Ross Chastain hopes to defend his Hollywood Casino 400 win at Kansas Speedway as he starts ninth in Sunday’s race. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Ross Chastain will start ninth in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, hoping to defend the victory he scored at the same track in last year’s Playoffs.
Saturday’s practice did not go smoothly for the No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet of Trackhouse Racing. Chastain posted the 31st fastest time in practice, but fared somewhat better in a 10-lap average run, placing 18th.
Prior to Kansas race weekend, Chastain acknowledged the handling issues he dealt with in last Sunday’s Mobil 1 301, the Round of 12 Playoffs opener at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, placing ninth.
“I thought we had a respectable race. Our No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet was too tight for most of the race,” Chastain said. “We spent most of the race trying to get it to turn better. But once we got that better, we went back forward. When we were too tight, we went backwards. I think we just started the day overall too tight and needed to get some wedge out throughout the race, but it just took us a little while. We’ll take a top-10 finish and go back to work to get ready for Kansas.”
Trackhouse Racing’s driver has shown flashes of strength this year, especially at intermediate tracks similar to Kansas. He already has one win in 2025, earned at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, where he routed past William Byron with five laps to go after starting from deep in the field. That victory was the first of the season for Chastain and has been a building block in his campaign.
Consistency has been one of his challenges. Across 30 races so far this season, Chastain has recorded 11 top-10 finishes and three top-5s. Average start for the year has hovered around 19.7, with average finish closer to 16.1. He has led 72 laps in total. Four times he has failed to finish (DNF). Points standings place him ninth among Playoff drivers with 3,035 points.
Playoffs have tested him in different ways than the regular season. Questions of tire wear, pit strategy, restarts and track conditions have required adjustments race after race. Asked whether there is more tension being in the Playoffs, Chastain said there is not.
Ross Chastain did not have good fire off pace in Saturday’s practice, but he qualified ninth and has potential for long-run pace in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
“I wouldn’t say there’s any more tension,” he observed. “Everyone is professional and you can’t get into the playoffs and all of the sudden change everything you’ve been doing. Everyone goes in each day putting their best effort into the task at hand. You got into the playoffs because you did well, so I wouldn’t say the attitudes or anything change just because we’re in the playoffs.”
Kansas presents a familiar chance. Chastain won here last year in the Hollywood Casino 400, adding his name to the list of drivers who have defended a Playoff race at Kansas. Trackhouse’s intermediate-track performance has been uneven though. Chastain believes the team has the strongest program for the No. 1 car at mile-and-a-half tracks, and noted that replicating his Kansas win and the Charlotte win would give them a strong shot toward another win or at least a top-five finish.
“I feel our intermediate program is the strongest for the No. 1 car out of the different types of tracks,” Chastain shared. “I think if we can replicate how we ran at Kansas last year and Charlotte this year, that we’ll have a strong shot to win or definitely run inside the top-five. We haven’t been able to do that at all of the mile-and-a-half tracks this year though. The little bit of a question mark going into Kansas is if we can replicate those races.”
Past performance at Kansas suggests Chastain has reason for some optimism. In historical statistics among Playoff drivers on 1.5-mile tracks this season, he ranks among those with solid points and stage-point totals, though not at the very top. He has six top-10 finishes in his last nine races on 1.5-mile tracks, and his points tally from those intermediates is one of the better ones among Playoff contenders.
Standing in the current Playoffs, Chastain must balance aggression with managing equipment over long runs. His average finish of 16.1 this year means he often salvages good finishes even when things go wrong in qualifying or in early stages of races. Several times he has clawed forward during races after poor starts, especially when adjustments begin to pay off. His laps led total for the year remains modest, but leadership in key moments has shown the potential to threaten wins.
Starting ninth may give him cleaner air early, and avoiding traffic could help his team work through handling issues more efficiently. That position also puts him in the mix for stage points, which are especially important with the cut line looming in the Round of 12. Every spot matters for advancing further in the Playoffs.
Defending a Kansas win carries extra weight. Last year’s win at this track under Playoff pressure showed that Chastain and his team can perform when stakes are high. Pressure at this point in the season can expose weaknesses, but past success gives confidence. From Trackhouse’s perspective, status as a past winner here gives them data and experience to lean on as they tune the car for the worn Kansas surface.
Ross Chastain played the role of spoiler last year when he won the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
Practice and qualifying inconsistencies have been part of Chastain’s story this season. Slow practice times followed by better longer-run averages suggest that while outright speed may lag in some sessions, race trim and adjustments can improve performance over extended laps. Handling changes, torque-steer, tire fall-off and wedge settings have been work-in-process items as Kansas weekend approaches.
Top-10 this past weekend and last have helped keep him in the Playoff mix. The one win at Charlotte and multiple solid mid-week races have given Chastain enough cushion in points to avoid being on the very edge of elimination, though he is not comfortably far above it.
Kansas Speedway’s 1.5-mile layout demands balance in corner entry, mid-corner grip and exit speed. Track-position matters, especially late in stages and on restarts. Tire management and pit stop execution could decide where Chastain finishes when the laps wind down.
Viewed across the season, Chastain is at a point where racecraft and backstretch speed matter as much as qualifying position. While the ninth-place start is not pole, it is enough to keep him close to the front and avoid some early chaos.
Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 will be a test of whether Chastain can convert his experience, his intermediate-track data and his past Kansas success into another strong finish. He has won here before under Playoff pressure, he has won big midseason, and he has shown he can grind through poor practice and qualifying to contend in races.
He enters the race carrying momentum but also carrying questions. If his team can dial in adjustments, if he can get forward in the early stages, and if restarts fall his way, he could well be a contender for another win this year.
