Ross Chastain, behind the wheel of the #44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet, navigated a tumultuous NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) to clinch a P9 finish. The race, ultimately won by Layne Riggs, was marked by Chastain's early pit road woes, which he shrugged off with resilience and determination.
Chastain's weekend in Indianapolis was a busy one, as he participated in both the Truck Series race at IRP and prepared for the Brickyard 400 Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He even skipped the Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to focus on the Cup Series race.
The trouble began early for Chastain during a pit stop when the crew failed to properly secure a tire. As he left the pit box, the loose tire broke free, and in a bizarre twist of fate, Chastain ran over it with his own truck. Fortunately, the damage wasn't severe enough to end his race. He returned to the pits, the crew rectified the issue, and Chastain rejoined the field, albeit with a significant amount of ground to make up.
Despite the setback, Chastain demonstrated remarkable perseverance, battling his way back through the pack. His efforts were further rewarded when Stewart Friesen, who initially finished third, was disqualified after failing post-race inspection. This elevated Chastain to a P10 finish. However, due to a scoring correction, Chastain was later credited with a P9.
"Yeah just the lugs on the left front," Chastain explained, when asked about the pit road incident. He expressed confidence in his Niece Motorsports crew, stating, "We got a great pit crew department at Niece, in-house developed crew. Trains there, practice there and comes out of the Salisbury shop. Just didn't get them tight".
Layne Riggs dominated the TSport 200, securing his fourth career Truck Series victory. Corey Day, a rising star, finished second, while points leader Corey Heim took third place. Heim's result also clinched the 2025 Regular Season Champion title for him, with two races to spare.
Beyond the on-track action, Chastain also addressed his relationship with fellow Cup Series driver Joey Logano. The two drivers had recent run-ins, including an incident at the Chicago Street Course and contact at Dover Motor Speedway. However, Chastain indicated that they had smoothed things over. "Joey and I, we're so similar, and I like it," Chastain said. He added, "Occasionally, that comes to a physical contact on the track, and it did recently. We had a good time in Loudon for the tire test, good conversation and good laughs in the garage yesterday".
Looking ahead, Chastain is preparing for the Brickyard 400 Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He will be sporting a special Busch Light Lime paint scheme for the occasion. Despite the drama at IRP, Chastain remains focused on improving his playoff seeding as the regular season draws to a close. Having already secured a playoff spot with his Coca-Cola 600 win, he aims to build momentum heading into the postseason.
