It has been a season plagued by struggles for former NASCAR Cup Series runner-up Ross Chastain. After 23 races, the driver of the No. 1 has posted only one top-five finish and five top 10s.
However, the Trackhouse Racing driver found some hope last Sunday at Iowa Speedway. With a seventh-place finish, Chastain leapt three positions in the points standings from 21st to 18th. He is now 47 points below The Chase cut line with three races remaining.
Can “Melon Man” make the 16-driver cut? He discussed his chances of making The Chase on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Chastain on Chase chances: ‘Putting every foot forward’
SiriusXM NASCAR Radio analyst Dave Moody noted that the last time he spoke to Chastain, he thought making The Chase was not possible.
Now, after a strong run at Iowa and a boost in the points standings, Chastain could be in contention. However, the six-time Cup Series winner acknowledged he capitalized on other drivers’ rough days.
“If we run in the top five, take a shot to win, finish seventh on that because it doesn’t work out — if we do that every week, then yeah. I mean I do think we got very fortunate with others’ misfortunes.”
Circumstances aside, Chastain was pleased to finally have a quality run.
“I feel like that is just the circumstance. I had no grasp of where those guys were at. I was just happy that I could see the leader all day and that I was putting cars a lap down myself that have been lapping me all year, so definitely a good feeling,” Chastain said.
Chastain is not sure they can repeat their Iowa performance this Saturday night, but he and the No. 1 team are working hard to make that happen.
“Can we replicate it at Richmond? I have no idea, but we’re putting every foot forward to try and try to be just as good or a little better there,” Chastain said.
A look at Chastain’s trying 2026 season
While Chastain found a bright spot last Sunday at Iowa, it has been mired in a difficult 2026 season for the 33-year-old. Chastain has recorded an average finish of 19.3 with his sole top five coming at EchoPark Speedway, where he finished third.
“Melon Man” enters Richmond as the second driver below the cut line. He trails Ryan Preece by 18 points, who sits in 17th place. Austin Cindric is the first driver above the cut line, who holds a 47-point advantage over Chastain.
Trackhouse Racing has largely struggled as a whole in 2026. One of the upsides has been Shane van Gisbergen, who recorded two wins this season on the road courses of Watkins Glen and Sonoma.
The New Zealand native sits 15th in the points standings with a 47-point edge over The Chase cutoff.
For rookie Connor Zilisch, it has been a first season of Cup racing to forget. The driver of the No. 88 has recorded a series-high eight DNFs with only one top-10 finish this season. Zilisch currently sits 34th in the standings, next-to-last among active drivers.
With three races remaining until The Chase, Chastain will aim to pull off a Hail Mary and make the 16-driver cut.
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