Neither a new vehicle nor a new series proved to be a challenge for Ross Chastain, as he impressed fans and competitors alike throughout the History 300 weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Chastain piloted his No.55 Watermelon.org Chevrolet to an 18th place finish in his debut event.
“I was happy with the weekend overall. We started the race a little tight, and as the race went on, we made small adjustments to get the racecar to turn better. We were set up for a strong finish, but we fell just short on gas and lost a few spots at the end,” said Chastain. “I had a lot of fun driving in the Nationwide Series and look forward to the challenge of racing on many more Saturdays. I would like to thank the National Watermelon Association and Helena Chemical Company as well as Viva Motorsports for the opportunity.”
The young, Floridian wasted no time getting up to speed in his watermelon adorned Viva Motorsports machine. His first laps on the racetrack were fast enough to put him 19th on the first practice speed chart. Ross and the team continued to work on the racecar and found themselves in a solid 21st position at the conclusion of practice. Qualifying was more of the same as Chastain posted a time strong enough for the 19th starting spot in the History 300.
Throughout the race, Chastain and the Viva Motorsports team picked up positions and they found themselves racing in the top 15 as the last caution of the day fell. Over the radio, Chastain and Crew Chief Bill Henderson decided to stay out under caution and gamble on fuel mileage for a chance to put the Watermelon.org Chevy in the top 10. Unfortunately, that gamble did not pay off and the racecar ran out of fuel on the final lap. Chastain coasted across the finish line in 18th place.
Viva Motorsports PR
