“Lost My Mind There”- Ross Chastain Blames Himself After Pit Road Slipup Cost Him a Winning Shot at Vegas

Ross Chastain thundered into the 2024 NASCAR season with an assertive stance. He was the cause and the victim of several wrecks in each of the first three races. Chastain was also caught for speeding penalties in Daytona, Atlanta, and Las Vegas. However, a different story may unfold in Phoenix.

Chastain, who won the Phoenix race in November last year, dominated that race, leading 157 out of 312 laps. He would have snatched the crown from Ryan Blaney if he had not been eliminated from the playoffs. However, this time he hopes to learn from his mistakes in Las Vegas to perform better in Phoenix.

Ross Chastain owns up to his mistake in Sin City

The Trackhouse Racing team is working wonders in the 2024 season starter races. Daniel Suarez snagged the trophy at the Atlanta race, securing a spot in the playoffs. Ross Chastain is also coming up hot in contention, finishing in the top 10 in Atlanta and top 5 in Las Vegas. But like every other dedicated racer, Chastain is determined to up his game.

Read More: Despite Coming Off a Win, Ross Chastain Is Concerned With Phoenix and Its Struggles

In a pre-race interview ahead of the Shriner’s Children 500 race in Phoenix, he scrutinized his actions in the previous races while speaking to the press.

Jim Utter of Motorsport asked Chastain if he could have done better in the last races. Chastain said, “Yes sir, yeah. If I was back in my days of Premium Motorsports and gonna run 27th on a good day and I sped and I made us finish 29th, it was like, well, okay…Now, when we have cars capable of winning, I watched the race back post-Las Vegas and I’m like, ‘It doesn’t look like a race-winning car,’ but in the car, I felt like it was a race-winning capable car to fight with [Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick].”

Then he got down to the technical details and his speeding regrets. “So I just wanted a shot to continue to make adjustments on my car up front, continue to put four tires on it. The two-tire call was great, and it was a great band-aid. When we look back, I might not even remember the speeding penalty. Most people won’t, I know I will.”

When Corey Lajoie spun with 33 laps remaining, Chastain got a big break. His crew chief, Phil Surgen, made an effective call. He changed two tires under caution to get enough track position to start next to Larson on the front row. Chastain ended up finishing 4th.

However, Chastain is pressuring himself to do better. “I just can’t get past it because it’s such an unforced error. I just kind of lost my mind there when I realized I’ve done it again.”

The situation in Atlanta was a lot more complex, and Chastain ended up criticizing NASCAR for a crucial rule change.

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Chastain lashed out at NASCAR for debilitating change in Atlanta

There were no practice sessions held before the Atlanta race. To top it off, there was also significant pit road configuration, so drivers had no time to get used to the track. This resulted in penalties stacking up on top of the other. Besides Ross Chastain, several drivers were slapped with speeding penalties: Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, and Josh Berry.

Ross Chastain criticized NASCAR officials for making things harder in Atlanta. “Let us practice, it’s what we want, these teams and drivers…. I think I just speak for myself. I want to practice, Trackhouse wants to practice, why we’re not? And I haven’t heard a legitimate answer other than we don’t practice.”

Both Chastain and Suarez finished in the top 15 in Friday’s 50-minute practice session. 

As the Phoenix race is scheduled to be held only a few hours away, let us see if Ross Chastain can learn from his mistakes.