It was the first time that Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain had hit the Bowman Gray track. Before this, the only introduction that the driver had was during the Heat Race, a day back at the mains. Chastain tried to salvage through the entire drive but found himself constantly being restricted by none other than Ryan Blaney. 

While Chase Elliott did mark his victory with Blaney securing the second position, for Blaney moving from the 23rd to the top came at the expense of others. Here’s what the Trackhouse Racing driver had to reveal about Blaney’s tactics that allowed him to climb up the chart.

Blaney nudged Chastain, but “gently”

The heat race was the one that decided the position from which each driver would be starting for the Main Event. Consequently, Ross Chastain started 17th during the Clash at Bowman Gray. However, soon enough he found himself in front of Ryan Blaney who had crawled from the 23rd position. Blaney kept on struggling hard to gain a position as he tried to topple Ross Chastain but without any kind of aggressive moves. During the second half of the race, Ross Chastain and his team made adjustments to improve their performance. However, they kept on struggling to find the right setup in qualifying. Chastain recounted how Ryan Blaney, in his yellow No. 12 car, made his presence felt on the track.

Blaney caught up to Chastain around the 17th position and stayed glued to his bumper. This gently inhibited Chastain from advancing and gave Blaney an advantage to charge forward, amping up in positions him down the track. Speaking of the tactics that Ryan Blaney applied, Chastain said, “Well, that was, the best we were at the second half of the race of all weekends. We tried to make adjustments all weekend but wasn’t close enough of the qualifiers…I don’t know what he had. I know he had a yellow car. When he got up to me in about 17th…seemed like he was able to push me all way down the tracks, gently, just stay in my bumper, from start to finish line, all the way round. Not comparing… The 12 stayed attacked to my bumper…” 

Despite the mounting pressure on him, Ross Chastain was able to charge through and then secure a position in the top 10. He claimed the sixth position and had put up quite a clean drive without causing unnecessary banter on the track. Chastain also seemed to be quite positive about the revival of the Bowman Gray track. 

Speaking of the revival, he said, “I think we’ve got a pretty good one here at Bowman Gray,” Chastain said. “I think when you look at the history of it and what the France family has done here, this is where the very first race was ran. This is where Jim France came as a kid on his summer vacations with the family up here promoting races.” Securing a top-10 finish at a challenging track like Bowman Gray not only demonstrated his resilience but also instilled hope for a strong start to the season.

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Chastain to drive at both Xfinity and Truck Series for 2025

It is not only at the Cup Series that one can find Ross Chastian taking on the steering wheel. The good news for all the Chastain drivers is that he will be competing at some of the select races for both Xfinity and Truck Series. Given the kind of commitment he has at hand at the moment, he will be splitting between two top-tier teams – JR Motorsports for the Xfinity Series and Niece Motorsports for the Truck Series. 

Piloting the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro SS, Chastain is set to compete in five Xfinity races at COTA, Darlington, Nashville, Dover, and Iowa. Speaking of the same, Chastain had said in a release, “I think there is a lot of benefit to getting seat time on Saturdays in the Xfinity Series […] Getting an opportunity to do it with JR Motorsports is too good an opportunity to pass up. I know every time I climb in their Chevrolets, we will have a chance to win.”

While Chastain’s Xfinity Campaign for 2025 will start with COTA on March 1, his Truck series stint is all set for Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 21. Whether he will be able to keep up with the pressure of all three tiers is a test of time.