Justin Marks heaps praise on Ross Chastain after Ally 400 win

Won the pole, led the most laps, won the race. That has Justin Marks heaping praise on his driver Ross Chastain after the NASCAR Ally 400. Not only was this a dominant weekend from Trackhouse Racing’s most controversial driver, but the entire organization seemed to flex their muscles in their hometown of Nashville.

For Justin Marks, this win means a lot. He started Trackhouse Racing in Music City four years ago. Now, they’ve expanded to a two-car organization with four wins in the last two years combined. Chastain is responsible for three of those wins.

After the race was over, Marks praised his driver for the weekend. He even dared to say that Chastain has put himself in “rare air” in terms of where he sits in the NASCAR field.

“Yeah, it’s amazing,” Marks said in the post-race press conference. “It’s amazing for this company. Last couple weeks have been a little bit tough for us. We got so many great talented people, two great race car drivers, amazing partners. I think what we’re doing is special, feels special.

“It’s hard for new teams to come in this sport at this level and be successful. But we’ve got two incredible race car drivers. I think Ross showed today that he’s really in rare air in this series, at this level.”

Marks went on to talk about Chastain’s maturity and how he has learned so quickly. That maturity showed as Ross was patient passing lap traffic and made the most of his opportunities.

Justin Marks has a winner in Ross Chastain

The good news is, Trackhouse Racing and Justin Marks have their attack dog back. Maybe that is too harsh of a term to use. However, there is truth in that. Chastain was the “main character” of the season leading up to Darlington. He was leading the points standings and pissing people off each week.

Things had to change, though. Chastain had to start keeping a low profile. I don’t think it’s wrong to say that Chastain had his confidence and his pride hurt by being called out by so many in NASCAR. That includes his team owner, Marks.

With this win, and specifically how he did it, this could be the start of a new Ross Chastain. An even more dangerous version of the Melon Man. That isn’t because he’s bumping and wrecking cars out of his way. It’s because of his patience and new demeanor.

Justin Marks and Trackhouse Racing see themselves as the upstart championship contender that they are. That comes with a chip on their shoulder. After being called out by everyone in NASCAR, Rick Hendrick, Chevy and others – the tides might be turning.