2026 presents NASCAR drivers with fresh possibilities. The tweaked championship format is one, as the focus is finally on consistency across the season instead of one-off wins. However, the points format is no easier, as drivers will need to focus more on their race craft. Demands for precision, perfection, and dodging DNFs require skill – which Ross Chastain is eager to gamble with another new provision.
Ross Chastain lays out his new year’s ambition
“Well, it all starts with just a love for racing. I want to be the best NASCAR driver I can be. I think the best way to be good at driving a race car is by driving race cars. Real ones, on the track, real consequences. And if I can do that on the same weekend on the same track as the Cup car, then I’m going to do it,” Ross Chastain said in a NASCAR Live episode.
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NASCAR has expanded the limits of races that Cup Series drivers can start in 2026. And the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing driver has already announced his plans as well. Ross Chastain will run the maximum allowed number of Truck races (eight) for Niece Motorsports. In the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Chastain will wheel the No. 32 for Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport. His confirmed venues are the first Atlanta race, the Circuit of the Americas, Sonoma Raceway, and Watkins Glen International.
#1: Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, Jockey x Folds of Honor Chevrolet
But Ross Chastain intends to extend his racing limits, all for one goal. “Everything revolves around Sunday’s Cup car. If I don’t go fast there, nothing else matters. So yes, in the past it’s been five and five in the Truck and O’Reilly Series, now you can do 8 and 10. So we’ll be in every possible race that NASCAR will allow us this year,” he continued.
In 2025, Ross Chastain came dangerously close to acing the playoffs. He won the prestigious Coca-Cola 600, clinched 12 top tens and 4 top fives, and finished 10th in points. With the elimination-style format gone, Chastain can focus on honing his racecraft and displaying speed every weekend.
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“I sure think I can, I sure do,” Ross Chastain replied when asked if a championship is within reach. “And I think I can by taking ten races after making the playoffs, which is no easy feat. But I’d be the top 16 in points, and yeah, you’ve got ten races to beat 15 people in points. It’s a simple math equation, just gotta get more points.”
While he prepares for a diversified schedule inside NASCAR, Ross Chastain has his eyes outside as well.
Exploring a new sport
On a visit to Daytona last weekend, Ross Chastain toured Action Express Racing’s Whelen Cadillac set-up. As a guest of General Motors and Action Express Racing, Chastain admitted that observing IMSA events firsthand from the pit box was a completely different experience. He marveled at how swift the team and the racers are in terms of operations. A driver had been waiting ahead of time after a red flag came out for a stalled car.
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“It was interesting to see the depth of the team and ask Connor [Zilisch], probably, some silly questions. But it’s just some stuff that I never learned,” elaborated Ross Chastain. “It was just cool to learn about. We could be in this very pit stall for the Daytona 500 next month, and it doesn’t compare at all to this, which is good in our respective series.”
Connor Zilisch, a Rolex 24 at Daytona winner in the LMP2 class, will be Ross Chastain’s new teammate in 2026. Zilisch will start his first full-time Cup Series campaign with Trackhouse Racing after a star-studded Xfinity year.
As Ross Chastain gets into position for 2026, the excitement can be no less. Let’s wait and see how our melon farmer navigates the season.
The post Ross Chastain’s All-In Gamble Exposes NASCAR’s Relentless Grind as He Eyes Maiden Cup Glory appeared first on EssentiallySports.
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