On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
Kevin Harvick noted a troubling speed deficiency for Ross Chastain and Trackhouse Racing.
Chastain finished second to Joey Logano at Sunday's Wurth 400 despite his No. 1 Chevrolet placing 23rd in speed, per NASCAR insights. His Trackhouse teammates, Daniel Suárez and Shane van Gisbergen, finished 10th and 22nd at Texas Motor Speedway despite ranking 28th and 34th in speed, respectively.
Chastain didn't conceal his frustration with his vehicle in a post-race interview.
"That's a working-class day," Chastain told FOX Sports, via NASCAR.com. "Just no confidence in the car (Saturday), and you all saw that. Just the speed of the Trackhouse cars on Saturdays is just terrible. And we're just not confident — all three drivers."
Chastain's candid comments struck Harvick as out of character, which indicates how glaring Trackhouse's issues are this season.
"This was the first time I've ever heard Ross Chastain get out of that race car and voice his displeasure with the way that the cars felt," Harvick said on his Happy Hour podcast (h/t On3). "His interview afterwards was different than it has been ever before, with always being positive about everything that's going on. The reality has shown up, and that is they struggle on qualifying day."
Harvick said Chastain has continued to stay competitive through strategy, aggressiveness, and on pit road. However, the former Cup Series champion believes the car's performance is beginning to take a toll on the 32-year-old.
"You're starting to see that that car is getting a little heavy on his shoulders, towing it along all day through the qualifying day and practice," Harvick said. "They're struggling to find the speed with that car, but they are grinding harder than anybody on the No. 1."
Chastain notched his sixth top-10 finish of the 2025 season, but he's still searching for his first victory. He ranks 11th in points.
Trackhouse will send Chastain and Co. to Kansas Speedway for this Sunday's AdventHealth 400.
More must-reads:
- Final 2025 NASCAR power rankings: Major shake-ups after Phoenix finale
- Connor Zilisch losing Xfinity Series championship should be final indictment of NASCAR's playoff system
- The 'TDs from Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
Kyle Larson weathered the storm to claim 2025 NASCAR championship
Kyle Larson's second NASCAR Cup Series championship came in a much different fashion than his first. Larson's 2021 championship campaign was a year in which the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team decimated its competition. Their 2025 title run was one in which they had to fight and claw for everything they got. That included the championship itself, of course, which Larson earned after crew chief Cliff Daniels opted to take two tires on the final pit stop. Denny Hamlin took four, which gave Larson an advantage over Hamlin in NASCAR overtime that the latter did not relinquish. A third-place finish on a day where he led zero laps gave Larson his second championship. The Elk Grove, California, native is only the 18th driver in NASCAR history to win multiple Cup Series championships. Larson's 2025 season was quite the bumpy ride, at least, relative to the type of season he's used to having. Larson won only three races, with the latest victory coming at Kansas Speedway on May 11. He failed to finish inside the top 10 in the first round of the postseason, and a summer "slump" had some fans worried. Kyle Larson closed 2025 strong But Larson finished seventh or better in six of the seven playoff races, and regardless of the controversial circumstances surrounding the playoff format, he'll forever be remembered as the 2025 champion. "This has been a very tough season for the 5 team on a lot of fronts," said Larson's crew chief, Cliff Daniels, in a post-race news conference. "We had some really strong wins early in the year, a lot of strength. The summer was tough. We were down and sideways. Never quite down and out." A flat tire early in Stage 3 of Sunday's season finale at Phoenix Raceway put Larson behind the eight-ball in the closing laps of the season. When the final caution came out, Larson was fourth, second of the championship contenders, but too far back to make any run at Hamlin for the race win and the championship. "I mean, did anybody in here think that we had a shot?," Larson said. "Like Cliff was saying, we weren’t dead but we were pretty close. The final stage was not going as we needed it to. I didn’t feel great about my car, but I thought my team was doing a good job to keep me in striking distance if we had a caution, we could get a good pit stop and make it work, hopefully have a shot that way." Get a shot Larson did — and he took advantage of it, getting a good enough restart to put distance between himself and Hamlin. "I got a better one and two than I expected " Larson said. "For a bit I thought I was going to win. They were going kind of crazy on the radio, my spotter was, telling me that the 11 was kind of jammed up back there. I was going to be committed to the outside lane. I felt like that was going to be my best opportunity to find clean air, maintain momentum. I still wanted to win really bad. It’s been a while. I was trying what I could to win the race. But yeah, we did what we had to do to win the championship. Just insane. Insane circumstances to get us to this point." Those insane circumstances led to an afternoon Larson won't soon forget. Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.
