Ross Chastain Notches First Career Victory at COTA

Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix marked only the second time the NASCAR Cup Series has raced at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. The challenging 3.4-mile road course features 20 turns and over 130 feet of elevation changes throughout the course, with each corner designed to resemble famous tracks around the world. Last season, Cup drivers battled intense inclement weather which caused the caution-filled race to be called 14-laps short. This year, it was the opposite problem, with high temperatures causing tires to wear quicker and drivers to lose their patience.

LAP 1: After securing the pole position for the third time so far this season, Ryan Blaney in the #12 Ford led the field to green alongside Daniel Suarez in the #99 Chevrolet. Blaney got a good start when the flag flew but was passed by Suarez before the conclusion of the first lap.

STAGE 1 END – LAP 15: An incident-free segment allowed Daniel Suarez to hold off a charging Ryan Blaney and earn the second stage win of his career. Behind them, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, and Kyle Larson rounded out the Top 5 and also collected points. Most of the field pitted just before the stage, so when the leaders made their stop, they cycled to the back of the pack. Austin Cindric in the #2 Ford Mustang inherited the lead and paced the field.

LAP 27: With 2 laps to go, the majority of teams decided to pit, including the leaders of Cindric and Ross Chastain. This put Denny Hamlin in the lead after he opted to stay out to collect points.

STAGE 2 END – LAP 30: Hamlin won his first stage of the season and picked up the valuable playoff point. Behind him, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Aric Almirola completed the Top 5. After pitstops were finished, Ross Chastain took over the top spot.

CAUTION – LAP 33: The first yellow flag of the race waved for debris in Turn 11 after Austin Cindric got loose and spun. Christopher Bell in the #20 narrowly missed colliding with Cindric as he rolled into the gravel trap.

CAUTION – LAP 40: Erik Jones in the #43 Ford Mustang brought out the second caution when he stopped on the backstretch. Jones suffered a problem with the forward drive but was able to pit for repairs and continue racing.

CAUTION – LAP 44: The yellow flag waved again when the #23 of Bubba Wallace had the right-rear tire fall off the car in Turn 16. Wallace came to a stop in the run-off area, where his day came to an end due to suspension issues.

CAUTION – LAP 53: Ricky Stenhouse Jr in the #47 Chevrolet Camaro came to a stop on the backstretch due to a drivetrain problem. Stenhouse had to be pushed back to the garage, where he retired from the race.

CAUTION – LAP 57: The caution waved for fluid on the front stretch, which required cleanup.

CAUTION – LAP 62: Loris Hezemans in the #27 brought out the yellow when his car stopped in Turn 3 due to a loss of power. Hezemans race ended when he was towed back to the garage.

CAUTION – LAP 66: The final yellow flag of the race waved with just one lap to go in the scheduled race. The #22 of Joey Logano made contact with the #5 of Kyle Larson which sent them both into the barrier in Turn 1. The incident also collected the #45 of Kurt Busch. This pushed the race into overtime with Ross Chastain and AJ Allmendinger in the #16 making up the front row.

CHECKERED FLAG – LAP 69: On the final lap, Chastain, Allmendinger, and Alex Bowman were side-by-side heading into Turn 19. Chastain bumped and moved Allmendinger out of the way, sending the #16 into the side of Bowman and pushing them both wide. Chastain sailed by and raced to claim the checkered flag. Bowman was able to recover quickly and bring home P2, while Allmendinger spun and ended up P33. This was Chastain’s first win in the Cup Series and the first for his team – Trackhouse Racing.

RESULTS:

1. Ross Chastain
2. Alex Bowman
3. Christopher Bell
4. Chase Elliott
5. Tyler Reddick
6. Ryan Blaney
7. Martin Truex Jr
8. Autin Cindric
9. Erik Jones
10. Austin Dillon
11. Kevin Harvick
12. William Byron
13. Michael McDowell
14. Brad Keselowski
15. Justin Haley
16. Todd Gilliland
17. Harrison Burton
18. Denny Hamlin
19. Aric Almirola
20. Ty Dillon
21. Chris Buescher
22. Josh Bilicki
23. Cole Custer
24. Daniel Suarez
25. Kaz Grala
26. Boris Said
27. Cody Ware
28. Kyle Busch
29. Kyle Larson
30. Chase Briscoe
31. Joey Logano
32. Kurt Busch
33. AJ Allmendinger
34. Loris Hezemans
35. Joey Hand
36. Corey Lajoie
37. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
38. Bubba Wallace
39. Andy Lally