Ross Chastain Ready for EchoPark Speedway’s Historic In-Season Tournament Debut
The Melon Man stopped by the station Wednesday to talk all things racing ahead of Nascar's return to Atlanta this weekend
HAMPTON, Georgia – (41NBC/WMGT) – As NASCAR launches its first-ever in-season tournament at the newly renamed EchoPark Speedway, formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway, drivers are gearing up for a high-stakes weekend of racing unlike any before. Among them is Cup Series driver Ross Chastain, who stopped by the 41NBC station to share his thoughts ahead of Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 available at Walmart.
“Yeah, we just didn’t really know what to think until we got here and got seeded”, Chastain said.
Chastain, driver of the No. 1 Wendy’s Chevrolet, found out after the Pocono race that his opening-round matchup would be against Erik Jones in the iconic No. 43 car, once driven by NASCAR legend Richard Petty.
“As long as we finish ahead of the 43 in the race, we’ll go on to next week’s bracket and keep moving on,” Chastain said.
When asked if the tournament format changed his team’s approach, Chastain responded plainly.
“No, we can’t try any harder, man,” he said. “Even if I see the 43 car right in front of me or beside me at the end of the race, I’m pushing the gas as hard as I can. The 43 car is really the least of my worries. It’s all the other cars put together.”
Chastain said his team’s bigger goals include earning more playoff points and improving their current eighth-place standing in the points race.
“We want to keep being great like we were that weekend {at Charlotte},” he added. “We’ve been good this season, but we want to be great.”
As the weekend approaches, Chastain stresses the importance of execution, from pit road strategy to lane choice on restarts and drafting decisions, especially over 400 miles of intense super speedway racing.
“You can’t win it on the first lap, but you can sure lose it,” he said.
Chastain opened up about what this Atlanta course means to him and the emotional ties he carries into the race.
“It’s a race track that I went to as a kid,” Chastain said. “My uncle Doug brought my cousin Trey and I up when we were kids to watch Kyle Busch win the race I remember, and so now to be racing against Kyle, and racing on the track, I got to race on the old surface, and now, through the reconfiguration that happened ahead of the 2022 season, we’ve had chances to win.”
Over the years, Chastain has experienced highs and lows at Atlanta, including near-victories and on-track incidents.
“We finished second, like I’ve led laps, we’ve just not been able to put a full race together. I’ve crashed. I’ve been in crashes,” he said. “So it’s something that is definitely high on the list.”
For Chastain, the ties to Georgia run deeper than just racing.
“My granddad grew up in South Georgia. He was born and raised in Thomasville or Clotney, and my great-grandfather moved the family to South Florida, where everybody now knows about our watermelon farm,” he said. “But it was in South Georgia before that.”
Chastain said the family has long shared stories about their time as Georgia residents and credited their move south for the success of the family’s watermelon business.
“We are harvesting watermelons in Cordele right now,” he said. “So a lot of the watermelons going out across the East Coast are coming right out of the great state of Georgia.”
When asked about Atlanta Motor Speedway’s reconfiguration, Chastain admitted he had his doubts.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t think that the reconfiguration was going to be any better. I thought the old track was great. I was wrong,” he said. “It is so much better to watch now. They used to be snooze fests, and now I’ll watch the XFINITY race with everybody else, and be on the edge of my seat the whole time.”
With a historic weekend drawing fans from all over, Chastain shared what they could expect from the action.
“Feeling the horsepower, the energy these cars put off, 200 miles an hour, almost 700 horsepower. We got to pit a lot. So, a lot of action, a lot of racing, side by side, two and three wide,” he said. “Coming down to the end, you don’t know who’s going to win until right at the finish line.”
Chastain referenced a memorable three-wide finish from last spring, where his Trackhouse teammate Daniel Suárez claimed the win at the line. This time, there’s even more on the line, including a Chevy pickup truck, a motorcycle, and a batch of fresh Georgia peaches, all part of the new EchoPark sponsorship.
“I went over to Southern Belle Farms, east of the speedway, early Wednesday. Got to pick the peaches that are going to be in victory lane,” Chastain said. “Whether I win or not, I at least got to pick them, and somebody’s going to be eating sweet Georgia peaches after the race.”
Chastain also revealed a lighthearted addition to the weekend: a “swear jar” for anyone caught calling the track by its former name, with proceeds going to charity.
13th-seeded Chastain in NASCAR’s in-season tournament is set to find out his qualifying position Friday afternoon ahead of his first-round matchup against 20th-seeded Erik Jones and the No. 43 car. The Quaker State 400, Available at Walmart, will take place on Saturday at 7 p.m.
