Ross Chastain Lays Bare His Ultimatum to Team Trackhouse Despite Massive Edge Over His Rivals

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, so far, has been a big hit or a miss for Ross Chastain and the No. 1 team. Throughout the season, Chastain has been unable to compete for wins up front in the field. Taking nothing away from his consistent run, he will need a win at some point this season. Points alone wouldn’t help his bid in the playoffs if he makes it through the remaining eight races in the regular season.

Despite being winless, Ross Chastain has the second-best average finish (12.3) in the Cup Series garage. Notably, he’s only second to HMS star Chase Elliott, but he does have a win to back his consistent run. So what exactly does Chastain need to be back in contesting for wins? Well, the driver himself had a list of demands for his team just ahead of the Nashville race this Sunday.

The No. 1 Chevy needs more speed and balance

In eighteen starts so far this season, Chastain has only managed five top 10 and two top 5 finishes. Rest, he has been pretty much finishing inside the top 15 places, and that’s what has contributed to his statistics. Unfortunately, there has been a lack of consistent runs and speed, which can be highlighted by another statistic. So far, the No. 1 Chevy has only led 118 laps and won a single stage.

But Chastain dwelled on the technical aspect of his race car, which he wants to improve. “Just a little bit more speed. When we make a lap, whatever lap time it is right now, if it could be a half-tenth quicker, little bit of balance, a little bit of more turn, a little bit of grip on entry. Whatever that is, front grip on exit or rear grip on exit,” he said in a press conference ahead of the Nashville race.

He further added that the above-mentioned tweaks and improvements would allow him to push and contend for those top-placing finishes, which eventually would turn into a victory. “I feel like we’re really consistent 10th place car and a good restart, and we go to sixth, and a bad restart, and I go to 14th. So yeah, it’s just a little bit; it’s just crumbs now that’s what we’re looking for to get to that top 5 and then you see it. With top fives then you win, and you put yourself in position.”

Perhaps the Nashville Superspeedway race couldn’t have come at a better time for Chastain. Interestingly, last year he bagged his first win of the season at the racetrack, and given his track record, he could get his No. 1 Chevy into the victory lane this Sunday.

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The NASCAR Cup Series has only been to the Nashville Superspeedway three times. And call it coincidence or sheer domination, all three since the inaugural race has been won by a Chevy driver. Ross Chastain is the latest winner, as he clinched the win at the 1.3-mile concrete track, and, by far, he’s been the most successful driver at this venue.

It all started with the inaugural race in 2021, where he finished in the runner-up spot with the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing car. The next year, he moved to Trackhouse racing and had another solid run with a P5 finish. In 2023, the moment finally arrived as his third attempt bagged him a win, also making him the most consistent driver at the racetrack. Now that he is in search of the big results, who knows? He just might pull the rabbit out of the hat once again.

It’s safe to say that, with consistent results, Ross Chastain would make it to the playoffs. But he’ll certainly need to step things up and be more competitive in search of wins.