Ross Chastain returns to Nashville after a thrilling Coca-Cola 600 victory
Joey Logano stands on his car to celebrate after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Denny Hamlin (11) and Chase Briscoe (19) head down the front straightaway during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
Joey Logano stands on his car to celebrate after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Denny Hamlin (11) and Chase Briscoe (19) head down the front straightaway during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — Ross Chastain is ready to get back behind the wheel of a race car after a busy week celebrating going from worst to victory lane at the Coca-Cola 600 for the first time in his career.
He also knows only too well how humbling racing can be.
Advertisement
'We put ourselves at a lot of high risk getting back on track that the success could be hard again,' Chastain said Saturday still wearing the Coca-Cola 600 winner's ring on his right hand. 'The cars don't know what happened last week.'
Chastain has had three top-three finishes over his past four races, and he goes into Sunday night's Cracker Barrel 400 very familiar with Nashville Superspeedway.
Music City is home to his Trackhouse Racing team, and Chastain won here in 2023. He also has finished second and fifth, and had a chance to win last year. This also will be Trackhouse Racing's 300th Cup race.
Chastain credited his crew chief Phil Surgen and Trackhouse Racing but said he doesn't know why he's been so successful at this track. Chastain said he doesn't feel like he does anything different down to his preparation.
Advertisement
"We have really, really good race cars,' Chastain said of his No. 1 Chevrolet.
This race now is a month earlier than the past four years, and the Cracker Barrel 400 comes exactly halfway through NASCAR's regular season. Chastain is among the eight drivers already locked into the playoffs with a victory.
No repeat performance
This race took a record five overtimes to finish a year ago with Joey Logano surviving for his first Cup win of 2024. He had saved just enough gas to pull out that victory, so of course it merited a look back just in case.
'You don't know that opportunity will ever present itself again,' Logano said. "It's a pretty rare opportunity for it to end up like that. But because we were ready for it and we were prepared that day that's what helped us win. So yeah, you're always kind of looking at that stuff'
Advertisement
Concrete challenge
Brad Keselowski, currently 32nd in the standings, won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race here in 2008. He walked the D-shaped track Saturday and marveled at how Nashville, which hosted its first races in 2001, has aged since his career-changing victory.
'It's kind of aged like fine wine," Keselowski said. "When I was doing the walk I was thinking about it. The surface is 25, 26 years old, and it's in great condition. The facilities are in great condition. It's just really a kind of walk back in time for me.'
Start of new In-Season Challenge
Nashville kicks off NASCAR's new In-Season Challenge involving 32 drivers and a single-elimination over five races starting June 28 at Atlanta. The top 32 drivers in points after Sunday night's race in Nashville will make up the field for the three seeding races.
Advertisement
Those races start at Michigan on June 8, and conclude at Pocono on June 22. Drivers will be seeded by their best finish over those three races for the competition starting at Atlanta. The field will be narrowed to 16 at Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four at Dover and finally two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The tournament comes with a $1 million prize to the winner and is part of a new media rights deal including TNT.
Odds and Ends
Denny Hamlin at +350 is the betting favorite to win Sunday night, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed by Kyle Larson (+550), Christopher Bell (+650) and William Byron (+725). If Hamlin makes the starting line Sunday night remains to be seen. His fiancee is expecting their third child, a boy, with Sunday the due date. Hamlin said he has an eight-hour window to race and get home but hadn't set a timeline to make a final decision before qualifying. 'I can't miss it,' Hamlin said of his new son's arrival. ... This race has had a different winner each of the first four years at this track. ... Country music singer Chase Rice, a former NASCAR pit crew member, will be the honorary pace car driver Sunday night. Rice has sold more than 2.8 million albums and had more than 2.9 billion total streams. His hits include 'Eyes on You,' 'Drinkin' Beer. Talkin' God. Amen.' and 'Lonely If You Are.'
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
33 minutes ago
- USA Today
Steve Sarkisian makes bold statement about Longhorns football
Steve Sarkisian ranks Longhorns football as nations best Since arriving in Austin, Steve Sarkisian has turned the Texas Longhorns into one of the best football programs in the country. That is poised to continue with the top-ranked 2025 recruiting class in the country. The Longhorns have also been busy building for 2026 with 15 commits, two of whom are five-star prospects. Due to the on-field results, Sarkisian is one of the best coaches in the nation. Recently, the Longhorns head coach made an appearance on the '3rd and Longhorn' show and explained why he believes that the Forty Acres is the best place in the country to play college football. "I honestly think this is the best place in the country to come play football at," Sarkisian said. "I firmly believe that, and I think we have the stats, the nuances and the information to back that up," Sarkisian said. "Who's the one school that's gone to back-to-back college football playoffs, back-to-back semifinals? Who's the one school their first year in the SEC that went to the SEC Championship game? Who has the most draft picks in the NFL draft over the last two years? ... Who has last year signed the best class in the country, the year before that a top-three class in the country, the year before that a top-five recruiting class in the country?' Under Sarkisian's leadership, Texas has become a fixture in the College Football Playoff. Last year, they fell two wins short of a national title and are one of the early favorites as the regular season quickly approaches. While football is his specialty, Sarkisian also highlighted where Texas stands academically. "Name another school who's getting compared to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, but on the flip side is getting compared to Georgia, Ohio State, and Alabama on the football field," Sarkisian said. While, in the end, Sarkisian's impact will be measured in wins and losses, he did not hold back when expressing his support for the school he calls home. The Longhorns' leader made it clear that the university has his support across several areas, beyond athletics.
