Ross Chastain details his mindset during the final laps leading to the Coca-Cola 600 triumph

Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain won the Coca-Cola 600 race on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Following his phenomenal win at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he was featured in an interview with Kevin Harvick's co-host Kaitlyn Vincie during which he opened up about his mindset during the final laps of the 600-mile race.

Chastain had a tough day during the Coca-Cola 600. He began the race from the end of the pack in a backup car. However, he paved his way up, and by the end of stage one, he was in P22. Following his quick recovery, he finished in P7 in stage two. He then moved up to the top five drivers in stage three of the race and took home the victory, crossing the finish line ahead of William Byron.

By lap 375 of the 400-lap race, Ross Chastain moved to second place, and ten laps further, he made a move on race leader William Byron. The #1 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver executed a clean slide job on turn two and took the lead. Reflecting on the same, Vincie questioned the Coca-Cola 600 winner about his mindset during the final laps.

The Trackhouse Racing driver claimed he ran two extra laps by accident when the #11 Toyota and #24 Chevy drivers pitted. He further explained:

"I thought that was it—I got there and I was loose, then I got tight, and I kind of thought, “I tried really hard right there... that’s kind of it. So I backed off a bit. The front tires were hot and needed to cool down. At the same time, I realized I was hot too, so I turned on my cool shirt—cold water starts pumping through the vest we wear. It helped me cool down and reset mentally." [04:21 onwards]

"Little things like that—being able to cool off—helped me stay focused. After resetting, I noticed the 24 was getting tighter than I was. He had a bobble off Turn 4 and got loose, and it was over from there," he added.

Ross Chastain crossed the finish line 0.673 seconds ahead of the Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron. Meanwhile, another race leader, Denny Hamlin, finished the race in P16, and his teammate, Chase Briscoe, finished in P3.

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"Finally nailed the balance": Ross Chastain applauded the #1 Chevy Racing team for their race-winning efforts at Charlotte Motor Speedway

After securing the first win of the season and the sixth win of his Cup Series career, Ross Chastain credited the Coca-Cola 600 win to his crew chief, Phil Surgen. Chastain later highlighted that Surgen "nailed" the balance of the car, allowing the #1 Chevy to sail through the pack for the lead.

“On the last run, Phil Surgen finally nailed the balance. It's the first time all night I said, 'You nailed it', stated Chastain (via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90, on X). [00:47 onwards]

Ross Chastain ranks eighth on the Cup Series points table with 350 points to his credit. He secured one win at Charlotte Motor Speedway, seven top-ten finishes, and three top-five finishes in 13 starts this season.