“I’ll go for those wins every time.” These words came from Ross Chastain before the season began. The unbeatable determination in them may be the only thing keeping Trackhouse Racing upright, according to Dale Earnhardt Jr. At the end of 2024, all eyes were on Shane van Gisbergen – the Kiwi speedster who turned NASCAR upside down with his 2023 Chicago Street Race debut win. He picked up three Xfinity Series wins last year, while Daniel Suarex cracked the Cup Series playoffs with an Atlanta win.
However, 8 races are already done and dusted in the 2025 season and these two are mere afterthoughts. Their teammate, Ross Chastain, on the other hand, is fighting against hope. Despite controversies, his relentless approach is dazzling Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr picks out the pearl of the lot
Granted, Ross Chastain has whipped up a lot of controversy in 2025 already. During the COTA race in March, he bizarrely rammed his car into Chase Elliott’s on the very first lap. Then Chastain lay low from the media despite the tremendous backlash. But at the same time, his teammates are not living up to expectations either. Red Bull’s comeback to NASCAR after 14 years has already lost attention, as their sponsored driver has finished outside the top 30 five times already. SVG’s best finish was 6th place at Circuit of the Americas. Daniel Suarez delivered a runner-up finish in COTA, but aside from that has mostly dwelt outside the top 20. On the other hand, as far as race performance is concerned, Ross Chastain is in Dale Earnhardt Jr’s good books.
In a recent Dale Jr Download episode, Dale Earnhardt Jr laid down a grim verdict for Justin Marks’ team. “Trackhouse on the other side of it is underperforming.” Journalist Jordan Bianchi was quick to point out that Ross Chastain is good nonetheless. According to NASCAR Insights, Chastain placed 15th in Speed Rating and 27th in Pit Crew Rating. That speaks volumes about the No. 1 Chevy driver’s efforts, as Bianchi said. “Chastain finished in the top-ten this week and he ground it out. They do not have speed in the race cars right now. He is not qualifying well. Just in general, Trackhouse seems that they are searching right now. Chastain having as good a year as he is, is a testament to what Chastain is. It’s why he is defending so aggressively on the racetrack.”
August 14, 2022, Richmond, Virginia, USA: August 14, 2022: Richmond, Virginia, USA: No. 1 ROSS CHASTAIN of Trackhouse Racing at the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at the Richmond Raceway. Richmond USA
Sitting 12th in the championship standings after Darlington, Ross Chastain has only two finishes worse than 12th. Those are 40th in Daytona due to a wreck and 31st in Homestead. On the flip side, he already has four top-ten finishes including a top-five in Las Vegas. So Dale Earnhardt Jr praised Chastain’s hard work despite the prevailing team issues. “Some drivers, when presented with the challenges that Trackhouse is dealing with, will roll over…’Hey man, this thing won’t do what I needed it to do.’ Chastain on the other hand, is the kind of guy that’s like, ‘Well, I’ll just race harder. I’ll just defend harder, I’ll just try harder.’ – which is a rare quality in a guy.”
What is more, Dale Earnhardt Jr is experiencing that quality up front, as Ross Chastain is flying his team’s banner.
Lining up good finishes in Xfinity as well
Well, Ross Chastain is certainly in good form in 2025. That is evident in his good streaks in both the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series. Early in 2025, Dale Earnhardt Jr‘s team roped in the melon farmer for five races in the 2025 Xfinity schedule. Ross Chastain is wheeling the No. 9 Chevrolet at JR Motorsports in the endeavor. The tracks are COTA, Darlington, Nashville, Dover, and Iowa. But he has already swept up against controversy. In last weekend’s Darlington race, he squeezed Christopher Bell’s No. 19 Toyota into the wall and put him out of contention. Then Chase Elliott also expressed displeasure about how Chastain raced him under caution.
However, Ross Chastain being back in his aggressive form also means that he is back in his good form. The results are already apparent – he has already picked up two top-ten finishes in two races for Dale Earnhardt Jr, including a 4th-place finish in Darlington. Acceptance Insurance is his sponsor. He is already living up to the expectations of Cesar Soriano, CEO of Acceptance Insurance. Soriano had placed faith in Chastain’s racing ability: “Ross’s passion for racing and his community-driven values align perfectly with the principles we stand by. We look forward to supporting him on and off the track, and we’re excited to see where this partnership takes us.” And undoubtedly, Chastain is taking the partnership to the next level.
Evidently, Trackhouse Racing can look up to its shining star – burning other rivals but being a dazzling spectacle anyway. Ross Chastain’s moves are highly anticipated for this season, so let us see how he performs.
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