How Ross Chastain won NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 with a backup car

Shane Connuck, The Charlotte Observer on May 26, 2025

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CONCORD, N.C. — Trackhouse Racing has captured NASCAR Cup Series wins on various stages.

Long before Ross Chastain became the first driver in 54 years to win a Cup Series race from the tail of the field at the Coca-Cola 600, Shane Van Gisbergen captured the inaugural Chicago Street Race in his debut, and Daniel Suárez got the best of the infamous three-wide photo finish at Atlanta.

Sunday night’s Coke 600 victory, however, may be Trackhouse’s most hard-fought one yet.

Chastain crashed during Saturday’s practice session, and the No. 1 team went to its backup car. Crew members were at the shop until about 2:30 a.m. ET Sunday morning working on it, and some were right back there within less than three hours.

“You saw us crash,” Chastain said. “They were up till 2:30; I left at 10 (p.m. Saturday). They stayed there long after I was gone, they’re back at 5:30 (a.m. Sunday). We built another car, and we put ourselves in like we just slowly worked our way. It took all 600 miles.

“If I’ ve got a 400-mile race here, we don’t get there. We’re not in contention. It took the whole time.”

‘Working basically 48 hours straight’

Team owner Justin Marks could sense how much Sunday’s win meant right away.

Chastain became the first driver since Richard Petty in 1971 at Richmond to win a Cup Series race after starting in last place. Bobby Allison also pulled off a victory from the back of the field at Richmond in 1969, and Dick Rathmann won one of three races NASCAR ran at the Oakland Stadium half-mile dirt track in 1954.

“There’s no boring win,” Marks said. “It’s just really a powerful testament to everybody who works for the team and chipped in this weekend, chipped in last night, ordered the pizza, stayed up until two o’clock in the morning before the sun came up to button up the car and everything.

“They’ ve been working basically 48 hours straight. They’re on their way home right now, and they’re gonna lay their head on a pillow and get to the shop at 8 a.m. (Monday), some will be there at 6.”

Team members slept less than three hours

Roughly 30 people came to the shop around 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

There were still about 10 team members at the shop in the wee hours of Sunday morning. After crew members were working late into the night, several returned by 5:30 a.m. Crew chief Phil Surgen said he got two-and-a-half hours of sleep.

It normally takes about three or four weeks — working from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday — to build a chassis. The car had been fully assembled, as the team was planning on using it as the backup car for next week’s race at Nashville.

“Pretty deflating midday on Saturday,” Surgen said. “This group of guys I’ve got is relentless, and there was no question that everybody was going to give every bit of effort they had. ... All the road crew that was at the track was there. We had engine support from (Earnhardt Childress Racing). We had shop guys who were at concerts and ball games and everything that just dropped what they were doing and came to the shop.

“A couple of hours of sleep, and back at it in the morning. And we worked all the way up until we had to reinspect (Sunday) at 2 p.m.”

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