The No. 1 team and Ross Chastain have a secure spot in the playoffs, but Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks knows that this group has to make major strides if it hopes to compete for a championship.
The team has to get better at unloading from the hauler to start the NASCAR weekend.
"I think that for us, we do have to get better on Saturday's," Marks said on Saturday at Watkins Glen International.
"We absolutely have to get better on Saturday's if the No. 1 team is going to have an opportunity to deep run into the playoffs because, like you said, if you qualify 28th, it's just so hard to pull yourself out of that. So that's where the focus is."
Chastain has been a solid qualifier overall during his time at Trackhouse Racing. His average starting positions in his first three seasons in the No. 1 were 14.4, 15.6, and 15.8.
This season, however, Chastain and the No. 1 team have struggled in practice and qualifying. Their average starting position this season is 22.3, his worst mark since 2019 when he drove for team owner Jay Robinson (33.6).
Chastain has only started inside the top 10 five times in the first 23 races. He has started 20th or worse in 15 races. Interestingly, his worst starting position, 40th, led to his first win of the season.
Chastain wrecked in practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He had to go to the backup car for the Coca-Cola 600. He then used this car to race his way through the field and score his first crown jewel win.
"The No. 1 team is a very, very talented group of people; very motivated group of people and working very hard," Marks said. "We're trying a lot of different things right now.
"We've got just a couple weeks left to try a couple things. I mean, the pace in the race, I think, has been pretty good. I think we're able to make lemonade out of lemons a lot more often than not."
Chastain and the No. 1 team have limited opportunities to address the Saturday issues before the start of the playoffs. They have Watkins Glen International, Richmond Raceway, and Daytona International Speedway remaining.
After these three races, each weekend matters more. Chastain only has six playoff points, so he will start the Round of 16 closer to the cutline than other drivers who have previously reached the Championship 4.
Saturday performances will only become more important during the playoffs, especially tracks like Bristol Motor Speedway where track position is more important.
If the No. 1 team can address its issues, it can put itself into contention on a more regular basis. If the team can't, it could have an early exit from the playoffs.
"I'll say that, if we can get those Saturday's to be better, if we can get the No. 1 team off the hauler faster in practice, better qualifying, better pit selections, and better position for strategy, then we'll see what that group is capable of," Marks added.
"My hope is that we'll get there. There's certainly as much fight in that team as there's ever been. We've just got to keep working really, really hard."