Expect Ross Chastain To Compete For The Win At Watkins Glen
6 months agoDuring qualifying for this week's Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International, Ross Chastain gained the pole and will start the race first. It is Chastain's second career pole position in the Cup Series and the first on a road course. In five races at Watkins Glen, Chastain's best finish is 12th, but he also has four finishes with positive PD at the site. In 27 races completed in the 2024 season, Chastain has nine top-10 finishes, including finishes of seventh and fifth at the road courses of COTA and Sonoma, respectively. In practice, Chastain was one of the fastest drivers as he ranked sixth in overall lap averages and in the Top 3 of all other categories on speed. Even if Chastain offers no upside since he starts first, his blistering practice speeds and overall history at road courses outside of Watkins Glen make him a favorite to compete for the win and lead laps as an early dominator.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Ross Chastain Fastest In Practice At Las Vegas
2 days agoRoss Chastain fired out of the gates fast at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, as the No. 1 Chevrolet was the fastest car in practice on Saturday afternoon. Chastain's lap (187.846 mph) was faster by over two-tenths of a second than the second-fastest driver, Bubba Wallace. And really, it shouldn't be that surprising. Statistically, Chastain has been one of the best at Las Vegas in the Next Gen era, with an average finish of 5.5 over the last six races. Over that span, the Melon Man has just one result worse than seventh at Las Vegas, and that was a 12th-place effort in 2023. There's no doubt that the No. 1 Chevrolet is fast this weekend, and Chastain makes a good DFS pick because of that. He also has Place Differential upside, as he qualified back in 19th for Sunday's race. At a palatable $8,300 on DraftKings, Chastain is a solid DFS pick this weekend with high upside.
Source: Driver Averages
Source: Driver Averages
Ross Chastain Qualifies 24th At Phoenix But Should Improve On Race Day
1 week agoRoss Chastain was a bit down on the speed chart in qualifying on Saturday for this weekend's Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway, as the No. 1 Chevrolet will roll off the grid from 24th when the race goes green on Sunday. However, don't expect Chastain to ride around mid-pack all day. In terms of practice speeds, Ross looked solid during the pre-qualifying session, ranking inside the top 10 in 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, and 30-lap average. As far as track history goes, Chastain has been one of the strongest at Phoenix in the Next Gen era, with four results of sixth or better in the six races, including a win in the fall 2023 race. He wound up finishing sixth in the spring race last season after starting 12th. At $8,800 on DraftKings this weekend, Chastain carries a relatively hefty price tag, but the Place Differential upside makes him a viable DFS option on Sunday.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Don't Be Surprised If Ross Chastain Contends At COTA
2 weeks agoRoss Chastain should definitely be on your radar at Circuit of the Americas this weekend. Not only does the Trackhouse Racing driver already have a win under his belt here, but he also owns the best average finish (4.0) among active Cup Series drivers at this track. In four career starts in Austin, Chastain hasn't finished worse than seventh, and his average driver rating of 117.4 ranks best among all drivers as well. This weekend, Chastain qualified ninth for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. Additionally, the No. 1 Chevrolet ranked fastest in five-lap average during practice on Saturday afternoon. At just $8,600 on DraftKings, Ross Chastain looks like an excellent tournament DFS pick this weekend. He has been a constantly top-10 threat at road courses over the last few years, and seems to have something figured out particularly well at COTA specifically.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Ross Chastain's Chances For Victory End After A Bump From Carson Hocevar
3 weeks agoRoss Chastain was a relative non-factor in the first half of Sunday's Atlanta race, as he rarely ran in the top 10 until he stayed out of the pits during the Stage 2 caution when the other leaders pitted. However, on the ensuing restart, Chastain immediately took the lead from Chase Briscoe with the help of Shane van Gisbergen and ran consistently near the front for the rest of the race, leading seven times for 25 laps. He beat the leader Kyle Larson to the line on the overtime restart but ultimately fell to eighth after his protege Carson Hocevar bumped him out of the racing groove, which caused him to lose his momentum. Although Chastain missed out on what could have been a possible win and confronted Hocevar after the race, he still did what he needed to do in avoiding a crash.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference