Ross Chastain outlasts William Byron to win first race of 2024 at Kansas

Another fantastic race from Ross Chastain as he put on a show fighting off drivers in the second half of the race at Kansas. For the fifth time in his NASCAR Cup Series career, Chastain is a winner!

Ross Chastain has once again found victory lane. He is not in the NASCAR Playoffs this year, but this win means everything to him.

The Melon Man gets it done at Kansas! He bested Kyle Busch and outlasted William Byron, and it’s a bad day to be a watermelon.

REPOST to congratulate Ross Chastain for WINNING at Kansas Speedway! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/40n57YwSzi

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 29, 2024

NASCAR fans had to wait 30 races this season until seeing Ross Chastain win. He has now won at COTA, Talladega, Nashville, Phoenix, and Kansas. Those big ovals seem to be Chastain’s preferred tracks. When he is on an intermediate track with a fast car, he’s almost always a threat.

Chastain had to fight for this win today. With 35 laps to go, it was shaping up to be a dogfight between Chastain and Kyle Busch. Inexplicably, Busch got loose behind Chase Briscoe as he lapped the 14-car and spun out.

That mistake and caution opened up the door for Ross Chastain. When the No. 1 team is in the lead, passing goes from difficult to downright impossible. Chastain is the last driver you want to see in front of you. Unless you have a great car, he’s not going to make it easy.

This race ended up being consequential for the NASCAR Playoffs. Drivers who were once favorites are now on the outside looking in going to Talladega.

Ross Chastain spoils the party while playoff drivers struggle

Lap 1 of this race was a wreck that included Chase Elliott. Already starting in the rear due to engine issues in practice and qualifying, Elliott was hit with immediate consequences. Ty Dillon forced it four-wide out of Turn 2 and from there it was a mess.

Luckily for Elliott, he was able to rebound. His teammate Kyle Larson did not bounce back as well from an early race issue where he blew a tire and hit the wall. Austin Cindric, another playoff driver, was involved in a wreck that sank his chances at another top-15 finish. Tyler Reddick, the regular season champion, had a poor day on the track as well and is below the cutline now.

Despite all that was on the table for the NASCAR Playoffs, it was really about the non-playoff drivers late. Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. were doing their best to steal the show late, and Chastain got the job done.

This is the third straight year with a win for Ross Chastain. Trackhouse Racing as a whole now has 8 wins since beginning their program in 2021. Are we going to see Chastain create more chaos this postseason?