Chastain moment speaks volumes about Coca-Cola 600 | Sports News

Ross Chastain remains to be ecstatic one week on from profitable the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, as he is been seen carrying his championship ring at Nashville.

Chastain received a thrilling race on Memorial Day weekend and beat William Byron to the road, and he is nonetheless reveling within the moment. It was the primary time that Chastain had received the enduring Cup Series race, which sees profitable drivers earn a championship ring and a sentimental victory hat.

The Trackhouse Racing driver nearly had his hat stolen during his post-race celebrations, however has traveled to Nashville together with his memorabilia. Chastain was carrying his ring across the observe and the storage, solely taking it off when getting behind the wheel for qualifying, and to race within the Xfinity Series.

“It says ‘Champion’ and it says ‘Coca-Cola 600 2025’,” Chastain mentioned about the ring at Nashville. “It had the SMI logo right front and center. That car and that red and blue logo for SMI is so iconic, something that I remember as a kid seeing and I didn’t know what it was.

“And now to have it entrance and middle on the ring of what SMI and the Smith household have constructed the Coca-Cola 600 into is unimaginable. So yeah, positively going to take it off now for observe.

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“But it has been motivation this week because this week was a grind. And sometimes I just had to touch the ring and be like — okay, smile, go to the next thing, make the next flight, get home, like all the stuff … the ring is a very special part of it, as well as the trophy, which I can’t even pick the dang thing up … it’s too heavy.”

After profitable final Sunday, Chastain and his crew loved wild celebrations and the vitality nonetheless lingers. Chastain turned the primary driver since 1969 to win NASCAR’s longest race after beginning in final place, and it has been credited as one of essentially the most spectacular wins of his profession.

“Patience paid off,” Chastain mentioned when reflecting on the profitable drive. “There were times where I almost got in the wall, but I lifted. There were times where I almost got to someone’s outside or almost cleared them off the corner and lifted.

“In a 600-mile race, that permits you to try this. These races are a lot shorter this weekend, although.”

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Chastain is still annoyed by the bizarre fan encounter, though, after his victory hat was snatched from his head. Speaking about the incident on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Chastain said: “Justin Marks and I had an unimaginable moment the place we discovered one another earlier than Victory Lane.

“As he gets out of the window, somebody else is screaming and happy and I didn’t really pay attention to who it was and then I feel them grabbing the top of my head… and he kind of started pulling it off my head. I said no and I grabbed the bill of it to pull it back down and he jerks it off my head and out of my hand and I was like that’s not going to happen.”

The hat was wrestled back by Trackhouse director Tony Lunders, and Chastain added: “I think he dropped his own hat and I could see him talking to (security). And then I see Tony Lunders walk up and snatch it out of the guy’s hand and bring it back to me.

“So, it was very odd. I do assume that I do assume the man was not considering clearly, he had a good day of partying.”