When Chip Ganassi revealed how he took a gamble with Ross Chastain and it paid off

It is not often that a driver pitched by a sponsor gets a chance in NASCAR, but Ross Chastain's case was different. The driver was given a seat by Chip Ganassi for a handful of races by listening to the suggestions of DC Solar. The brand's owner, Jeff Carpoff, met Ross Chastain while he was working on a bus in between the sessions.

Carpoff was impressed with the young driver's grit and determination. He followed Chastain for some time and saw him outperform his car's potential. Carpoff then persuaded Chip Ganassi to give Chastain a chance in his team. Chastain drove it to the front of the field in his very first race, banging wheels with Kevin Harvick. This impressed the team owner, and he decided to continue with the talented driver in 2018.

Chip Ganassi shared the reason for selecting Chastain as his team's driver, talking to the media in 2018.

"We’re putting him in the car because we think he can win races and compete for the championship. I want to thank Jeff Carpoff for pushing me to hire him. I probably could not have pointed Ross out of all the women and him. Before Jeff pushed me into trying this guy out, I repeatedly told Jeff that he didn’t know what he was talking about and to leave the drivers to me,” Chip Ganassi said (via ISM Raceway Media Center).

Ross Chastain drove the No. 42 car for the Chip Ganassi Racing team for a limited number of races and then started racing full-time for the team in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021.

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Ross Chastain opens up about his clash with Daniel Suarez at Sonoma

Ross Chastain remained silent after an incident with his teammate, Daniel Suarez, at Sonoma. The driver left the pit road last weekend without addressing the reporters, but has finally opened up about the clash.

The incident happened when the Trackhouse Racing teammates tangled on turn 11 during the race, dropping both of them significant places. Chastain's silence on the incident led to the fans making assumptions and analyzing the incident, with some supporting Chastain and others supporting Suarez.

This week, Ross Chastain accepted his mistake and openly apologized to his teammate, Daniel Suarez.

"I do have to talk about spinning my teammate. It’s bad. It’s really bad. I’ve already apologized to him, and I am sorry to the #99 group. Daniel and I had a good conversation. But ultimately doesn’t take back the fact that I wrecked him. So those are never easy to talk about," Chastain said (via the Like A Farmer podcast).

The duo will be back in action for the Brickyard 400 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend. Both of them would want to deliver a strong result for their team. Chastain currently stands 12th while Suarez stands 29th in the NASCAR Cup Series rankings.