NASCAR CUP SERIES: BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400

October 5, 2025

Ross Chastain

Pit Lane Interview

Q. Out by four points, and two mistakes on the day by Ross, but two rebounds. Put yourself in a position in the closing laps where you had to have the drive of your life. Your spotter, Brandon McReynolds, said before the lap, I need a perfect lap. You need a perfect lap. If you had that last lap back, what would you do differently?

ROSS CHASTAIN: I would restart the whole day, Kim. For Busch Light Chevy, Trackhouse Racing, they expect so much more out of me, and the speed on pit road, I had to go back and went off the end of pit road and didn't turn. I thought I had more room and just was trying to get to the yellow line and just completely started the downfall there.

Then I came off out of the pit stall and double-clicked up into third and just unforced errors. Just terrible. So it's heartbreaking for almost 200 employees at Trackhouse, of our teammates, our ECR Engines, everybody that makes this go around with Jockey and The Moose and Kubota.

Justin hired me to carry this 1 car and to drive it and to be a leader, and I just completely unravelled our day. We definitely had the speed on the last lap, yeah, and missed turn 7, and I slid the rear tires and let the 11 by.

Yeah, not acceptable. I just completely -- you know, just completely unacceptable.

Q. Unacceptable. How do you kind of come to terms with the mistakes that were made today?

ROSS CHASTAIN: Knowing that no one else had a hand in it but me. The Wise program gave me everything I needed, GM, Chevrolet, Trackhouse. So I can go to bed knowing that they're building me to be the best I can be, but I've got to make those right decisions in those moments where I'm not on autopilot, but I come out of the pit stall, I'm just getting to my lights, and I pull twice. When I went to the end of pit road, I didn't turn because I wanted to get to the end of the yellow line, and I needed to just turn the wheel. It's really simple.

Yeah, it's terrible to get to this level and not perform. When you watch and you learn and you study for half your life to get here and to fail is a terrible feeling right now, and I will wake up tomorrow and go right back to work. That doesn't make it any better for our partners and for all of my teammates that are really upset with me right now. I know the 11 is mad. I'm sure I would be too. He got by me clean and was giving me room, and he got by me clean, and I wiped him out.

Just have to wake up tomorrow and go back to work, though.

Q. Ross Chastain eliminated here at the ROVAL.