**Ross Chastain Faces Tough Break at Bank of America ROVAL 400, Reflects on Disappointing Day**
Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain recently competed in the Bank of America ROVAL 400 race held on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. Despite a strong start, Chastain endured a challenging day that ultimately cost him a spot in the next phase of the NASCAR playoffs.
The #1 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver qualified tenth for the 109-lap main event at the 2.28-mile Charlotte road course. He posted his fastest lap in 86.68 seconds, reaching a top speed of 94.69 mph. Chastain showed promise early on, steadily moving up through the pack during stage one and finishing in fifth place.
Building on that momentum, he improved to fourth place behind Chase Elliott at the end of stage two. Unfortunately, the final stage did not go according to plan. Chastain was caught speeding on pit road, which led NASCAR to penalize him by sending him to the back of the pack. The difficulties compounded on the last lap when he had a collision with Denny Hamlin, causing both drivers to spin before crossing the finish line.
Reflecting on the day’s setbacks during a post-race interview with NBC Sports, Chastain shared his frustrations candidly:
“I’d restart the whole day. For Trackhouse Racing, they expect so much more out of me. And to speed on pit road — I went off the end of pit road and didn’t turn. I had more room and was just trying to get to the yellow line, and that completely started the downfall there. Then I came out of the pit stall and double-clicked up into third gear. Just unforced errors. It’s just terrible. So it’s heartbreaking for almost 200 employees at Trackhouse, our teammates, our ECR engines—everybody that makes this go around. Justin [Marks] hired me to carry this 1 car and to drive it and be the leader, and I just completely unraveled our day. So, yeah, not acceptable. Like, just completely unacceptable.”
Chastain ultimately finished 21st in the 248.52-mile race, placing him outside the top 20 for the event. This result cost him a spot in the Round of Eight playoffs, allowing Joey Logano to advance in his place. On a brighter note for Trackhouse Racing, teammate Shane van Gisbergen claimed victory at the same event.
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**Chastain Shares Winning Mentality Behind Coca-Cola 600 Breakthrough**
Earlier this season, Ross Chastain became the first Trackhouse Racing driver to secure a playoff berth and the first to earn a victory for the team by winning the grueling Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Starting from the back of the pack in a backup car, Chastain methodically worked his way forward throughout the 600-mile race. He seized the lead in the final stage and held off Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron to claim the checkered flag.
During a post-race interview with Kaitlyn Vince, Chastain opened up about his mindset during the race:
“I thought that was it—I got there and I was loose, then I got tight, and I kind of thought, ‘I tried really hard right there, that’s kind of it.’ So I backed off a bit. The front tires were hot and needed to cool down. At the same time, I realized I was hot too, so I turned on my cool shirt—cold water starts pumping through the vest we wear. It helped me cool down and reset mentally.”
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**Current Season Performance**
After the Charlotte ROVAL race, Ross Chastain currently ranks 11th in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings with 2,172 points. Over 32 starts this season, he has recorded one win, 11 top-ten finishes, three top-fives, and four DNFs.
Chastain and Trackhouse Racing remain focused on bouncing back as the playoffs continue, aiming to deliver strong performances in the upcoming races.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/nascar/news-it-s-heartbreaking-ross-chastain-doesn-t-hold-back-emotions-completely-unacceptable-charlotte-weekend