Ross Chastain found himself in unfamiliar territory at Watkins Glen International. The Trackhouse Racing driver finished on the pole for the second time in his career and fought for a rare victory on the 2.45-mile road course. However, a combination of bad luck and an untimely caution dashed the 31-year-old’s Victory Lane and fifth Cup Series win hopes. The Florida native finished in an impressive fourth place, a result that nobody would have predicted before the start of the weekend.

The race wasn’t without its own set of controversies, though, as Martin Truex Jr. was forced to settle for a disappointing 20th-place finish after being involved in an incident with Kyle Larson. Eager to distance himself from the wreck, Chastain made his views clear about the accident in a post-race interview with Frontstretch.

Ross Chastain satisfied with Watkins Glen’s outcome

Just like the number on his car, Ross Chastain’s qualifying position at Watkins Glen showed just how quick his Chevrolet Camaro can be when it all comes together. He may not be in contention for the playoffs, but the racing driver showed his capability of competing against the very best, finishing higher than Martin Truex Jr. and Shane van Gisbergen ahead of the playoff race. He led a staggering 52 out of 90 laps, including the first 18 of Stage 1 and all of Stage 2, setting himself up for a sensational finish at the 2024 Go Bowling at The Glen.

Martin Truex Jr. was also in contention for a rare Victory Lane visit after finishing second in qualifying and first at the end of Stage 1. However, everything changed when Todd Gilliland attempted to make a move on Kyle Larson with three laps to go, which stacked the grid and forced the veteran Joe Gibbs Racing driver into the wall. As a result, Truex Jr.’s No. 19 Toyota Camry was battered and bruised on its way to the checkered flag, finishing in a disappointing 20th place and an infamous dig at the world’s “best” racer.

For the unversed: Kyle Larson, in a rather unexpected interview last month, had said he’s a better “all-around driver” than three-time Formula One World Drivers’ Champion Max Verstappen. “There’s no way (Verstappen) can get into a Sprint Car and win the Knoxville Nationals. There’s no way he can go win the Chili Bowl. There’s no way he can go win a Cup race at Bristol,” the HMS driver had said, before adding, “There’s probably no way I can go win a Formula 1 race at Monaco, but I think I’d have a better shot at him (doing what he does than him doing what I do) just because of the car element.

In the interview with FloRacing, the 2021 Cup Series champion confidently stated, “That’s what gives me ease and confidence that, like, I know I’m better than him. Maybe not in an open-wheel IndyCar or Formula 1 car, but that’s one discipline. I think I would beat him in everything else. You can quote that.” Remember this as you read further…

As for the Larson-Gilliland wreck, the caution had repercussions for the 44-year-old racing veteran, who must now secure at least a top-5 finish in the final Round of 16 race at Bristol, to ensure his spot in the Round of 12. It also meant Ross Chastain was forced to concede his grid position, despite not being at fault. The circumstances forced Chastain to make way for Carson Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevy, and the Spire Motorsports driver ended up finishing third.

When asked by Frontstretch’s Daniel McFadin about how he was feeling about the race, Chastain candidly replied, “Good man, it was good. Good weekend for us. Just to put the Busch Chevy on pole and have control of the race with Shane (van Gisbergen) there and just catch one bad caution that took us out of control. That wasn’t any of our fault, and then, I did make a drive here to let the 77 get back by me there with like 25 to go and that took us off the front row for the last couple of restarts so at that point I was just trying to push and trying to help move ahead.”

Chris Buescher, on the other hand, won his first race of the season and sixth of his career with an overtime victory over Shane van Gisbergen. For the first time in NASCAR Cup Series history, a playoff driver didn’t finish in the Top-five—Chase Briscoe finished P6, followed by Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, and Daniel Suarez in P10, P12, and P13, respectively. Regular series champion Tyler Reddick finished P27. However, that’s not the end of the chaos….

The race had 11 lead changes and seven cautions, with the first one coming out in the opening lap. Corey LaJoie spun Kyle Busch on The Glen’s infamous “Bus Stop” corner, affecting Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney (who was ousted from the race, finishing last). The double overtime thriller also saw last year’s Glen Victor William Byron crash into the inside wall and climb on Keselowski’s window after Joey Logano’s nudge sent the #6 into the #24. Furthermore, with just three laps to go, Kyle Busch got involved in a crash again—this time with Tyler Reddick, spinning them both, which ultimately led to the Martin Truex Jr debacle.

However, the Trackhouse Racing driver can take plenty of positives from the result, as it was his highest Cup Series finish of the season so far.

Martin Truex Jr is sick and tired

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Despite eight races remaining before the Cup Series season ends, Martin Truex Jr. cannot wait to call it a day, expressing his disillusionment at the state of racing at NASCAR’s highest level. The veteran driver went into the playoff race at Watkins Glen 18 points behind the cutline, knowing full well that a result would be important if he hoped to progress into the Round of 12. He almost succeeded in his goal, finishing first by the end of the opening 20 laps and remaining in contention for his first win of the season.

However, everything changed when Truex Jr. slammed into the outside wall alongside Justin Haley after a push from Tyler Reddick with just three laps remaining. Speaking about the incident, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said, “It’s just crazy that all these races always come down to this. I just don’t understand how guys can call themselves the best in the world when they just drive through everyone on restarts at the end of these races. It’s very frustrating, but it is what it is these days. I’m outta here.”

Having built a reputation as one of the cleanest drivers on the grid, Martin Truex Jr.’s frustrations are understandable. Despite being so close to victory, the veteran was forced to settle for a top-20 finish, which means he remains 14 points behind the playoff cutline as things stand.

However, all hope is not lost, and he can still progress into the Round of 12 depending on the result at Bristol Motor Speedway. Will he manage to turn his season around and make a deep championship run before retiring full-time? Let us know in the comments!