Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing is the only full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver fully utilizing the series rule that restricts seasoned Cup drivers with three or more years of experience to a maximum of five Xfinity Series races per season. This past weekend at Dover Motor Speedway, Chastain ran his fourth Xfinity race before a rear gear failure forced an early exit. Earlier in the year, he achieved top-10 finishes including eighth at Circuit of the Americas, fourth at Darlington Raceway, and fifth at Nashville Superspeedway, but the Dover issue ended his race in 38th place.
In addition, Chastain’s Sunday Cup Series outing at Dover was cut short due to a late-race crash, compounding a challenging weekend across both series.
Chastain Focuses on Brickyard 400, Opts Out of Indy Xfinity Race
Chastain has chosen to skip the upcoming Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this Saturday, concentrating instead on the Brickyard 400 Cup Series race on Sunday. With the regular season drawing to a close, he aims to improve his playoff seeding in the Cup Series, having already secured a playoff berth by winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.
Unlike previous seasons when he spaced out his Xfinity starts by four or five race weekends, Chastain plans to miss only this single Xfinity event before returning for his fifth and final race of the year next weekend. That comeback will occur at Iowa Speedway, marking his return to the Xfinity oval after earlier performances this season.
Returning to Iowa Speedway Behind the Wheel of No. 9 Chevrolet
Chastain will drive the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet again at the Iowa Speedway event scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The 0.894-mile, four-turn track in Newton, Iowa, hosts this Xfinity race as part of its return to the schedule last year after a hiatus since 2019. Chastain previously finished 11th in the inaugural Cup race at Iowa and ninth in the Xfinity race for DGM Racing.
Across his career, Chastain’s top performances at Iowa include two fourth-place finishes with JD Motorsports in 2017 and 2018. Notably, the No. 9 car that Chastain pilots is not listed among entries for this weekend’s race at Indianapolis.
Broadcast Details for Upcoming Xfinity Series Races
The Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis will air live on the CW Network starting at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 26. Similarly, the Hy-Vee PERKS 250 from Iowa Speedway will also be broadcast live on the same network and at the same time on Saturday, August 2. Fans interested in full race coverage can begin a free trial of FuboTV for access to these events.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Why did Ross Chastain hit the wall?
A. NASCAR stepped in during Denny Hamlin’s conflict, telling him his message was clear. Later, Ross Chastain collided with Chase Elliott, who then spun out. When the race restarted, Elliott nudged Chastain into the wall, while Hamlin made a close pass to show he was still upset.
Q. What is the Ross Chastain rule?
A. On Tuesday, NASCAR revealed several rule changes for the 2023 season. Among them, a significant new rule bans the exciting wall-riding move used by Ross Chastain, known as the “Hail Melon,” during last year’s Martinsville race.
