MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Ross Chastain was stuck answering questions all summer of where the performance of the No. 1 team went. Yet it was still enough to advance through the Round of 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs last month.
With multiple pit-road miscues at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, Chastain left a few points shy of moving through to the Round of 8. His primary focus for the remainder of the 2025 season was to win.
The No. 1 team’s chance for success looked grim in the early stages of Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Chastain placed 18th in the opening stage and 15th in Stage 2. However, his race turned at Lap 378 when Erik Jones spun off the front bumper of Brad Keselowski during a cycle of green-flag pit stops. Chastain was among five drivers that had yet to dip to pit road and took over the race lead.
Ryan Blaney and William Byron were scored on the tail-end of the lead lap after pitting prior to the caution. The dominant duo that combined to lead 481 of 500 laps moved to the front row with Chastain lined up third.
Over the final quarter of the race, Chastain remained a viable top-five contender. He lined up third for a late restart with 11 laps remaining, but the front two scooted ahead. Ultimately, Chase Elliott got by in the final laps, dropping the No. 1 car to fourth at the checkered flag.
“I want to win, I tried to win and I didn’t win,” Chastain said after the checkered flag. “Spun my tires on the restart and from there they got a gap. I couldn’t keep up with the top two and [Elliott] came by me. We were legitimately a fourth-place car at the end.”
The fourth-place effort is Chastain’s first top five finish in more than five months since winning the Coca-Cola 600, his first crown jewel triumph. Both of his Trackhouse Racing teammates earned top fives in that span, with Shane van Gisbergen knocking off five consecutive road course victories.
Chastain was more pleased with how the Phil Surgen-led No. 1 team overcame an early disturbance of an ill-handling car at Martinsville. When the pay window opened, he took advantage.
“There was a time today that we took the wave around and there was only one car behind me for the choose,” Chastain stated. “At the end, there were only two cars in front of me [for the restart]. I think that’s a testament to 500 laps and Cup racing and some good adjustments. We found some good adjustments around the time we took the wave around and had a free pit stop with not many people on pit road.
“We still weren’t good enough to beat [Byron or Elliott] at the end. I felt like [Kyle Larson] and I were pretty even because he wasn’t close to me. As far as Chevys go, there is still a step up to the 24 for sure today.”
Chastain isn’t sure how a top-five run will bode for future performances. It gives him a shot in the arm of confidence, as he’s guaranteed to have the fewest top fives and top 10s in a single season since joining Trackhouse in 2022. The No. 1 car has paced the field for 83 laps all season (of 9,261 run).
Chastain noted: “Just want to go fast right now.”