Ross Chastain is back in the spotlight for the 2025 NASCAR playoffs after his victory at the Coca-Cola 600 in May secured him a chance to compete for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship. As a key driver for Trackhouse Racing, Chastain faces concerns about the team’s ability to maintain speed through challenging race conditions, which could impact their playoff performance.
Trackhouse Racing has demonstrated strong performance throughout the regular season, with a total of five wins—four from Shane van Gisbergen and one from Chastain. Despite this success, Chastain openly questioned whether the team could sustain enough speed during the playoffs to contend against top competitors.
Chastain Highlights Speed as Trackhouse’s Critical Challenge
Speed, particularly at Darlington Raceway, remains the biggest question for Trackhouse heading into the playoffs. Chastain emphasized the importance of starting strong in practice sessions and maintaining that pace through qualifying and long race runs.
“I’ll start with the weakness, because it’s the easiest one. It’s just, are we going to be fast? Are we going to roll off the truck fast for practice at Darlington, and are we going to be able to stay fast on lap 10 of that run, lap 20, lap 30, and transfer that through into qualifying for one lap, and then back to long run for the race? That’s the ultimate question for Trackhouse, in my mind is, can we go fast?”
—Ross Chastain, Driver
Beyond speed, Chastain stressed that execution during the playoffs needed to be flawless. He acknowledged that while errors could happen in strategy calls and other details, the team’s focus must remain on consistently doing the little things right under pressure.
“We can call strategy right. We’ll miss calls. All the little things, I think we can do really well, but it’s holding ourselves accountable to keep doing them well. I don’t just rest on what we’ve done, but you need to make sure we do the little things right,”
—Ross Chastain, Driver
The opening race of the playoffs, the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, is scheduled for Sunday, August 31. This 367-lap event will be broadcast live on USA Network at 6 p.m. ET with additional radio coverage via MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Possibility of More Truck and Xfinity Races for Chastain in 2026
Looking beyond the current Cup season, Ross Chastain recently discussed the potential of competing in more NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series races in 2026. Presently, Cup drivers can enter up to five races in either series, but this limit may increase to seven or eight next year, opening new opportunities for drivers like Chastain.
During an interview with FOX’s Bob Pockrass, Chastain expressed enthusiasm about racing more in those series if circumstances allow.
“I would like to,” Chastain replied. “I don’t know if it’ll be able to happen, but I just love to race. My team is already working on the possibilities and putting together what races are companion and what races we have sponsorship for.”
—Ross Chastain, Driver
He also explained the funding challenges involved in competing in additional races, noting that either he or his team would have to provide the resources.
“We still have to fund it; either I have to fund it, which is how it’s been most of the time, or the team has to. We’re already working on hypotheticals for Truck and Xfinity,”
—Ross Chastain, Driver
Chastain has been the only driver to compete in five Xfinity Series races in 2025, while only he and Kyle Busch have reached five Truck Series races during the year. These experiences could position him well if the opportunity to race more often arises next season.
As Trackhouse Racing and Ross Chastain prepare for the playoffs, their main focus will be improving speed and maintaining precise execution. The team‘s performance at Darlington and subsequent races will determine their championship trajectory, while Chastain’s potential expanded participation in other NASCAR series could further enhance his versatility and presence in motorsports.
