NASCAR Insider Rings the Bell of Caution for Ross Chastain as His

The NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono made big changes to the playoff grid. Heading into the weekend, Ross Chastain was comfortably in the mix for a postseason spot based on points, but that looks far from certain after his third DNF of the season. The Trackhouse Racing driver broke loose in Turn 3 in the 53rd lap at Pocono Raceway, his No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro making contact with the outside retaining wall, ending Chastain’s day.

Chastain entered the 400-mile race at Pocono Raceway with a 53-point cushion relative to the playoff elimination line. After the race, he has slipped behind Chris Buescher as the last driver in the playoff grid and is now just 27 points ahead of Bubba Wallace, with five races of the regular season remaining. With his playoff hopes looking increasingly uncertain, a NASCAR insider has issued a warning sign for the melon man.

Ross Chastain finds himself in unfamiliar territory

A Race Suspension

Penalize Busch. He Was at Fault

With two DNFs in the past three weeks, the Trackhouse Racing driver hasn’t finished higher than 22nd in his last three races. Meanwhile, competing for the playoff spot is 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace, who finished 10th at Pocono Raceway, securing his second top-10 result in the last three races. The 30-year-old is two spots behind Ross Chastain in the driver standings, but with momentum on his side, that could change when NASCAR heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway next.

Highlighting Ross Chastain’s playoff hopes as being in jeopardy, NASCAR journalist Jordan Bianchi said on GoPRNLive, “My pick would be Ross Chastain, just because Ross is in a position that I don’t think he thought he was going to be in. Like, you look at his season, had a lot of speed this year, but they just have not had the finish that’s corresponded. Nashville, running second, gets wrecked.”

With Daniel Suarez already in the playoffs after winning at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the second race of the season, Trackhouse Racing should prioritize Ross Chastain getting consistent results over the next five races of the regular season to secure a playoff spot.

As things stand, Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs, Ross Chastain, and Chris Buescher are in the playoff bubble, with Bubba Wallace, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Busch, and Todd Gilliland vying for a place as well. However, all it would take is just one win for the dynamics to change entirely.

However, Chastain certainly has it in him to turn the situation around. Despite the bad luck in recent weeks, the Trackhouse Racing driver knows what it takes to win. He won two races last year; the first was at Nashville Superspeedway, while the other was in the final race of the 2023 season at Phoenix Raceway. There is no reason he cannot turn his situation around this time, provided lady luck is on his side.