Driving the #1 Chevrolet Camaro, Chastain started the ROVAL race in 10th and worked his way forward to end Stage 1 in fifth.
His first error came during the stage break on Lap 28 when he missed the pit exit and plummeted from what would have been 15th to 30th.
He made something of a recovery only to be pinged by NASCAR for speed exiting his pit bay on Lap 87.
Even before being delivered the bad news, Chastain knew he had made a mistake and banged his hands on his steering wheel in frustration.
He served a drive-through penalty, which put him in a precarious position with less than 20 laps to go.
Try as he might, Chastain couldn’t hold on and build a big enough buffer to Team Penske’s Joey Logano.
On the final lap, Chastain was passed by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin after messing up the entry to the Turn 7 hairpin.
In response, Chastain divebombed Hamlin at the final chicane and rear-ended the preceding Toyota Camry.
Both drivers went spinning and Chastain threw his car into reverse, crossing the start-finish line backwards.
Shane van Gisbergen wins on the Charlotte Roval!
Also … DENNY HAMLIN AND ROSS CHASTAIN GET TOGETHER ON THE LAST LAP. Chastain backs across the finish line. But it wasn’t enough. pic.twitter.com/Vo89xzNC5d
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 5, 2025
It wasn’t enough, and Logano clinched the final spot to advance to the Round of 8.
“They expect so much more out of me,” said Chastain post-race.
“I went off the end of pit road, 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 came off out of the pit stall and double clicked up into third (gear). Just unforced errors. Just terrible.
“It’s heartbreaking for almost 200 employees at Trackhouse, our teammates, our ECR engines, everybody that makes this go around.
“Justin (Marks, Trackhouse Racing CEO) hired me to carry this #1 car and to drive it and be a leader and I just completely unravelled our day.
“We definitely had the speed on the last lap. I missed Turn 7, I downshifted to first and slid the rear tyres and let the #11 by. Not acceptable. Completely unacceptable.”
Chastain took some solace knowing that all the errors were of his own making. At the same time, he was disappointed to let his team down.
Chastain becomes the second Trackhouse Racing driver to be knocked out of the Playoffs after Shane van Gisbergen’s exit after the Round of 12.
“I can go to bed knowing that they’re building me to be the best I can be,” said Chastain.
“But I’ve got to make those right decisions in those moments where I’m not on auto pilot.
“I came out of the pit stall and I’m just getting to my lights and I pulled twice. When I went to the end of pit road, I didn’t turn because I wanted to get to the yellow line and I just needed to turn the wheel. It’s really simple. 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. I will wake up tomorrow and go right back to work. It 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 I wiped him out. Just have to wake up and go to work tomorrow.”
Chastain’s pain was Logano’s gain.
When last year’s NASCAR Cup Series winner was interviewed, the crowd rang out with boos.
The three-time champion laughed in response, making light of the terse reception.
“Is that me? Is that who they’re booing at? Oh well. Hey! We’re still alive baby,” he laughed.
“We’re still going, I’m so excited. It was such a close finish there. I knew we were going to be tight there at the end and Ross was going to do whatever he had to do to make it happen.
“Man, it’s the drama of the Playoffs. If you want drama, the Playoffs bring it every time. What an entertaining finish there. To come down to a tie there basically before the wreck.”
The NASCAR Cup Series continues its Playoffs with the Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Monday, October 13 (AEDT).
Get the latest NASCAR news, stats and betting insights at MotorRacing.com
Discussion about this post