Ross Chastain is never far from the action, but this time, it wasn’t for one of his aggressive moves up front—it was for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Trackhouse Racing had pulled out all the stops for the Daytona 500, their Project 91 car giving four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves his shot at stock car glory. It was a typically boundary-pushing move from Trackhouse, the kind that makes this team stand out. But in classic Daytona fashion, things didn’t go as planned.

Project 91 had already stirred the pot with its Open Exemption Provisional (OEP) rule, ensuring Castroneves a spot on the grid no matter what. Some saw it as a genius marketing play, others reckoned it undermined the grind of full-time teams. Either way, the dream lasted just 71 laps before it turned into a crumpled mess of sheet metal—thanks, in part, to Ross Chastain himself.

Chastain details the wreck that wiped out Trackhouse’s hopes

The 2025 Daytona 500 had all the hallmarks of a classic—rain delays, a Presidential visit, and a pack of drivers with nothing to lose. Then, on Lap 71, it all went sideways for Trackhouse Racing, literally.

Joey Logano, who had just grabbed the Stage 1 win, felt something go wrong with his car as the field bunched up for the restart. What followed was the kind of chain reaction that’s all too common on superspeedways. Cars checked up, Martin Truex Jr. got into the back of Castroneves, and before anyone could blink, Ross Chastain was in the mix too—except this time, he was the one wiping out his teammate.

“Everybody started stopping, and Truex came in really hard and hit me,” Castroneves said after the race. “But the real issue was when someone from the bottom hit me from the side. It broke the axle, and that was it.”

For Chastain, the crash was particularly brutal. Not only was his own race over, but he had also taken out a car that meant a lot more to the Trackhouse organization than just another entry.

“It sucks,” Chastain admitted. “This race means so much, and to take a teammate out with me on the way… it hurts even more because it’s the Project 91 car. That was a big effort for the shop, not for me. They do all the work. I hate that.”

Ross Chastain didn’t sugarcoat it—he put himself in a tough spot early. “I made some bad moves trying to get to the middle and top lane, and it slowly worked me back there. When the accordion came, I paid the price.”

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Castroneves’ crash course in NASCAR

Despite the heartbreak, Castroneves took it like a pro. He’s been through it all before—four Indy 500 wins, 25 IndyCar victories, three Rolex 24 at Daytona trophies. NASCAR was a new beast, but he was starting to figure it out before things went south.

“It’s incredible when you get more laps and start to understand the airflow, the fuel-saving strategies, and the racecraft,” Castroneves said. “There were some sketchy moments, but what a shame. I wish I was still out there because there was more to understand, more to learn. I was just getting comfortable.”

He had nothing but praise for Trackhouse and the NASCAR community. “The professionalism, the camaraderie—it’s been amazing. I’ve learned so much in such a short time.”

Asked if he’d want another shot, he didn’t hesitate. “I’d love to, especially on road courses. Now that I understand a little more, I think I could be competitive. This experience has been incredible, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

It wasn’t a great day for Ross Chastain either, but he did take something valuable from working alongside Castroneves.

“The professionalism and the smiling—he’s been a true professional in every aspect of the definition,” Chastain said. “It’s inspiring to see that level of commitment to the sport. He came into a new team, didn’t know anybody, and just smiled, talked, and interacted with everyone. He even spent time with our long-time sponsors, even though Wendy’s was on his car, not ours. That’s just the kind of guy he is.”

Ross Chastain still managed to crack a joke about the wreck. “I hit him so hard, I tasted the Frosty,” he grinned. “That was a big old hit. I thought I hit the wall, but then I saw the replay, and it was the 91 car. Unfortunately, it was Helio, but yeah… that Frosty was a little more frozen after that.”

Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 has already attracted world-class talent like Kimi Räikkönen and Shane van Gisbergen, and while Castroneves’ Daytona debut was cut short, the program’s mission hasn’t changed.