History of Ross Chastain in Timeline

Ross Chastain is a professional stock car racing driver who competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series driving the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing. He also participates part-time in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for various teams. Notably, he is the older brother of fellow NASCAR driver Chad Chastain.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

December 4, 1992: Ross Chastain's Birth

On December 4, 1992, Ross Lee Chastain, an American professional stock car racing driver, was born. He is the older brother of fellow NASCAR driver Chad Chastain.

Others born on this day/year

1995: Dale Jarrett Disqualification

In 1995, Dale Jarrett was disqualified from a Busch Series race, marking the first instance of a win being revoked before Ross Chastain's disqualification in June's M&M's 200 at Iowa.

2005: Inspiration for "Hail Melon"

The "wall-riding" move, dubbed "Hail Melon", was inspired by Ross Chastain playing the video game NASCAR 2005 on the GameCube with his brother Chad as a child.

2011: Limited Late Model Win

In 2011, Ross Chastain had over fifty wins in feature events, including the Limited Late Model portion of the World Series Of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway, winning three of eight events in the series.

2011: Truck Series Debut

In mid-2011, Ross Chastain joined Turn One Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, debuting at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis and finishing tenth. He participated in a few more races marred by incidents. At Homestead-Miami Speedway, the team bought an RSS Racing start and park entry and ran the full race, finishing two laps down.

2012: Rookie of the Year Honors

In 2012, Ross Chastain competed for Rookie of the Year honors with SS-Green Light Racing. He achieved a career-best finish of seventh at Martinsville Speedway and later a third-place finish at Bristol.

January 2013: Joins Brad Keselowski Racing

In January 2013, Ross Chastain joined Brad Keselowski Racing for fifteen Camping World Truck Series races. He later admitted he was trying to get into a Team Penske ride but that was not the perspective of either team.

2014: Nationwide Series Debut

In 2014, Ross Chastain made his Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series) debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway, driving for Viva Motorsports. He also drove for Hattori Racing Enterprises at Michigan International Speedway, finishing twelfth.

2015: Joins JD Motorsports

In 2015, Ross Chastain joined JD Motorsports, achieving four top-ten finishes. He also had an altercation with Ryan Reed after a race at Richmond International Raceway.

September 2017: Returns to JD Motorsports

In late September 2017, Ross Chastain announced his return to JD Motorsports for a fourth year, running the entire 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and hinting at a part-time Cup schedule with Premium Motorsports.

2017: Best Xfinity Season

In 2017, Ross Chastain had his best Xfinity season, finishing thirteenth in points, the highest of the non-playoff drivers. He scored a top-five at Iowa and two top tens.

2017: Cup Series Debut

In 2017, Ross Chastain made his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut in the AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover, driving Premium Motorsports' No. 15 car. He finished twentieth.

2017: Fights with Xfinity Drivers

In 2017, Ross Chastain was involved in two fights with fellow Xfinity drivers, one with Jeremy Clements at Bristol and another with Brendan Gaughan at Texas. A crew member from JD Motorsports was hospitalized after the fight with Gaughan.

October 6, 2018: Agrees to Drive for Premium Motorsports

On October 6, 2018, it was reported that Ross Chastain had agreed to drive the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season with Premium Motorsports, with a Chip Ganassi Racing deal for more Xfinity races likely.

November 9, 2018: Full Season with CGR

On November 9, 2018, Ross Chastain and CGR announced a full season in the No. 42 Xfinity Series car for 2019, with DC Solar as sponsor.

December 18, 2018: DC Solar Raided by the FBI

On December 18, 2018, DC Solar was raided by the FBI, leading to the team losing sponsorship and shutting down in January 2019.

2018: Agreement with Chip Ganassi Racing

In 2018, Ross Chastain and Chip Ganassi Racing announced a three-race agreement for Chastain to drive the No. 42 car at Darlington Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway, backed by DC Solar. At Darlington, Chastain hooked Kevin Harvick's machine into the outside wall, ending Harvick's day.

2018: Expanded Cup Schedule

In 2018, Ross Chastain expanded his Cup schedule and returned to the truck series at Iowa, driving for Beaver Motorsports. At the Xfinity Series race at Mid-Ohio, Chastain and Joey Gase made contact, leading to a pit road confrontation. Chastain finished seventh in the World of Westgate 200.

2018: Past Racing Incidents Referenced in 2019 Feud

In 2019, Justin Allgaier cited instances of dirty racing by Ross Chastain at Daytona and Las Vegas in 2018 as justification for wrecking him at Watkins Glen, fueling their feud.

2018: Joins Niece Motorsports

Towards the latter part of the 2018 season, Ross Chastain joined Niece Motorsports for some NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.

