A solid run by Ross Chastain was ruined near the race’s halfway point as an accident left him with a 37th-place finish in Saturday’s Service King 300 Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway.
Chastain’s Florida Watermelon Association Chevrolet suffered a cut tire and significant left-rear damage when he was hit by the car of J.J. Yeley. The team was not able to repair the damage within NASCAR’s mandated five-minute window, and Chastain parked for the day after logging 81 laps.
“I thought we had a solid car,” said Chastain, who qualified 24th. “We were minding our own business when we got the left side of the car scrambled up. It’s unfortunate. I’m sure we would have had a good finish.”
Chastain is 19th in series points five races into the season.
JDM PR
