CONCORD, N.C. -- On a night when William Byron dominated, it was another driver who celebrated the win at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Ross Chastain went from last to first while using a backup car.
The final battle unfolded with fewer than 10 laps remaining in the 600-mile race. Chastain worked around in different lanes as he tried to find the best path past Byron, who had led a race-high 283 laps and swept the first three stages.
Chastain made his move with six laps remaining. He dove between Denny Hamlin and Byron, and then he used a slide job to pull ahead of the Hendrick Motorsports driver. He then began putting distance between himself and the field.
The race remained green as the Florida native went on to win his first race of the season and the first crown jewel of his career.
MORE: Chastain wins, full results
The pass. The win. The emotion. @RossChastain is victorious in the #CocaCola600! pic.twitter.com/liBvLVh0lZ
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 26, 2025
Chastain had considerable speed during practice on Saturday afternoon, but he spun and wrecked during the session. Instead of qualifying, he had to go to the garage, where the team worked on prepping the backup car for the 600-mile race.
This work took most of the night on Saturday, and it began again in earnest on Sunday morning. The team just kept grinding until the No. 1 Chevrolet was ready for the most grueling race on the schedule.
"When I left the shop last night, I went over and sat in this car for the first time," Chastain told Prime Video's Marty Snider. "It was about 10 o'clock when I left. They worked until 2:30 (a.m.). They were back at 5:30 this morning.
"Most of them drive 30, 45 minutes home. A little shower, I think. I don't even know if they slept. Back there at 5:30. They get this thing ready, and that's the dedication it takes from Trackhouse."
This meant that Chastain had to start the race from the 40th position. Normally, this would not be ideal, but he had a 400-lap race with three stage breaks to work his way through the pack.
Chastain missed out on points in the opening stage, but he crossed the line seventh by Lap 200. He moved into fifth by Lap 300. From that point on, he continued to work his way closer and closer to Byron and Hamlin, who battled for the lead on nearly every lap.
Hamlin had to make an extra stop in the closing laps due to a fuel can issue earlier in the stage, so the battle came down to Chastain and Byron. Although Hamlin's lapped car served as the de facto pick for Chastain to make the race-winning pass in his backup.
"We had a great car, and it was fun battling up front," Hamlin said. "It was a heck of a battle there. I would have liked to see it through, but unfortunately, just didn't get enough gas in it and had to come back in."