2 weeks agoRoss Chastain has a history of qualifying poorly at Darlington and getting good finishes, and that continued again in Sunday's race as he started 25th before eventually finishing seventh. He had just worked his way into the top 10 for the first time in the middle of Stage 2 when he got trapped a lap down after pitting right before a caution came out. Although he was able to take the wave-around, he was unable to make much progress because he had older tires than the leaders. However, he slowly advanced from 15th to ninth in Stage 3 before grabbing two positions on the race-ending restart. Despite not scoring any stage points, he still moved from 19 points to 31 points above the playoff cut line and broke his tie for 12th in points with Chase Briscoe.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 weeks agoRoss Chastain has never won at Darlington, but that does not reflect how well he has run, as he has led 134 laps at the track. Oddly, 119 of those laps led came in two races he crashed out of. More typically, Chastain qualifies poorly and gains numerous positions in the field, as he did in the 2021, 2023, and 2024 Southern 500s, when he qualified worse than 20th every single time and earned top-five finishes. Chastain's 25th-place starting position on Sunday is very commensurate with that, so the odds look good that if he doesn't crash or suffer any kind of bad luck, he's definitely one of the absolute best options to start in this race. The only real argument is that he's never made a charge like that in the spring race, but his Southern 500 performances should likely carry over to the spring race eventually.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 weeks agoRoss Chastain had an uncharacteristically quiet run at Martinsville, finishing sixth at a track that is normally not one of his best. Although the Hail Melon from 2022 will always define his Martinsville career, this was probably his best run here as he matched his best average running position from that race but had a much higher pass differential, which probably mostly explains why he had his highest career driver rating, breaking 100 for the first time in yesterday's event. After breaking in the top ten during the pit stops on the fourth caution, he spent most of the remainder of the race in the back half of the top five, getting as high as fourth without really contending. For a driver who is such a lightning rod for controversy, these are the sorts of runs he needs if he is going to return to serious championship contention.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 weeks agoTrackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain will start 17th for Martinsville Speedway's Cook Out 400 on Sunday. This will be the fourth time since 2022 that Chastain will start a Martinsville race from inside the top 20. In 12 previous cup events at the site, Chastain has seven top-20 finishes, including six straight results of 14th or better in this week's race. Through six races this season, Chastain has four finishes of 12th or better at various track types. In practice, Chastain ranked 18th in overall lap averages while displaying top-10 speeds in the 25 and 30 consecutive lap average categories, showcasing how his car is best on longer green flag runs. Based on his upside, recent Martinsville history, and 2025 performance, along with his practice speeds, Chastain is a solid driver to consider for all formats, and he works best as a pivot option to other top-priced options.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
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