Heartbreaking SAD NEWS: NASCAR Top Driver Bubba Wallace’s Decision Over Cup Series Is Too Bad

Heartbreaking SAD NEWS: NASCAR Top Driver Bubba Wallace’s Decision Over Cup Series Is Too Bad

It’s not that Ross Chastain doesn’t like pressure but if not in the playoffs, he at least enjoys the opportunity to go about his business without the extra scrutiny, and the added spotlight that comes with racing for a championship

He would rather be in the mix, of course, but there are benefits.

“I’ve never been so happy to watch y’all walk by, everybody in this room,” Chastain told the media after winning the Hollywood Casino 500. “I’ve never been so happy to watch (the Netflix documentary crew) walk the other way when I get there.

“Like, the boom mics are going that way. They’re following Daniel (Suarez, teammate). They’re talking to Justin (Marks, team owner) but none of it’s about me. To be honest, I love it. I’m all for it.”

Chastain and Trackhouse suffered through a pretty frustrating summer slump and the lack of media attention simply allowed the No. 1 team to work on things without the noise that is enveloping Suarez and the No. 99 team right now.

“We want to let all of y’all in,” Chastain said. “We want to let y’all see us feel what we’re doing. We want to open the curtain but I have seen some benefits from not having to do all the other stuff. I had more time to do things that I thought were better for the race car.”

Like what?

“I know that if I show up Monday morning and try and Tuesday morning and try and Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and sometimes trying and being the most benefit for the team and for your race car and the performance is actually to go to sleep early,” Chastain said. “It’s not to get that extra workout in. It’s not to try harder in the gym. It’s actually to taper off, and that’s something that I’ve learned and have put into my life.

Sometimes it’s going to sleep early yesterday was a big part of why I can actually perform better today. I took a snack in the car. I kept looking at it, but I wasn’t ready for it, and then all of a sudden we were in the last restart, and I thought, Well, I’m not going to eat it now.”

And somewhat under-the-radar, Chastain has found some speed over the past month since missing the playoffs. They have reacquired their ‘disruptor’ identity that they have carried with them since their arrival in 2022.

Chastain, crew chief Phil Surgen, and even their playoff tested No. 99 teammates have put in the work over the summer and it paid dividends at Kansas.

“I got asked this morning if it was more difficult to compete when other drivers have kind of risen to the occasion, and I don’t think that’s the case for this group,” Surgen said. “We’re giving 100 percent every week.”

The No. 1 team has actually scored the second most points in the four races since the playoffs began, behind only Alex Bowman and the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48. Surgen said they aren’t doing anything different now from before in that the goal is to keep showing up and trying to win races.