Ross Chastain is racing for more than just a trip to victory lane Sunday when he pilots the black and orange Kubota Chevrolet at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in the second NASCAR Cup Series road course race of the season.
The Trackhouse Racing driver seeks his first trip to victory lane in 2023, but a top-10 finish Sunday or in any of the remaining three Kubota sponsored races in 2023 means a $10,000 donation to the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC.)
The FVC is a national nonprofit organization that assists military veterans and currently serving members of the Armed Forces to transition into careers in farming.
Kubota first partnered with the FVC in 2015 on the “Geared to Give” program which has provided $800,000 to the coalition in the form of organizational support, grants to veterans and 36 pieces of donated equipment.
Chastain should be one of the favorites as he attempts to regain the top points spot he held for four consecutive weeks before falling to fifth after Sunday’s 22nd-place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis.
Last year at Sonoma, Chastain finished seventh while his Trackhouse teammate Daniel Suárez took the checkered flag to earn his first career victory and the team’s third Cup Series victory.
Chastain gave Trackhouse its first victory when he won on the road course at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on March 27, 2022.
Even though he is one of the favorites on road course, Chastain took extra steps to improve his skills in May when he participated in a Skip Barber school driving experience at the Northern California track.
In addition to the Cup Series race this weekend, Chastain will also pilot the No. 91 Xfinity car for DGM Racing.
After the Cup Series’ only off weekend of the season, Chastain is scheduled to participate in a Goodyear tire test at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on June 20 and 21.
Fox will broadcast Sunday’s race at 3:30 p.m. EDT.
Ross Chastain, Driver of the No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet
You still seem to run in more than one series on weekends, why is that?
“I think it’s important to get as many reps as possible. It’s something I’ve always done no matter what the equipment is like. You look back several years ago and I was running in as many series as I could each weekend just to get that seat time because I feel its really important for me. I even went out to Sonoma a few weeks ago to drive a Skip Barber school car just to get more laps at Sonoma. I wanted to start getting my mind trained to turning left and right again so that it comes more natural this weekend. I’ve done a ton of left turns in my life. Even on the farm, we always turn the tractor left with the way we work the fields. No idea why that really is, it’s just the way we’ve always done it. I would hate to add up all of the left turns I’ve made in my life, versus right.”
Having a sponsor like Kubota seems like it would be a great fit for you. Can you talk about that?
“I love having Kubota on the car because they do so much for the farming community. They have a great program with the Farmer Veteran Coalition. I want to get a top-10 finish this weekend for my team, but also so the FVC gets a $10,000 donation. I enjoy meeting the Kubota guests at the track and at the various Kubota events because we all have so much in common. I’m a big agriculture guy and partnering with Kubota is a great opportunity to share those stories.”
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.
Chastain and Justin Marks Attend Celebrity Softball Tournament Presented by Jockey
On Monday evening, Chastain and Trackhouse team owner Justin Marks attended the Folds of Honor Tennessee Rock N’ Jock Celebrity Softball Tournament Presented by Jockey in Nashville. Several country music artists and industry professionals participated in the event, along with representatives from various sports.
About Kubota Tractor Corporation:
Kubota Tractor Corporation, Grapevine, Texas, is the U.S. marketer and distributor of Kubota-engineered and manufactured machinery and equipment, including a complete line of tractors of up to 200 Gross hp* performance-matched implements, compact construction equipment, consumer lawn and garden equipment, hay tools, commercial turf products and utility vehicles. For product literature or dealer locations, contact: Kubota Tractor Corporation, 1000 Kubota Drive, Grapevine, TX 76051, (888) 4-KUBOTA [(888) 458-2682], Ext. 900, or visit KubotaUSA.com.
No. 1 Trackhouse Team Roster
Founder: Justin Marks, Rocklin, California
President: Ty Norris, Sumter, South Carolina
Driver: Ross Chastain, Alva, Florida
Crew Chief: Phil Surgen, Lake Elmore, Vermont
Car Chief: David Fero, Galt, California
Spotter: Brandon McReynolds, Mooresville, North Carolina
Engine Builder: ECR Engines, Welcome, North Carolina
Engine Tuner: Harry Holcomb, Mount Pulaski, Illinois
Fueler: Brook Davenport, Centreville, Maryland
Front Tire Changer: Mike Roberts, Hendersonville, North Carolina
Rear Tire Changer: Ken Pozega, Warren, Ohio
Jackman: Shane Wilson, Edgewater, Maryland
Tire Carrier: Matt Simmons, Charlotte, North Carolina
Engineer: Mike Skarbowski, Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania
Engineer: Mike Hann, East Granby, Connecticut
Mechanic: Josh Heidkamp, Vandalia, Ohio
Mechanic: Mike Madill, Glendale, Arizona
Tires: Patrick Lyden, Erie, Pennsylvania
Truck Driver: Roy Miller, Elkridge, Maryland
Truck Driver: David Alexander, Concord, North Carolina
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
