Trackhouse Racing star Ross Chastain’s playoff qualification is in serious jeopardy after crashing out of the race early at Pocono Raceway. Coming off Turn 3, Chastain couldn’t get his car to turn as he rammed into the outside wall. He hit the rear bumper and followed up with a nasty hit on the right front tire.

He complained about losing control of the wheel before crashing his race car. It was clear that, with a broken suspension, there was no hope of getting the car repaired and back on track. While this was a dismal result for Ross Chastain, it opened the door for Bubba Wallace and Chris Buescher to make gains on the Trackhouse Racing star in terms of the playoff race.

Before the race, Bubba Wallace needed 42 points to close the gap, whereas a good result for Chris Buescher would likely leapfrog the Melon Man in the points standings. Additionally, both drivers from Justin Mark’s camp have struggled to find consistent runs throughout this season. And now, with a playoff spot at stake, fans lost their cool seeing their favorite driver continue his struggle with the No.1 car.

Chastain kicked off the Great American Getaway 400 from 19th place in the 37-car field. His No.1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet was hanging around 21st when things went south in Turn 3 during the 53rd lap of the scheduled 160, causing contact with the wall. As the Trackhouse crew quickly realized the damage was severe, with broken control arms in the right front, Chastain’s day ended abruptly.

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“I’m just worried about why I spun out. Race car drivers in the Cup Series shouldn’t be doing that. We don’t see that too often, so when I do it myself, I’m as surprised as everybody else. I just flat spun out.” Ross Chastain said this after wrecking his car. However, he remained pretty tight-lipped about any potential problems with it and his thoughts about being under pressure to make the playoffs.

Ross Chastain wasn’t too focused on the playoff picture as he tried to deal with his second DNF in three weeks. On the contrary, his crew chief, Phil Surgen, was already thinking ahead. Surgen told NASCAR.com that Chastain had mentioned the car was sliding and needed adjustments. “We started that run a bit tight, and as the tires wore, it got looser,” Surgen explained. “A few laps before the issue, Ross had said the car had freed up and needed more right-rear grip. Unfortunately, it was just a tough break.”

As for Chastain, he kept it short and to the point: “I don’t know, it’s math, so it’s not gonna help.” Despite his calm demeanor, fans on Reddit weren’t holding back. They openly criticized the team co-owner, Justin Marks, blaming him for what they see as a season derailment for their favorite driver.

Fans believe Ross Chastain’s wreck had nothing to do with his skills and everything t0 do with Justin Marks

Trackhouse Racing has a widespread racing operation with multiple drivers signed to them. Moreover, they are always in the news about potential expansion. But this fan warned Justin Marks and Trackhouse Racing to return to the drawing board and save their sinking ship: “Justin Marks needs to fix these trash heap cars. Stop signing 15 drivers and playing musical chairs; stop buying charters and projects. Fix these garbage cars. The 1 and 99 have been junk since Texas. I worry about SVG driving these mediocre cars.”

Additionally, there were some non-Suarez fans as well. Daniel Suarez somehow managed to sneak in a win earlier this season at Atlanta, and as a result, making the playoffs over Chastain would not be a welcoming sight for a few race fans, “Suarez making the playoffs but not Chastain would be a tragedy.” However, Suarez is currently 99 points behind Ross Chastain in the Cup Series standings.

There’s no doubt that NASCAR fans are passionate about their race teams and the drivers they support. While they stick by them through thick and thin, they certainly do not appreciate the outside noise and distraction taking the limelight away from the primary goal of winning races, targeting team co-owner Justin Marks. “And Justin Marks will do nothing because he’s a f***ing joke. Make another YouTube video loser.”

As the No.1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet was running 21st before it broke loose in Turn 3, making significant right-side contact with the outside retaining wall, he had broken control arms in the right front. This resulted in his second DNF in the past three weeks. Picking up on the same incident, some even suspected a malfunction with Chastain’s Chevy: “lmao, what the f**k is going on today? Chastain NEVER wrecks by himself.”

Besides a budding Cup Series program, Justin Marks and Trackhouse have also spread their wings into MotoGP Racing. But this fan urged the stakeholders to get their house in order and focus on NASCAR racing before it was too late. “Maybe Trackhouse should stop worrying about their brand and other racing ventures and try to bring faster cars to the track.”

It’s just five races now until the end of the regular season. With Bubba Wallace closing the gap to just 27 points, Chastain is now under serious threat of missing out on the playoffs.