Jeff Burton says Trackhouse Racing should let Ross Chastain be himself amid slide since Darlington

Jeff Burton thinks Trackhouse Racing needs to grant Ross Chastain the freedom to be himself. The former NASCAR driver-turned-analyst believes potential changes to Chastain’s approach might be affecting his success on the track.

Over the last three races, Chastain has slipped significantly. He’s posted a pair of 22nd-place finishes, as well as a 29th in that window. Burton says it’s time to let the No. 1 driver return to his usual self.

“Let Ross be Ross. But, how do you pull a guy going 100%, how do you pull him to 93? Does that work for Ross Chastain? I don’t know,” Burton said on the NASCAR on NBC podcast. “It’s a very tough situation when, publicly, it’s like, ‘Hey, he’s gotta change.’

“That’s a very tough situation for a guy like Ross. The reason he’s here is because of the gritty attitude.”

Burton says it’s tough for Chastain to maintain his level of confidence while being asked to change how he does things on the track. The analyst says it forces the No. 1 driver to “change his normal.”

“I don’t want to put all the performance on this situation, because I don’t think that’s fair. But, how do you handle this situation? And I do think they’re better off as a team just letting Ross be Ross.”

“You’re asking him to change his normal. You’re asking him to change what comes natural to him, and I don’t want to be too philosophical, but imagine if someone did that to you? … It’s just a big challenge for an athlete to be asked to change who he is. Any athlete.”

Burton continues breaking down Chastain’s struggles

Chastain’s recent struggles on the track have resulted in a drop atop the NASCAR Cup Series standings. He fell from the No. 1 spot down to No. 5.

Burton explained why he thinks Chastain has struggled so mightily on the track in recent weeks.

“He’s trying to adjust to not being the center of everything every week. And that’s an exaggeration, but I’m sure that’s the way it feels,” Burton said. “And the success isn’t there. So, this is a major challenge.

“Pulling the reins back on a guy … is a big adjustment. And it doesn’t happen overnight. He’s raced this way for years. People don’t like racing with him. It’s not Ross’s job to make people like racing with him. That’s not his job. His job is to do his job for his team and himself. And it’s a challenge to change who you are midstream.

“Has it affected him? I don’t think there’s any doubt. Because he’s a human being.”

There’s still plenty of racing left on the 2023 schedule. Will Chastain be able to turn things around in the coming weeks?