January 2019: Joins Niece Motorsports and JD Motorsports

In January 2019, Ross Chastain joined Niece Motorsports to drive the No. 45 Silverado part-time and returned to the No. 4 JD Motorsports ride for 30 races. He also joined Kaulig Racing for three races. At the Daytona 500, Chastain scored his first career top-ten in the Cup Series.

May 10, 2019: First Career NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Race Win

On May 10, 2019, Ross Chastain won his first career NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway in the 2019 Digital Ally 250. Despite nearly spinning out, he saved his truck and inherited the lead after Stewart Friesen ran out of fuel.

October 15, 2019: Full-Time Kaulig Racing Driver Announcement

On October 15, 2019, Ross Chastain was announced as a full-time driver for Kaulig Racing in the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series.

2019: Xfinity to Truck Series Points Switch

During the 2019 season, Ross Chastain began racing for Xfinity Series points but later switched to Truck Series points before the SpeedyCash.com 400 at Texas.

2019: Victories and Controversies in 2019

In 2019, Ross Chastain won the Circle K Firecracker 250 at Daytona and a Truck Series race at Pocono, dedicating the latter to Nick Harrison. He also had incidents at Watkins Glen, leading to a feud with Justin Allgaier. CarShield fully sponsored his Truck Series playoff efforts.

2019: Second Top-Five Finish of 2019

In November 2019, Ross Chastain secured his second top-five finish of the year at Texas Motor Speedway, finishing second to Christopher Bell after leading 29 laps.

February 19, 2020: Replacement Driver for Ryan Newman

On February 19, 2020, Ross Chastain was announced as the replacement driver for the injured Ryan Newman in Roush Fenway Racing's No. 6 Ford, starting with the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas.

September 21, 2020: Chip Ganassi Racing Driver Announcement

On September 21, 2020, Chip Ganassi Racing announced Ross Chastain as the driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet for the 2021 season, replacing Matt Kenseth.

2020: Xfinity and Cup Series Plans for 2020

In 2020, Ross Chastain was slated to drive full-time for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series and return to the Cup Series for select races, while also continuing part-time in the Truck Series.

June 30, 2021: Trackhouse Racing Acquires Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR Operations

On June 30, 2021, Justin Marks of Trackhouse Racing announced the purchase of Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR operations after the 2021 season, making Ross Chastain a free agent.

August 3, 2021: Chastain to Drive for Trackhouse Racing in 2022

On August 3, 2021, Ross Chastain was announced as the driver for Trackhouse Racing's second Cup team in 2022, driving the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

2021: Best Cup Finish and Viral Video

In 2021, Ross Chastain achieved his best Cup finish at the time with a seventh-place result in the Daytona 500. During a rain delay, he gained attention through a viral video ordering McDonald's for the team.

2021: Career-High Xfinity Standings Finish

In 2021, Ross Chastain finished a career-high seventh in the Xfinity standings with 27 top-tens and fifteen top-fives, despite not securing a win.

2021: Uncle Roger Chastain's Death

In 2021, Ross Chastain's uncle, Roger Chastain, a former stock car racer, passed away due to complications from COVID-19.

2021: Playoff Appearance Streak Ends in 2024

The 2024 season marked the first time Ross Chastain missed the playoffs since 2021.

2022: Ross "The Boss" Nickname

Following his victory at the 2022 GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Ross Chastain was given the rhyming moniker Ross "The Boss" by Mike Joy.

2022: Multi-Year Deal with Trackhouse Racing

In 2022, Ross Chastain began a multi-year deal with Trackhouse Racing, driving the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

2022: First Cup Win and Championship 4 Qualification

In 2022, Ross Chastain scored his first career Cup win at the Circuit of the Americas, followed by a second victory at Talladega. He controversially qualified for the Championship 4 using a "wall-riding" move at Martinsville, ultimately finishing third at Phoenix and second in the points standings.

2022: "Hail Melon" at Martinsville

In 2022, at the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, Ross Chastain executed the "Hail Melon" move, driving his car into the outside wall on the last lap to gain unprecedented speed and secure a Championship 4 spot. He set a track record for the fastest lap.

2023: 2023 Season: Win at Nashville and Playoff Elimination

In 2023, Ross Chastain started with a ninth-place finish at the Daytona 500, had an altercation with Noah Gragson, won at Nashville, was eliminated from the Round of 12, but ultimately won the season finale at Phoenix, finishing ninth in the points standings.

2024: 2024 Season Challenges and Controversies

In 2024, Ross Chastain started with a 21st-place finish at Daytona, went winless in the regular season, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021, won at Kansas during the playoffs, and faced penalties for race manipulation at Martinsville.

2025: 2025 Season Win and Playoff Elimination

In 2025, Ross Chastain had a DNF at Daytona, but later won at Charlotte after starting last, becoming the first in the modern Cup Series era to achieve this. However, he was eliminated from the Playoffs following Charlotte Roval.