Ross Chastain gets runner-up finish at Phoenix

 

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    Tying his best finish in a NASCAR Cup Series race, Ross Chastain finished a solid 2nd in the "Ruoff Mortgage" 500 at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, March 13th. The finish is now the highest points-paying finish for the Trackhouse Racing operation, and a back-to-back top-3 performance from the No. 1 team.

Ross Chastain's first runner-up finish at NASCAR's top racing division came at the conclusion of the 2021 "Ally" 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, driving the No. 42 for Chip Ganassi Racing. The CGR NASCAR operations would get purchased by Trackhouse Racing at the end of the 2021 season, and Chastain would make the transition over to the new team. 

Trackhouse has had a strong start to the 2022 season, with Daniel Suarez picking up a 4th place finish at Auto Club Speedway two weeks ago, and Chastain a 3rd last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. So definitely a runner-up finish this week is the fruit of the team's labor. (It is worth noting that both Trackhouse drivers scored a top-10 at Phoenix Raceway, a first in the team's short history.)

Chastain outdueled Tyler Reddick in a side-by-side battle for the runner-up finishing position, forcing his opponent to settle for 3rd. Had Reddick gotten the higher spot, the Richard Childress Racing driver would have had tied his top finish in the NASCAR Cup Series level, but for the 4th time. Teh finish gives

How long it is before we find the Watermelon farmer in victory lane, only time will tell; but we hope that it will be soon!