Ross Chastain joined Trackhouse Racing over two years ago and brought the team success. He made the playoffs for consecutive years, ending 2022 as the championship runner-up. But for the first time in his career, it seems like Chastain has hit a low. After several unlucky last-lap misses, he entered Darlington 27 points below the cutline. And he failed to cut it, even as his teammate sparkles in the playoffs.

Daniel Suarez scripted his playoff story early this year in Atlanta and almost won on the same track last weekend. For that, the Mexican speedster got a lot of push from his Trackhouse partner who has now shuffled his priorities in the post-season.

Ross Chastain is turning over a new leaf

There were several instances this year when the No. 1 Chevy driver threatened Cup Series leaders. But every time Ross Chastain failed, it was painful. At Texas, he battled side-by-side with Chase Elliott until William Byron turned him into the wall with half a lap to go. Then in Nashville, Chastain was leading with just five laps to go when Denny Hamlin passed him and Kyle Larson collected him in a wreck. In both races, Chastain looked to finish second before the late-race chaos cut 60+ points. So, if those chaotic moments had not happened, we would have very well seen the No. 1 car in the playoffs.

However, Ross Chastain is opting to look at things optimistically, although the ambiance is different. His Apple calendar drastically changed as playoff deadlines and obligations were pulled off. Despite the searing pain, Chastain is adapting to the situation. He told Racer recently, “I get notifications whenever stuff gets added or taken off. It was motivation as I just had to watch them ding and pop up, ‘Deleted. Deleted. Deleted.’ So, it was tough. It doesn’t feel good, for sure.”

Winning four races over 2022 and 2023, Ross Chastain had set a standard at Trackhouse Racing. However, 2024 was vastly different – as he bled away over 120 points in the final eight races. Yet Chastain does teammate duties well, as he pushed Daniel Suarez for a second-place result at Atlanta. Suarez thanked his “dancing partner,” stating, “I can’t thank [Chastain] enough because he pushed me very, very good on the restart, all the way in 1 and 2, all the way in 3 and 4. I was timing the second push and once I got the second push, I lost him. I don’t know if he had a flat tire or what happened exactly, but once I lost him, I knew that was game over because that was my dancing partner.”

Yet, Ross Chastain along with a handful of other drivers look to use their dancing skills for another purpose in the post-season.

They have nothing to lose

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NASCAR’s modern playoff format usually features surprise exits, stunning upsets, and crazy finishes. However, 2024 may present a wilder scenario – regular and dominant contenders are out of the playoff grid this season. For instance, two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch could not crack the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. He is currently focused on maintaining his 19-year streak of attaining Cup wins. Then Ross Chastain is a solid threat as well. In 2023, he became the first non-playoff driver in the elimination era to win the title decider, frustrating Cup champion Ryan Blaney.

So these drivers and a few others will look to throw wrenches in playoff drivers’ plans. In fact, Busch is counting on this scenario just to maintain his streak and improve his own mood. “I’ve lost a substantial amount of money, let’s say, in the last few weeks (because) of not making the playoffs, not getting wins and things like that. That’s a big hit. But again, it is what it is. We just move on. We go through and try to play spoiler now, and try to go out and be a guy that’s on the outside looking in and take victories from these guys who want them to be able to move to the next round.”

Evidently, Busch and Ross Chastain have nothing to lose. So, playoff drivers, look out for these dangerous racers to stutter your advancement through the post-season!