"They kicked our butts": Ross Chastain reflects on Team Penske's momentum following New Hampshire dominance

Ross Chastain thinks that Team Penske is going to be a force to reckon with over the next couple of weeks, leading to the Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway. On that note, he reflected on their dominance last week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Chastain’s comments surfaced during an interview with Frontstretch. Noting how Team Penske made the Round of 8, with Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano starting on the front row at New Hampshire, the Trackhouse Racing driver said,

“I know they had a lot of grip in New Hampshire, so no telling what happens in a month and a half when we get to Phoenix, but they've been fast there as well, and they kicked our butts in New Hampshire." (0:38 onwards)

At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney won the race, while Logano, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, ended up finishing fourth in a 36-car field. Ross Chastain, who was also in the mix, bagged a P9 finish. The Alva, Florida, native is currently ranked ninth in the playoff picture, with a 12-point deficit on the cutoff line.

To make the Round of 8 like Blaney, Chastain has to keep scoring stage points whilst staying out of on-track scuffles or mistakes that could cost him his playoff run. He can also win a race and qualify directly for the next round.

Next up for Chastain is the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet at Kansas Speedway. Scheduled for Sunday, September 28, the 267-lap event will mark the 31st race of the season. Fans can watch it on the USA Network (3 pm ET onwards) or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

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Ross Chastain looks forward to replicating his 2024 sweep at Kansas Speedway

Ross Chastain happens to be the 2024 winner at Kansas Speedway. Last year, he put up quite a dominant performance at the 1.05-mile, tri-oval intermediate racetrack, snatching the lead late from Martin Truex Jr., who is now retired, and crossing the finish line 0.388 seconds ahead of runner-up William Byron.

It’s been a year since then, but Chastain thinks he has what it takes to log a back-to-back sweep. Talking about the same in a press release, Chastain explained:

“I feel our intermediate program is the strongest for the No. 1 car out of the different types of tracks. I think if we can replicate how we ran at Kansas last year and Charlotte this year, that we'll have a strong shot to win or definitely run inside the top-five.”

“We haven't been able to do that at all of the mile-and-a-half tracks this year though. The little bit of a question mark going into Kansas is if we can replicate those races,” he added.

Ross Chastain qualified ninth for the Kansas Speedway race and will start on Row 5 alongside Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones. Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe won the pole, and he will start alongside Denny Hamlin.