CONCORD, N.C. — It was one day after being eliminated from the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, and Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing was ready to get back to work.
Actually, the “Watermelon Farmer” from Alva, Florida had watermelon on his mind, followed by a trip to Las Vegas for next Sunday’s South Point 400.
“I catch a commercial flight into Las Vegas on Friday night coming from a watermelon convention in Florida on Thursday night,” Chastain said. “My life doesn’t change.
“Through all of life’s ups and downs, the watermelon industry will have dinner ready for me Thursday night at the Florida convention, I’ll catch a commercial flight down there and a commercial flight to Las Vegas and spend the weekend with my team and see what we can do.”
Taking a moment to revert from NASCAR Cup Series driver to watermelon farmer, Chastain was asked how this year’s watermelon crop turned out.
“It’s been good,” he said. “Florida was good. Georgia was really good. It’s done for the fall season, and we are going to get our fields ready for a spring.”
Both Chastain of Trackhouse and Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing knew they were in a very tenuous position entering Sunday’s BankofAmerica ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
It was the second elimination race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and both drivers entered the race below the cutline if they hoped to advance into the Round of Eight.
Chastain was 11th in the standings, 10 points out. Wallace was 10th, nine points behind the final transfer position that was held by Brad Keselowski entering the race.
Each driver used the same strategy in the first stage by staying on the track without making a pit stop to get the stage points. It worked with pole winner Tyler Reddick of 23XI winning Stage 1, Wallace second and Chastain third.
But when they pitted during the stage break, it sent all three deep into the field. Reddick had a fast car and was able to race his way back into contention, and Chastain also was able to drive into the Top 10 in the race.
By the time the race ended, however, Keselowski was ninth in the standings, Chastain 10th, Wallace 11th and Kyle Busch 12th.
Reddick secured a spot in the playoffs and is currently seventh and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney eighth of the eight drivers in the Round of Eight.
Both Chastain and Wallace had decent races on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, but both encountered problems late in the race. Wallace got tagged in a scuffle entering the chicane on the backstretch and had to drive through the chicane, encountering a full stop penalty and a pit stop for new tires.
Chastain got knocked off track in the last corner, also missing the chicane. He also had to pit for flat spotted tires but was fast on the new rubber.
By then, it was too late to get in without a victory because both were 20 points or more behind the final transfer position.
Chastain finished the race 10th for Trackhouse, Wallace finished 16th for 23XI.
Looking Back At Why They Didn’t Advance
For Chastain, it was a crash at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on the final lap of Stage 1 that ruined his playoff chances.
“Ultimately, I can pinpoint it to a single moment down the backstretch at Talladega,” Chastain said. “I get off the bottom, to the middle so I can get the top, leave the outside, the 20 (Bell) pushes me, the 47 (Stenhouse) runs out of gas. I hesitate. I should have hit the brakes and got behind the 8 (Busch).
“I tried to shoot the gap and take 5 points and I gave up 25. Everything in my body told me to check up, but there was a gap.
“I never want to not go for the gap. There is the famous Ayrton Senna line of the gap. I believe that. I don’t want to ever stop doing that.
“It’s hurting us right now. It’s painful, but I’ll keep going for gaps.
“I’m living my dream.”
For Wallace, his hole was dug a week earlier at Texas Motor Speedway.
“This weekend was incredible,” Wallace said Sunday night. “Just from the effort from the team and from myself. Just all clicking, right? And it felt really good to be competitive and run upfront, pass cars on road courses, and not be passed. There’s a lot to look at.
“What I analyze is what could I have done and not be in that situation? Could I have been faster and passed another car? How to be better to not put yourself — when you’re racing around there with squirrels. It is what it is.
“I just didn’t have enough, and it wasn’t in the cards. I guess that’s what (turning) 30 is.
“I’m not mad. I’m happy for the team. I’m pumped for our season. It’s not over yet. I’m really excited for next week and Homestead and Martinsville. Phoenix, eh, I might just go on vacation.
“But we’ve still got four races to go out and do it. I’m proud of the team so I appreciate them.”
Wallace believes the 23 team at 23XI has made improvement on the road courses on the schedule.
“Usually, you couldn’t count on the 23 at a road course race, right?” Wallace continued. “I don’t think you can say that anymore and I don’t think I can say I suck at road courses.
“Back-to-back really good runs at road courses. Finishes were okay, obviously not today. Just got to keep working on your craft.
“No matter how hard it can get you’ve got to keep working and trying to learn and be better.”
Wallace’s 30th birthday was tempered by his elimination from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. But in his disappointment, he was happy to see his teammate, Reddick, advance into the Round of Eight.
“I’m just proud of where we’re at and how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time,” he said. “The 45 (Reddick) is in, so, that’s good.
“I knew we had our work cut out for us. We gave up a lot of points last weekend.
“The way I look at it is the last restart at Texas. I look at how I put ourselves in the situation to get wrecked today. So, I need to work on that, need to be better. Need to look at what the 45 did.
“He passed cars, and he was up there in two laps, right? Just a bummer, but a lot to be proud of. I can actually focus on the positives out of here. Qualifying fourth, top of the board in practice, stage points. It’s a really good day.
“Hard to hang your head over that.”
Further down pit road, Chastain was equally philosophical.
“It just wasn’t meant to be,” Chastain lamented afterward on pit lane after climbing out of his No. 1 WorldWide Express Chevrolet. “I have to back up to that crash at Talladega and I just have to live with that. I had that crash in Stage 1 there and ultimately couldn’t overcome that. I just have to live with that now. I gave up at Talladega.
“Today, I had a lot of satisfaction in the speed of the car. It was a big step forward at the Roval and the road courses.
“Now, we change directions on our setup for Last Vegas.
“It’s going to be fun.
“I’m just living my dream.”
That dream now takes him to Las Vegas. The pressure of the playoffs is off, and Chastain can race to win.
“I can’t wait to be out of the spotlight this week,” Chastain told SPEED SPORT. “It’s a bit of a relief. There is so much that goes into transferring into the rounds.
“No one is going to want to talk to me this week and I can go about my business.
“I can’t wait to drive on track at Las Vegas and push the limit of the car and slide the right rear tire and go across the bumps out of control and nail a qualifying lap and go for fifth in points and go for the win.
“It’s going to be fun.”