{"id":21902,"date":"2018-09-15T20:55:15","date_gmt":"2018-09-16T01:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=21902"},"modified":"2018-09-16T16:52:59","modified_gmt":"2018-09-16T21:52:59","slug":"ross-chastain-scores-career-changing-victory-at-las-vegas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/15\/ross-chastain-scores-career-changing-victory-at-las-vegas\/","title":{"rendered":"Ross Chastain scores career-changing victory at Las Vegas"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Ross Chastain, driver of the #42 DC Solar Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 15, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

LAS VEGAS \u2013 Two weeks ago at Darlington, Ross Chastain<\/strong> showcased his potential in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, leading 90 laps before falling out of the race in a dust-up with veteran Kevin Harvick.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Ross Chastain, driver of the #42 DC Solar Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 15, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Matt Sullivan\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

In Saturday\u2019s DC Solar 300<\/strong> at Las Vegas Motor Speedway<\/strong>, his second trip in Ganassi\u2019s car, Chastain closed the deal, surviving three restarts in the final 20 laps to earn his first NASCAR Xfinity Series<\/a> victory in his 132nd<\/sup> start.<\/p>\n

Chastain led 180 of 200 laps and swept the first two stages at the 1.5-mile track. To cement the victory, he held of five-time winner Justin Allgaier, who clinched the regular-season championship and accompanying 15-Playoff-point bonus after finishing fifth in Stage 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoly cow! I\u2019m just a watermelon farmer from Florida\u2014I\u2019m not supposed to do that,\u201d said Chastain, who carried one of his trademark watermelons to Victory Lane. \u201cThis shows you anything in your life is possible. I gave one away at Darlington, and this was awesome racing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought this would happen. It\u2019s incredible. Allgaier was awesome. He\u2019s insane. I had to play possum there (on the restarts) and then changed it up. The car was just amazing. This was all we could ask for. We did it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Ross Chastain, driver of the #42 DC Solar Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 15, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

In a car that showed its superiority on longer runs, Chastain was forced to win the race in short sprints. Vinnie Miller\u2019s spin on Lap 175 caused the sixth caution and forced a restart on Lap 181. Trying to side-draft Allgaier right after the cars took off, Chastain brushed the side of Allgaier\u2019s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and kept the lead.<\/p>\n

On a Lap 188 restart, after Chase Briscoe\u2019s brutal crash into the inside backstretch wall, Chastain moved up the track to block Allgaier\u2019s run into Turn 1\u2014and kept the lead.<\/p>\n

On the final restart with five laps left, after a five-car pileup slowed the race for the eighth time, Chastain cleared Allgaier through Turns 1 and 2 but got a tap from the No. 7 car that propelled him forward down the backstretch.<\/p>\n

Chastain pulled out to a 1.629-second lead at the finish.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Ross Chastain, driver of the #42 DC Solar Chevrolet, poses withe trophy in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 15, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Allgaier confessed to a moment of frustration after the side-to-side contact on Lap 181 but had cooled down by the time the final restart rolled around.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried everything I could do to pass him as clean as I could,\u201d Allgaier said. \u201cThat restart there, I thought we had a good shot at it. We had done a good job on the regular-season championship and had locked it up\u2026 what I was afraid of was blowing the left-rear tire. We had made contact right at the left rear tire, and that was my biggest fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Ross did a great job today and had by far the best car\u2026 At the end of the day, it\u2019s cool to see him get the win. If we couldn\u2019t do it, I\u2019m glad to see him get the win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cole Custer ran third and claimed a bonus of 10 Playoff points for finishing second in the regular season. Christopher Bell was fourth, followed by Elliott Sadler. Ryan Preece, Brandon Jones, Ryan Truex, Austin Cindric and Spencer Gallagher completed the top 10.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Ross Chastain, driver of the #42 DC Solar Chevrolet, poses with the winner’s sticker after the NASCAR Xfinity Series DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 15, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

A bone-jarring wreck in Turn 4 interrupted Chastain\u2019s dominance of the first two stages. Matt Tiift\u2019s No. 2 Chevrolet turned sideways in the middle of the corner, right into the path of Ryan Reed\u2019s No. 16 Ford. Reed slammed into the front-left of Tifft\u2019s Chevy, and both cars rocketed into the outside wall.<\/p>\n

Reed climbed from his car and sat down on the asphalt, leaning against the car door as he collected himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t seen the replay, so I don’t know exactly what happened,\u201d Reed said after exiting the infield care center. \u201cNot sure if he lost a tire or what. That was a tough one. Knocked the wind out of me pretty bad. The right side is all banged up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m all good. Nothing broken or anything. I\u2019ll just be sore tomorrow. Thankfully, everyone on our Ford Mustang worked really hard this weekend. I feel like we were getting it better and able to run the top 10 once we got the car a little better. It just got cut short, unfortunately.\u201d<\/p>\n

