Ross Chastain will climb behind the wheel of the No. 1 AdventHealth Chevrolet this weekend at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 is the sports longest race of the year and also one of the most special. The Memorial Day weekend race is an opportunity to bring attention to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the country.
Chastain’s No. 1 AdventHealth Chevy will honor United States Army Staff Sergeant James D. Bullard who passed away at 28 years old in Spearwan Ghar, Afghanistan on October 30, 2007 during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Bullard of Marion, S.C. was assigned to the South Carolina National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 263rd Armor Regiment, in Marion, S.C. He passed away from wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using rocket-propelled grenade fire, machine gun fire, mortars and small-arms fire during combat operations. Staff Sgt. Bullard’s name is emblazoned on the windshield of Chastain’s No. 1 AdventHealth Chevy for this weekend.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. James D. Bullard
In keeping with the special Coca-Cola 600 weekend, the No. 1 AdventHealth Chevrolet will have a different paint scheme this weekend with a red door number and stars incorporated in the livery.
While its the longest race of the season, it’s the shortest trip of the year for No. 1 hauler driver Roy Miller. He’ll power the hauler just six miles from the Trackhouse Racing shop to Charlotte Motor Speedway and park it in the first spot based on point standings. In last year’s 600-mile race, Chastain led 153 laps and finished 11th at the mile-and-a-half track.
The Alva, Florida native enters the weekend coming off a 11th-place finish in the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro on Sunday. Chastain is currently leading the Cup Series point standings after the most recent points race two weeks ago in Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
Sunday’s race marks AdventHealth’s fifth of six races in the 2023 season. The Altamonte Springs, Fla., company first partnered with Chastain in 2020 when he was a part-time driver in the Cup Series.
Fox will broadcast Sunday’s race at 6 p.m. EDT.
2023 Point Standings
AdventHealth Paint Scheme for Charlotte
Ross Chastain, Driver of the No. 1 AdventHealth Chevrolet
How do you prepare for the Coke 600?
“This is the longest race of the year and preparation begins well before the weekend to hydrate and be able to sustain a solid pace for such a long race. It’s so easy to think this is just another race weekend but you have to always have in your mind that there is a fourth stage and you still want to be as focused in that stage as you were in the first. It’s actually a really important race to have something to snack on in the car during the race. I typically have some sort of protein bar that I can eat during a stage break just to try and keep my stamina up. The weather plays a big role in the race too. Sometimes its really hot and its a lot easier to get worn out and other times the temperature is pretty mild.”
What would it mean to win at Charlotte?
“We led a bunch of laps last year at this race and I hope to repeat the same this year. Phil Surgen and the guys continue to bring me fast cars and my pit crew is very consistent and helps me out on pit road. It would be awesome to go to victory lane at Charlotte for the 600 mile race because its so close to the shop and its one of the marquee events of the year.”
Chastain Notes
2023 marks Chastain’s third full-time Cup Series season. The Chevrolet driver’s first Cup Series start occurred in 2017.
In 2022, Chastain won his first career Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on March 27 and his second at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on April 24.
The Chevrolet driver finished second in the season ending championship standings.
Voted 2022 National Motorsports Press Association’s Driver of the Year.
Known for the “Hail Melon” move at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway that has garnered over 225 million views and 1.2B impressions.
Moose car from Martinsville topped all diecasts in sales for 2022.
Chastain owns 199 Xfinity Series starts with two wins (Las Vegas in Sept. 2018, and Daytona in July 2019), 23 top-five and 49 top-10 finishes.
The Florida native has 106 Craftsman Truck Series starts with four wins, three earned in 2019, and one in 2022 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, 21 top-five and 47 top-10 finishes.
Chastain joined Trackhouse Racing for the 2022 season after Chip Ganassi Racing was acquired last off season by Justin Marks.
Chastain has driven for Premium Motorsports, Spire Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing in the Cup Series before his first full-time season in 2021.