Eagles geared up for another Super Bowl run after Jaelan Phillips trade
The Philadelphia Eagles are already Super Bowl contenders, but that's not stopping general manager Howie Roseman from bolstering his roster before the trade deadline on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. On Monday, the Miami Dolphins sent linebacker Jaelan Phillips to the Eagles for a 2026 third-round pick (via ESPN's Adam Schefter). It's the third defensive trade Roseman and company have made in the past week. They already improved their secondary by acquiring cornerback Jaire Alexander from the Baltimore Ravens and CB Michael Carter II from the New York Jets. How Jaelan Phillips trade benefits Eagles Trading for 26-year-old Phillips should help the Eagles (6-2) solve one of their bigger defensive problems: the ability to generate pressure consistently. Per Pro Football Reference, Philadelphia is tied for 19th in the NFL in pressure rate (19 percent). It also has 16 sacks, tied with the Las Vegas Raiders (2-6) for 23rd in the league. Phillips had just three sacks through his first nine games with Miami, but he's still a quality pass-rusher. Pro Football Reference has credited him with 18 pressures this season, tied with Denver Broncos LB Nik Bonitto and Pittsburgh Steelers LB T.J. Watt for the 12th most in the league. That's great company for Phillips to be in. Both of those star defenders are Defensive Player of the Year candidates. As of Monday, DraftKings Sportsbook gives Bonitto +850 odds to win the award and Watt +3500 odds to capture it. Star Philadelphia LB Nolan Smith Jr. is expected to return from a triceps injury in Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers. He last played in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams. His return and the Phillips trade may now put the Eagles defense — which ranks 19th in the league in points allowed (23.1) — in a position to hit its stride. Even if their team is winning, top GMs, like two-time Super Bowl champion Roseman, continue to find ways to strengthen their clubs. He's likely done that again by landing Phillips.
Mike Vrabel responds to accusation that Patriots simulated Falcons' snap on key fourth-quarter play
Packers have two trade options to replace Tucker Kraft
The Green Bay Packers lost much more than a game on Sunday afternoon. Star tight end Tucker Kraft, who had blossomed as one of the biggest threats for their passing game, suffered a potential season-ending knee injury. Kraft's production was quite valuable for Matt LaFleur's team, hauling in 32 passes on 44 targets for 489 yards and six touchdowns. Now, with Kraft potentially out of the picture and the trade deadline just hours away, the Packers have two candidates to consider as his replacement. Packers should trade for David Njoku or Chig Okonkwo Jordan Love is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in intermediate throws and using the middle of the field. The Packers need to exploit that with another playmaking tight end. With the Cleveland Browns sitting on a 2-6 record and David Njoku still waiting to get a contract extension, he'd be a solid and reliable addition at a reasonable price. He's up to 27 receptions for 260 yards and two scores this season. While he's been vocal about his desire to stay in Cleveland, Browns rookie TE Harold Fannin Jr. is already the No. 1 option. If the Browns are reluctant to give Njoku up, the Packers can always reach out to the Tennessee Titans, who, at 1-8, are already going through a panic sale of their own. Cam Ward hasn't developed much chemistry with Chigoziem Okonkwo. Given that Okonkwo is in the final year of his rookie contract, he's also a no-brainer trade candidate. Despite the limited opportunities and inconsistent playing time, Okonkwo has turned 29 catches into 281 yards. He may only need a change of scenery to break out.
Auburn makes massive decision regarding HC Hugh Freeze
The college football coaching carousel is alive and well. Just one week after Brian Kelly was fired from LSU, it's now the Auburn Tigers' turn to make a coaching move. Hugh Freeze fired According to multiple reports, Auburn has officially parted ways with head coach Hugh Freeze. The firing comes after Auburn managed just three points Saturday against the Kentucky Wildcats, one of the SEC's worst defensive teams, in a 10-3 loss. Freeze's tenure Freeze will finish his tenure at Auburn with a 15-19 (44.1 percent) record, much worse than his career winning percentage of 61.3 percent. His return to the SEC after seven seasons away ultimately did not turn out the way he or the university had hoped. Expected buyout Freeze's expected buyout is set at $15.8 million, one of the largest across college football. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, that amount "is not subject to off-set and mitigation." Potential replacements The amount of top-notch coaching talent fired this season will give Auburn plenty of options to go after to fill its head-coaching vacancy. Those names include Billy Napier, Brian Kelly, James Franklin and others. A head-coaching job in the SEC is a dream job for many coaches, meaning there should be plenty of suitors to fill the vacated role for both next season and beyond.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
