Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Ross Chastain starting in the rear of Pennzoil 400 after making wrap adjustment

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated 3/3/24

Before the Pennzoil 400 begins this afternoon, Ross Chastain had to have an adjustment made to the wrap on his No. 1 Kubota Chevy. Trackhouse Racing had to fix the wrap on the hood of the car and NASCAR says that is an unapproved adjustment.

For one reason or another, Ross Chastain’s wrap started to come up on the hood of his car in practice and qualifying. It was bad enough that the team had to pull the wrap-up and reapply it.

Chastain was going to start P20 after the qualifying session yesterday. Now he will go to the rear along with Ryan Preece (backup car) and Justin Haley (steering rack change).

Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports reported the update this afternoon ahead of the pre-race ceremonies.

Add Chastain to the rear. Team says they had to redo the wrap at the hood because it was coming up impacting Chastain’s sight. Changing the wrap at that area is unapproved adjustment. Haley (steering rack) and Preece (backup car) also to rear. https://t.co/9PkAfdIAzf
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 3, 2024

This is going to be the worst start for Ross Chastain at Las Vegas since 2019 when he started P32 for Premium Motorsports. Since making the transition to Trackhouse Racing, Chastain has three top-5 finishes in four races at Las Vegas, including a P3 finish in the March 2022 race.

I think that Chastain can make moves today. This shouldn’t be the end of his chances to get a solid finish. After the first two races of the season, Chastain sits at 8th in the points. He could improve his standing today with a solid race.

Ross Chastain likely missing out on stage points early

The one downside to starting in the rear, Ross Chastain will more than likely miss out on stage points. At least in Stage 1, that is. There is a chance that Chastain can get into the top-10 in Stage 2 and maybe even be on the good end of the field flipping during pit cycles.

Chastain is solid on the intermediate tracks. His teammate Daniel Suárez was the talk of NASCAR for the last week. Then again, Chastain knows exactly what it’s like to be in the headlines.

Coming off of the hype from Atlanta, Trackhouse Racing needs to get into a groove. Can’t let the highs get too high or the lows get too low. Staying consistent and even-handed all season is the path to success.

Do you think Ross Chastain can bounce back from this? It’s going to be a long day, and he will likely have to get creative on his pit strategy, but this can still be a solid day for the No. 1 team in Las Vegas.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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