Ross Chastain looking for playoff revival at the Roval | Inside Lane

by Andrew Gorton

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Ross Chastain punched his tickets to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in May when he won the Coca-Cola 600.

MAY 25: Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Jockey x Folds of Honor Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina.

This weekend, Chastain and the No. 1 team need another strong run in Charlotte, but the Charlotte Roval (road course oval) has not been as kind to Chastain.

In the past three races at the Roval, Chastain is averaging a 25th place finish, including a 28th place finish in this race last year.

“It probably couldn’t be more of a different racetrack for it to be the same address. The Roval versus the oval is a completely different mindset, said Ross Chastain, driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet.

Chastain heads into this weekend 13 points behind Joey Logano, who holds the final spot to advance to the Round of 8.

Ross Chastain is 13 points below the cut line ahead of this weekend's race at the Roval.

Thankfully for Chastain, he is a proven winner on road courses, winning the 2022 race at COTA.

Chastain also has a world-renowned road course racer as a Trackhouse Teammate in Shane Van Gisbergen, collecting four wins so far this season on road courses.

“I feel like I’ve got the best coach and teammate and teacher that I could have with Shane, I’m trying to close that gap to him. It’s been a labor of love, I’ll say that, trying to see what he’s done and how he manipulates these race cars. So I’ve got all the secrets, just executing it is definitely harder than seeing it on the screen,” said Chastain.

Chastain and the No. 1 team are no stranger to needing to pull off a Hail Mary. in 2022, Chastain pulled off the “wall ride” at Martinsville to advance to the Championship 4 on the last lap of the race.

The Hail Melon. 🍉 pic.twitter.com/hmBLeiGxcu
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 24, 2023

Although something like that won’t ever happen again, Chastain is taking his previous experience of making the playoffs in 2022 and 2023 into this weekend’s race.

“As humans, I think that we learn and we remember. That plays into the next time we get to do it. So yeah, I think that for sure. That’s why I think you see guys really succeeding that have done this a long time,” said Chastain.

Which drivers make the Round of 8 will be decided this Sunday in Charlotte when the green flag drops just after 3PM.