Ross Chastain heads into Sunday night’s dirt race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway after earning his fifth top-five result in eight races this season at Martinsville on Sunday.
AdventHealth will adorn the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro for Bristol and will carry an in-car camera for Sunday night’s 125-mile dirt event.
This weekend marks the second year for the Cup Series car on the dirt surface at the famed Tennessee track. Last year, Chastain’s race ended early after an accident 52 laps into the event.
Growing up with an asphalt track background, Chastain has very little experience on dirt. While the driver lacks dirt track experience with the exception of a lone 2019 Truck Series start at Eldora Speedway in which he finished 12th, and last year’s Cup Series race Bristol dirt, he’s working to improve his dirt racing ability by learning more about the dirt racing surface.
Chastain has spent time at Millbridge (N.C.) dirt track located in Salisbury, N.C. that is frequented by many in the industry of all ages for micro sprint races. With the help of Josh Wise, Chastain and teammate Daniel Suárez have made starts at the track in attempt to hone their dirt knowledge.
“Just going through the process at Millbridge in a micro was good,” said Chastain. “It doesn’t apply to Bristol in particular at all. I’m just trying to learn how to read the dirt, how guys attack the dirt. I’ve never looked at it that way. I’ve always looked at dirt on how you grow something in it, not how you drive on it.”
Bristol marks the ninth points race this season and Chastain has accomplished one win — Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas in March — along with two runner-up finishes, a third-place and fifth-place finish. The solid results have him sitting fifth in the current driver points standings, and second in the playoff standings.
Fox will broadcast Sunday’s 125-mile race at 7 p.m. ET.
Ross Chastain, Driver of the No. 1 AdventHealth Chevrolet Camaro
What did you learn in the Bristol dirt race last year and can you apply anything this year?
“Going through practice and getting into the race was an experience and it was a highlight. I crashed out in the race last year, unfortunately. The two best dirt racers in the field, the Nos. 20 and 5 crashed into each other and I piled in. I wish I could’ve run the rest of that race. I had an awesome experience and learned a ton.
“I’ve been going to school to learn how to dirt race – how to read the dirt, what has grip, what does moisture look like, what’s the blue groove, what’s slicked off – I don’t know all of those terms. Fortunately for me, a lot of the No. 1 team guys are old dirt racers, sprint car guys that came over because of Kyle (Larson) to be on the No. 42 team and are now on the No. 1 team. I work with (Tyler) Reddick, (Alex) Bowman, Larson and Josh Wise. Between those four guys, they’ve forgotten more about dirt racing than I have ever learned, so I’ll lean on them a lot. I’m used to dirt, but it has been on a tractor.”
Do you have much dirt experience from growing up?
“I never did any dirt racing growing up. I did the Truck race at Eldora in 2019 and that’s really it. The only other dirt race was the Bristol Cup race last year. I just did Millbridge a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t do it for Bristol in particular, just more for pure dirt racing knowledge and being around people and seeing how the groove changes.”