USA Today
35 minutes ago
- USA Today
NASCAR is heating up in Atlanta: Here's how to watch on Sling
The 2025 Quaker State 400 is set for Saturday, June 28. As the NASCAR Cup Series heads to newly-named EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) this Saturday, June 28, tension continues to rise. Only nine races remain before the regular season concludes, where 16 drivers will move on to the NASCAR Playoffs. Drivers like two-time champion Kyle Busch, young phenom Carson Hocevar and proven winner A.J. Allmendinger are all searching for a way into the postseason. An added layer for this weekend is the start of NASCAR's first In-Season Challenge, a five-race head-to-head challenge where the last driver standing earns a $1 million. Notably, Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell is the defending winner at Atlanta after conquering the 1.54-mile oval in February. With the next five Cup Series races airing on TNT, most streaming services don't offer a way to tune in. However, a subscription to Sling allows fans to access those races live. The Quaker State 400 airs on Saturday night at 7 p.m. EDT. Here's everything you need to know in order to watch all the action on Sling. Watch the Quaker State 400 on Sling How to Watch NASCAR on Sling NASCAR airs on TNT for the next five races, including Sunday's Quaker State 400. Both Sling Orange and Sling Blue subscription plans carry TNT, so Sling users have their choice of package. How to watch live sports with Sling Sling Orange and Sling Blue get you plenty of access to live sports, but for the true sports fans out there check out the Sports Extra package. When paired with Sling Blue, the total cost of your first month would be just $31 and includes NFL Red Zone, Big Ten Network, Golf Channel, NBA TV, NHL Network, MLB Network, Tennis Channel and many more sports channels. What's the difference between Sling Blue and Sling Orange? When is the NASCAR race? The event goes live at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday as many look to secure a playoff spot with only nine races remaining in the regular season. Watch NASCAR on Sling
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Joanna Gaines Making Jam with Teen Son Has Fans Inspired to Follow Suit
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Joanna Gaines is soaking up every sweet moment she can with her kids this summer. Quite literally, in fact. As she prepares to send her oldest daughter Ella off to college in the fall, her second child to leave the nest in the last few years, Joanna is getting in quality time in the most wholesome way possible. She and her teenage son are making homemade jam together. And after the Magnolia magnate shared a video of the process, her fans are hoping to see this sweet bonding moment become a new series. The mom of five took to Instagram on Friday to share a beautiful day she recently spent with her teenage son making and canning fresh jam. "Savoring the best flavors of summer with my boy," she captioned the post, where she and her 17-year-old son Duke were working away at making jam together. Mother and son chopped up strawberries and peeled peaches, giving the leftovers to the familiy pigs for a snack, before stewing the fruit and canning dozens of jars of fresh jam. It was a sweet little glimpse into their family dynamic, and fans want more. "Would love to see a Magnolia Table episode on how to make jam," wrote one user, while another couldn't get over how lovely it was to see a teen boy in the kitchen with his mom. "A teenage boy helping his mom cook!?! The sweetest!" Joanna has a long history of encouraging her kids to help out around the house in ways that will set them up to be self-sufficient and resourceful as adults. Her daughter Ella interned at Magnolia Studios ahead of her high school graduation, and of course anyone who watched Joanna and Chip's Home Town series has seen the family all pitch in with decor and demo days alongside their parents. Even her 7-year-old son Crew gets in on the home improvement action, making sourdough bagels with his mom as an unusual and delicious nighttime routine. All of these sweet, homespun cooking moments are in keeping with Chip and Joanna's new series on Magnolia Network, Back to the Frontier. where three families give up modern conveniences to live like as 19th century homesteaders. Which has us wondering if Joanna was inspired by the new show or the new show was inspired by her family? Certainly we're pretty inspired to see all of these delicious bonding moments with her kids. Follow on Instagram and TikTok You Might Also Like 15 Home Bar Gifts Every Cocktail Enthusiast Will Appreciate 32 Low Light Indoor Plants That Can Survive in the Darkest Corners of Your Home These Are the 50 Best Paint Colors for Your Living Room
