“We stayed up all night”: Ross Chastain opens up on how Trackhouse team celebrated his Coca-Cola 600 win
Following a historic win in the Coca-Cola 600 last week, Ross Chastain shared how Trackhouse Racing celebrated. He told sports reporter Stephanie Otey that the team capped off the race weekend by staying up all night.
Last week's triumph at Charlotte Motor Speedway marked Chastain's first win at a crown jewel race. Moreover, the #1 Chevrolet Camaro driver took the checkered flag after starting from the back, making him the first to do so since Bobby Allison at Richmond Fairgrounds in 1969.
Recalling how Trackhouse Racing celebrated the win, the 32-year-old Florida native said (via Stephanie Otey on X):
“We stayed up all night. We took full advantage... the Memorial Day, for everybody to recover. We're in victory lane for hours after the race.” [0:30]
Chastain then explained how special the win was, adding:
“And this is one of the few races that we call champion, the Daytona 500, the World 600, as I call it, the Coca-Cola 600, is one of those. So we don't give rings out in this sport for everything, but a couple of races we do. It says champion on the side of it, and that makes it even more special.”
Ross Chastain started in dead last after crashing in the qualifying session. He was forced to race in a backup car, which the team worked on all night on Saturday (May 24). The hard work paid off after the #1 driver passed William Byron for the lead with six laps remaining before winning the 600-mile contest.
Now, Chastain is at Nashville Superspeedway for the Cracker Barrel 400 slated on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. ET. He has won once at the 1.33-mile Tennessee track in 2023, finishing ahead of Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin, respectively.
“It doesn't make sense”: Ross Chastain on winning against dominant drivers at Charlotte
Ross Chastain shared his thoughts on winning the Coca-Cola 600 last week. He couldn't believe passing dominant cars at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including the #24 Chevrolet of William Byron, who led for 283 of 400 laps and won all three stages.
In a post-race interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Chastain said:
“To stand here in victory lane now, with this big ring, this Busch Light (beer), a big slice of watermelon that I just ate... it's unbelievable. It really doesn't make sense that we were able to drive up and pass two cars that were way better than us all night.” [0:32]
Other drivers who had strong performances were Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin. Briscoe started on pole position before earning his best result of the year in third place. Meanwhile, Hamlin challenged William Byron for the lead in the closing laps, but later fell off after a pit road blunder on lap 348.
With a regular-season win in his 2025 campaign, Chastain is set to return to the playoffs after missing out last year. His last postseason appearance was two years ago when he was eliminated in the Round of 12.