from dead last, making him the first to do so. He started 40th in a backup car (missed the qualifying session), which the team worked on overnight.

The 32-year-old took the lead from William Byron, who led for 283 of 400 laps and won all stages, after diving into the bottom off turn two with six laps remaining. He fended off the Hendrick Motorsports driver before taking the checkered flag for his first win of the year.

Describing Ross Chastain's racing prowess, Jordan Bianchi said (via The Teardown podcast with Jeff Gluck):

“You have got to be looking at this going, ‘Man, that is a driver I want.’ Like I could put him in my racecar and I know I can give him great stuff, and he's going to go do it.”

The NASCAR Insider described the Trackhouse Racing driver as versatile for winning at different track types, before concluding:

“There really isn't much of a weakness in his game right now. The weakness for so long was bad decision making and impatience... and that is no longer the case. He has evolved, he's gotten better, and now he is one of, if not the best driver right now in the sport.”

After the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night, Ross Chastain became a six-time Cup race winner. He won at Circuit of the Americas and Talladega in 2022, Nashville and Phoenix in 2023, and Kansas last year.

Perhaps his most memorable on-track moment was riding the wall on the final lap at Martinsville Speedway three years ago, which allowed him to advance to the Championship 4. The move was later banned, though he's proud to be the first and last driver to do it.

Ross Chastain drives the #1 Chevrolet Camaro for Trackhouse Racing - Source: Imagn

His next race is scheduled at Nashville Superspeedway for the Cracker Barrel 400. Amazon Prime will commence the race broadcast on June 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

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“That paid off at the end”: Ross Chastain on pit confusion that led to victory at Charlotte

In a post-race interview at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Ross Chastain admitted experiencing a miscommunication with the #1 Trackhouse Racing team over the pit strategy. However, the mistake seemingly favored Chastain, allowing him to fight for the win.

His crew chief, Phil Surgen, had told him to come in earlier, but he stayed out for two more laps. Recalling the situation, the Florida native shared (via NASCAR):

“To drive on the final run in the World 600 and pass two cars that had been way better all night. Phil Surgen wanted me to pit two laps earlier. I went two laps longer just out of a little bit of confusion. Man, that paid off at the end. These Goodyear Eagles held on longer.” [1:38]

Chastain crossed the finish line ahead of William Byron and pole-sitter Chase Briscoe. A.J. Allmendinger and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five. Meanwhile, Chastain's Trackhouse Racing teammates Shane van Gisbergen and Daniel Suarez finished in 14th and 36th (DNF), respectively.