Ross Chastain has seen his hopes of qualifying for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Chase officially dwindle during the competition held in New Hampshire. After a promising start, the Trackhouse Racing driver had to withdraw with just 41 laps to go.
Chastain, who was positioned 11th, experienced a mechanical issue that forced him to retire his No. 1 Chevrolet. At the end of the race, he finished in the last position, 36th, and only managed to score one point, marked as his first failure of the 2026 season.
Regarding the reasons for his withdrawal, Chastain commented that he felt a drop in power in his vehicle. «There was an internal problem with the engine; oil was coming out of the exhaust pipe. It was a difficult moment, and unfortunately, we couldn’t continue,» the driver explained. Despite this situation, he emphasized that the speed of his car had improved over the summer, reaffirming his commitment to continue working.
Chastain has participated in the playoffs in three of the last five seasons, with a maximum second place in the 2022 championship. His last absence from the privileged spots was in 2024, after which he managed to win one of the last races at Kansas Speedway.
At this moment, Chastain is on a victoryless streak that extends to 49 races, a situation not seen since his participation in the Coca-Cola 600 in May 2025. Nevertheless, Trackhouse Racing still has a chance to make it into the Chase through Shane van Gisbergen, who enters the cutoff race at Daytona with a 31-point advantage.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_41c9a9bcb7e3039b57fce528a0f148f96b1cda9a