Ross Chastain Eyes Championship Push — And A Home-State Finale

The South Dade News Leader interviewed NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain by phone Tuesday, Aug. 11.

Chastain drives the No. 1 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing.

Following his seventh-place finish at Iowa Speedway, he is 18th in the Cup Series standings, 47 points below the 16th-place cutoff for the Chase for the Championship.

The championship will be decided Nov. 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Chastain’s most recent Cup victory came in the 2025 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He is a Florida native who grew up in Alva, where his family farms watermelons.

We began by asking about his seventh-place finish Aug. 9 at Iowa.

“Yeah, incredible,” Chastain said.

“It stands out as, I believe, our best effort of the season, just across the board from the time we unloaded in practice all the way through the race. So, very, very proud of that and a lot more of that each week.”

Chastain will race at Richmond, New Hampshire and Daytona before the 16 drivers who will compete in the Chase are set.

We asked about his strategy going forward.

“It’s more speed,” Chastain said.

“The way our sport works, they pay out more points at the front of the field than they do at the back. So, we’ve got to do what we did at Iowa again.

“I don’t worry about the points unless we’re fast. If we go and execute at Richmond, which is what we’re preparing for right now, then the points will take care of themselves.

“It’s a lot of points, though. We got pretty fortunate at Iowa with some guys having issues and running badly. So, we need a lot more of that.”

Chastain has competed in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races this season. We asked whether those races help him prepare for Cup competition.

“They do,” he said.

“I mean, they are very different race cars. They used to be more similar, for sure, as far as the O’Reilly car to the Cup car. And then at times, whenever the Cup had certain rules packages, the trucks would be more similar. So, they are very different these days with the Gen 7 car. But, yeah, I think on track, on the same weekend of the same races as the Cup race, it is always good to have more track time.”

“I don’t shy away from racing. I think it’s better physically to do it. There’s no workout that can replicate actually being in the race car, and I want to be the best race car driver I can be in the Cup Series. That’s why I run as much as I can. Plus, it’s really fun.” he finished.

Lastly, we asked Chastain about the championship weekend’s return to Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.

“Yeah, sign me up,” he said.

“I’m a Florida boy, so, yeah, I love it. It’s nice to be done with the season and just drive across the state to Fort Myers and Alva, where I’m actually from, and go back and see the family and those who don’t come to the track.”

“We’ll go see my grandparents and stuff. So, yeah, sign me up. It makes that ride to the house a lot quicker than it was when I’d leave Phoenix in years past.” he ended.

NASCAR Championship Weekend returns to Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 6-8, when champions will be crowned in all three national series.