Since the inception of Project 91, Trackhouse Racing has moved up the ladder of fame in the alleys of NASCAR. Recently, after their deal with Spire Motorsports, including Zane Smith, the entire community expected the team to grow by leaps and bounds. While many bigger teams like Stewart-Haas Racing are already out of the playoff picture, Trackhouse Racing and Ross Chastain are still battling forth into the competition.

With 3049 points, Ross Chastain sits in the 6th spot in the driver’s standings. It is hence safe to say that Ross Chastain is in a good enough position in the playoff battle as NASCAR prepares to unleash its fury on Talladega Superspeedway next week. However, despite finishing 2nd in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400, the #1 Chevrolet star looked disappointed. He shed light on the obstacles that stood in his way of securing his second win of the season.

Technical issues ruined Ross Chastain’s chances at winning the race

Ross Chastain’s day started off on a great note as he started fifth and made his way to the second just behind race leader Bubba Wallace in the very first lap of the race. But a caution that involved RCR icon Kyle Busch had him lose several valuable spots. However, just as he had managed to scurry along into the top 10, a pit-road penalty at lap 168 sent him all the way back to 30th.

Ross Chastain felt like he had once run out of gas. During the cautions, he tried everything from dropping to the third gear to dropping the clutch with the ignition on, but nothing seemed to work. According to Chastain, he had a very low RPM. Thankfully, his decision to get a two-tire change and just enough fuel to finish the race salvaged the day for him.

The main challenge knocked at the doors of the ‘Melonman’ when his car stopped throttling during the pit stop. He told renowned media personality Kim Coon, “From there they walked me through it, and basically I just had to give it a lot of throttle, so the next pit stop for our final two-tire stop was just a whole lot of throttle.”

“I’m sure the eardrums were blown out of everybody behind our pit box, but for our Worldwide Express Chevy, we were not fast enough to run second with two tires. We were with four,” he added with a sigh.

Chastain admitted that he had one of the best cars at the start of the race. However, he blamed himself for having made a few bad restarts. He stated, “We? worked our way back with taking four tires a lot, and some bad restarts on my side, but we had the speed, and we showed it all weekend.”

Watch This Story: ?Going to Beer School Was Cool? – Ross Chastain Enters Dale Earnhardt Jr?s Good Books After Making a Change in Lifestyle

Nevertheless, Chastain’s candid demeanor and passiveness have really shown a new side of him. Interestingly, two esteemed racing personalities have two contrary views to Chastain’s personality.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver likes the docile Ross Chastain while his friend hates it

Trending

Martin Truex Jr. Urges Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Come Back for a Final Battle Despite His Off-Track Commitments

Dale Earnhardt Jr Skeptical About His New Found Partnership With Amazon as He Reminisces His Days With NBC

Reality Struck Shane van Gisbergen Has His Playoffs Chances Cut Short Even Before His Full Time Debut in 2025

NASCAR Fans Back Kyle Busch’s Son’s Desperate Plea Amidst Denny Hamlin’s ‘Bad Luck’ Reluctance

NASCAR Ready to Break Up With $32+ Billion Worth Premier Partner After 15 Years of Service

From conjuring a video game move at Martinsville to flaunting his wreck and break game, Ross Chastain has consistently proven himself to be the ‘Bad Boy’ of NASCAR. But the community has not seen a lot of Chastainings lately. Has the 30-year-old speedster gotten soft?

Interestingly, another ‘Bad boy’ of NASCAR seems to like Ross Chastain’s think-before-you-leap attitude. Indeed, it’s Denny Hamlin. The #11 Toyota icon said, “He (Ross) is racing way, way smarter. He’s understanding that he doesn’t have the race-winning speed. So the way he’s managing the races is what’s keeping him alive most weeks.”

However, co-host of his podcast and longtime friend Jared Allen admitted that he liked the old Ross Chastain more.

Denny Hamlin smiled and nodded. “You did, I didn’t,” he added.

What are your thoughts on the new and refined Ross Chastain? Let us know in the comments below!

ALSO READ: Ross Chastain: The Story Behind the ?Melon Man? Nickname for the New NASCAR Cup Series Driver