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Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain will pull double-duty during the NASCAR trip to Darlington Raceway. He will join a new Xfinity Series team while gaining more experience at the intermediate track.
According to the NASCAR Roster Portal, Chastain will join Big Machine Racing for the packed weekend. He will take over the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro while working with Patrick Donahue as his crew chief. Chastain will take over the entry for Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who suited up at Daytona International Speedway and finished 27th after an overtime crash that collected 13 cars.
Chastain has made three starts in the Xfinity Series during the 2022 season, all with DGM Racing. He took over the No. 92 Chevrolet at Circuit of the Americas, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Watkins Glen International while posting one top-five finish.
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This Race Weekend Marks Chastain’s First Oval Start of 2022
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GettyRoss Chastain will make his return to an oval track.
Chastain made one Xfinity Series start in 2021, and he has made three in 2022. All have been on NASCAR’s road courses. This double-duty weekend will mark the first time since the 2020 season that he has taken on an oval in the series since 2020 when he drove full-time.
Chastain’s 2020 campaign, which took place with Kaulig Racing, featured him making all 33 starts. Though the first race was with RSS Racing after he failed to qualify at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet.
Chastain did not reach Victory Lane during the 2020 season despite starting from the pole at both Charlotte Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway. He still posted 27 top-10 finishes and 15 top-fives, including a runner-up behind Brandon Jones in the second trip to Darlington Raceway.
Chastain’s Previous Trip to Darlington Included Some Issues
GettyRoss Chastain crashed during the Cup Series race at Darlington.
The double-duty weekend provides Chastain with an opportunity to take care of some unfinished business. The reason is that his previous trip to the South Carolina track started well but ended in the garage.
Chastain took on Darlington Raceway on May 8 while showcasing a Coca-Cola tribute scheme to Dale Earnhardt Jr. He started eighth overall in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro and won Stage 2.
Chastain appeared to be in contention for the win, which would have been his third of the year. However, his day ended early after he got loose under Denny Hamlin and slammed hard into the inside wall. He headed to the garage and left Darlington with a 30th-place finish.
The return to Darlington Raceway will include significantly higher stakes. Chastain is currently third in the playoff standings, and he has the opportunity to simply stack more points and cruise through the Round of 16. If he deals with more issues, however, this could open up opportunities for some other championship hopefuls.
There is not much room for error in the 2022 Cup Series playoffs. Chase Elliott has a massive advantage after adding 15 bonus points to the 25 that he earned by winning four races and five stages. The rest of the field is closer together. Chastain, in particular, is only 13 points above the initial cutline.
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