“There’s a high risk of contact,” Ross Chastain lists out the main challenges for cup drivers in Watkins Glen
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Ross Chastain
Trackhouse Racing has established itself, in just one and a half years since its origin, as one of the teams to beat in the NASCAR cup series. The Justin Marks-Pitbull-owned team has not just limited themselves to a budding cup team chasing glory it has also introduced long-term plans such as the PROJRCT91 aimed at widening the market reach of the sport.
Though Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain have led the team with incredible dedication and hard work compared to the final race results, Chastain has been the most productive asset to the organization. The No:1 Camaro ZL1 driver has visited the victory lane twice this season, with both of his win g coming at the first half of the season in Talledega and COTA.
Ross Chastain, alongside his cup compatriots, will hit the track running this weekend at the 2.5 miles road course race at Watkins Glen International. Chastain remained winless in the second half of the season as his momentum was hindered by his on-track shenanigans, so a win at one of the most iconic road courses will be the right one for his potential championship run.
Find out what Ross Chastain had to say about his cup outing
Ross Chastain acknowledged that Watkins Glen is different from other tracks as it has a higher grip which makes the corners more technical, and the inputs are much more critical at the track for the drivers. He pointed out that the hardness of making a pass on the track prompts a high risk of contact when drivers attempt to do so.
“Watkins Glen is higher in grip than most places. It seems simple, but it’s actually more technical because there is so much grip. It’s simple regarding the turns, but the inputs are much more important. It will be hard to pass, so there’s a high risk of contact when it comes to passing,” Ross Chastain said.
Ross Chastain talking about the PROJECT91 entrant Kimi Raikkonen and his interaction with the F1 world champion acknowledged they had personal interaction. He added Kimi was very talkative to him, saying, “He’s talked more in the time I’ve met with him in person than I’ve ever heard him in all of the interviews I’ve seen (laughs), and I’ve watched him for a very long time,”.
Talking about things he enjoys at Watkins Glen, Ross Chasten acknowledged that that track has a vivid history as many drivers have hit the track not just for NASCAR but other forms of racing. He added that the origin of the Watkins Glen racing scene, which had street and lakeside race, was cool.
“The history of the track carries it. You look back at how many drivers have driven there, not just in NASCAR but in all forms of motorsports. The beginnings of the Watkins Glen racing scene and where they used to race on the streets and over by the lake, that’s cool,” Ross Chastain added.
Ross Chastain acknowledged that hitting the boot layout is on his bucket list. He added that though he knows he can’t do it in NASCAR, he hopes to do it one day, saying, “I hope one day to run the boot. I know we won’t do that in NASCAR, but I hope to do it one day and extract that last little bit of lap time. The boot layout would be on my bucket list,”.
Will Ross Chastain be able to secure one more win before the playoffs start?
Also read: “Unjustified signing,” NASCAR Twitter reacts to Ryan Blaney’s contract Extension with Team Penske
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