RIDGEWAY, Va. — In a run reminiscent of the South Carolina Gamecocks men’s basketball team’s Final Four bid, Ross Chastain took a Gamecock-adorned Chevrolet to a seventh-place finish in Saturday’s Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville Speedway.
It was a very hard-fought run for Chastain, whose No. 66 started fifth at the beginning of the day, but at one point in the race was running as low as 22nd. He also had to overcome being spun out in Turn 4 by eventual race winner Chase Elliott at the end of the race’s second stage.
Nevertheless, the “Gamecock-mobile” was able to cycle back up towards the front through pit stops and was back in the top 10 by lap 163.
“Representing South Carolina, man! We had a flat tire from the start. We had a really good qualifying effort and then went into Turn 1 and went straight. I just thought it was cold tires and it was on me,” Chastain explained. “We got that tire changed, but we were still terrible. Paul kept working on it all day and was listening to me and what I needed. We were plowing through the center all day. He finally got the car to turn.”
“I don’t know what happened with all the pit strategy and the leaders … they made them stay out, but then they made them pit. Sauter started behind us on equal tires. That stunk for him, because I think he probably should have won this race. But I had fun racing with a bunch of good trucks that are gonna have to get used to the No. 66 running with them!”
Chastain also brushed off the incident with Elliott, giving a small smile before talking through his side of what happened on lap 135.
“That’s the future of NASCAR, man! We were on the outside just kind of waiting to get our tires and got down in front of Chase and had plenty of room and got down to the bottom and he just blasted me about two or three times and on the third one got me. I’m sure he doesn’t even remember it, so it really doesn’t matter.”
“I just laughed whenever it happened. I was mad, but I knew he was faster and he had tires and everything! But a little bit of patience would have gone a long way on his side, I feel like. But I guess not, because him spinning me got it to work out (to) where he restarted second when everybody else pitted. It really doesn’t matter, though. I’m not worried about that.”
For a team that is one of the most underrated in the Truck garage area and struggled last season with Jordan Anderson at the wheel, Chastain said that two top-10 finishes in a row shows what they’re made of.
“It says a lot. Jeff puts his heart and soul into this and it’s nothing compared to a lot of guys, but with two full-time employees somehow they’re making it work! I’m just the monkey holding the wheel, man, I’m telling you!”
“This truck was good at the end once we got it turning. It wouldn’t really matter who was driving it because Paul did such a great job with it and everything went right for us.”
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