After an Unpredictable Save Ross Chastain Wins the Coca-Cola 600
What a comeback it was for Ross Chastain this past Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway as he secured the Coca-Cola 600 win. Chastain seemed to be doomed from the beginning, starting at the back of the field in 40th, and in a backup car no less. Before Charlotte, out of 12 races run so far this season, the Trackhouse Racing driver had an average start of 25.0 with an average finish of 12.92. He had a single DNF, with 58 lap leads, and a low finish of 40.
Therefore, Sunday’s win at Charlotte was shocking, to say the very least, but it proves that resilience is something Chastain excels at. He had a lot at stake, especially with William Byron sweeping all three stages for a total of 283 laps, but he never wavered. He held on until he reached the checkered flag in 0.673 seconds. He made history not only for himself but for Trackhouse Racing, as he notched the team’s first win of the 2025 season.
Why A Win Looked Bleak for Ross Chastain
During Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, no one could’ve guessed that Ross Chastain would overtake No. 24 William Byron, who was dead set on a Charlotte win. Byron dominated the track, and it was clear that he wasn’t going to give in to any of the other drivers’ challenges, including Chastain’s. Despite clearing 283 laps, Byron was no match for Chastain as the driver overtook him and made mass as soon as he noticed him loosen up. Denny Hamlin wasn’t far behind Ross Chastain, but the Trackhouse driver wasn’t concerned because, at that point, he had been lapped for running out of fuel.
This allowed William Byron to creep back up to the top of the field, but Chastain knew he couldn’t let him close in on the race’s remaining three laps. It was down to the wire, and fans were on the edge of their seats watching anxiously as Chastain slowed his lead after Byron made unfortunate contact with an outside wall. There were a lot of uncertainties about the Trackhouse star’s ability to pull off the unthinkable, and some might say speculating a win looked bleak.
It wouldn’t be long, though, before Ross Chastain moved back off finishing off the remainder of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a photo finish. William Byron has had some stellar runs, starting the season off with a Daytona 500 win in February, an average start of 8.8 and average finish of 9.54, six top-fives, five top-tens, and three pole wins. In contrast, Chastain accumulated three top-fives, seven top-ten finishes, and zero pole wins, so the win was as much mind-boggling as it was exciting.
Soaking It All In at Victory Lane
After Ross Chastain reached the checkered flag at Charlotte Motor Speedway to secure one of his most iconic wins to date, the moment seemed surreal. Why wouldn’t it be? After all, he’s the first driver racing in a backup car to win a race since 2012. He also recovered from a P40 start after crashing during qualifying, so it’s as if he used these difficulties as the fuel that propelled him to victory lane. Post-race, Amazon Prime media personnel asked Chastain if he initially thought he’d have success in the back-up car.
His answer took them aback when he said yes and mentioned that he was sure when he left the Trackhouse shop Saturday night that the No. 1 would be track-ready for the next day. “When I left the shop last night, I went over and sat in this car until at least 2:30, and they were back at 5:30 a.m. Most of them [Crew Members] drive 30-40 minutes home, shower, I don’t even know if they slept, they were back there at 5:30 to get this thing [Car] ready,” Chastain explained. “There were people there who had their Saturdays off, and they came in,” he added.
To the ZL1 Chevy driver, this spoke volumes about their dedication to his on-track success. Yet, his team wasn’t the only one he held in high esteem post-win. As he stood atop the Charlotte Motor Speedway victory lane podium after smashing a watermelon in true Chastain fashion, he honored the late Army Paratrooper Kevin McCrea. That is also why the win meant so much to Ross Chastain, as he donned McCrae’s name on his No. 1 Trackhouse Chevy in honor of Memorial Day. In a sense, he felt he honored him by winning on a day that honors those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
Final Thoughts
Although it seemed daunting at the beginning for Ross Chastain, he ultimately pulled off a win during the final six laps of the Coca-Cola 600. He held off the ever-tough-to-beat William Byron after he got loose and spun out into an outside wall. It’s speculated that if it weren’t for Byron’s mishap, Chastain might not have been able to win, but he has proven time and again that he can withstand the pressures, competition, and pitfalls that always seem to haunt him. Will Ross Chastain notch a second consecutive win next week at the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway? Stay tuned.