The only consolation for the early exit is that Tifft already had secured a position in the Playoffs, and Reed locked himself into the final berth despite falling out in 35th<\/sup> place.                                                                                                                                                                                <\/p>\n

Cindric also claimed a position in the Playoffs, which will feature the following 12 drivers, in order of seeding: Allgaier, Bell, Sadler, Custer, Tyler Reddick, Chastain, Daniel Hemric, Jones, Tifft, Truex, Cindric and Reed.<\/p>\n

Media Center Interviews:<\/h3>\n

Ross Chastain – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/NXS_LVMS_Chastain_091518.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Race winning crew chief Mike Shiplett – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/NXS_LVMS_MikeShiplett_091518.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Justin Allgaier – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/NXS_LVMS_Allgaier_091518.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cole Custer – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/LVMS_NXS_Custer_091518.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – DC Solar 300<\/b><\/p>\n

Las Vegas Motor Speedway<\/b><\/p>\n

Las Vegas, Nevada<\/b><\/p>\n

Saturday, September 15, 2018<\/b><\/p>\n

               1. (5) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               2. (8) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               3. (1) Cole Custer, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

               4. (4) Christopher Bell #, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               5. (3) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               6. (34) Ryan Preece, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               7. (36) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               8. (38) Ryan Truex, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               9. (2) Austin Cindric #, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

               10. (14) Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               11. (18) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               12. (10) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               13. (12) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               14. (16) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               15. (17) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               16. (15) Alex Labbe #, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               17. (21) Ray Black II, Chevrolet, 198.<\/p>\n

               18. (39) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 197.<\/p>\n

               19. (23) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 197.<\/p>\n

               20. (31) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 196.<\/p>\n

               21. (22) Cole Rouse, Chevrolet, 194.<\/p>\n

               22. (27) Spencer Boyd #, Chevrolet, 194.<\/p>\n

               23. (20) Max Tullman, Ford, 192.<\/p>\n

               24. (19) Bayley Currey(i), Toyota, 191.<\/p>\n

               25. (29) Chad Finchum #, Chevrolet, 191.<\/p>\n

               26. (33) Vinnie Miller #, Chevrolet, 191.<\/p>\n

               27. (26) Josh Bilicki #, Toyota, 190.<\/p>\n

               28. (7) Tyler Reddick #, Chevrolet, Accident, 188.<\/p>\n

               29. (35) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, Accident, 188.<\/p>\n

               30. (6) Shane Lee, Chevrolet, Accident, 188.<\/p>\n

               31. (13) Chase Briscoe, Ford, Accident, 181.<\/p>\n

               32. (24) David Starr, Chevrolet, Engine, 145.<\/p>\n

               33. (28) Mike Harmon, Chevrolet, Clutch, 93.<\/p>\n

               34. (25) Timmy Hill, Dodge, Suspension, 74.<\/p>\n

               35. (11) Ryan Reed, Ford, Accident, 64.<\/p>\n

               36. (37) Matt Tifft, Chevrolet, Accident, 63.<\/p>\n

               37. (40) Stan Mullis, Dodge, Vibration, 51.<\/p>\n

               38. (32) John Jackson, Toyota, Vibration, 30.<\/p>\n

               39. (30) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Vibration, 18.<\/p>\n

               40. (9) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, Accident, 5.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  119.258 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 30 Mins, 56 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.629 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  8 for 40 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  11 among 4 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   C. Custer 1-2; R. Chastain 3-11; C. Custer 12; R. Chastain 13-70; D. Hemric 71; R. Chastain 72-130; J. Allgaier 131; R. Chastain 132-134; J. Allgaier 135-148; R. Chastain 149-179; J. Allgaier 180; R. Chastain 181-200.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  R. Chastain 6 times for 180 laps; J. Allgaier 3 times for 16 laps; C. Custer 2 times for 3 laps; D. Hemric 1 time for 1 lap.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 42,20,1,00,21,22,7,11,60,19<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 42,00,21,20,7,1,19,22,9,60<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service LAS VEGAS \u2013 Two weeks ago at Darlington, Ross Chastain showcased his potential in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, leading 90 laps before falling out of the race in a dust-up with veteran Kevin Harvick. In Saturday\u2019s DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":21911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[67,16,181,655],"class_list":["post-21902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-las-vegas-motor-speedway","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-xfinity-series","tag-ross-chastain"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/NXS_LVMS_ChastainVL_091518-e1537134259197.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-5Hg","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21902"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21914,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21902\/revisions\/21914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}