Ross Chastain will return to the site of his first national NASCAR series start to kick off a busy weekend in Indianapolis.
Chastain will drive the No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports as he competes in Friday's Craftsman Truck Series race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. This race will mark Chastain's fifth start of the Truck season and an opportunity to win his second race of the season.
The choice to compete again at IRP is fitting for Chastain, who makes only his second career start at the Indiana short track. This is the track where he first drove a Truck Series entry back in 2011 and delivered a top-10 finish.
Designated Drivers are Legendary! @RossChastain knows that, and his No. 45 Silverado will carry that message this week at @RaceIRP.#PressTheAttack | #TeamChevy pic.twitter.com/r0H8vSdItG
— Niece Motorsports (@NieceMotorsport) July 15, 2024
Chastain took over the No. 66 Turn One Racing Chevrolet for the July 2011 race and he started 15th overall. He kept the truck clean and finished 10th, just behind eventual champion Austin Dillon.
One interesting detail about this race at IRP is that Chastain took over the No. 66 after another driver drove it in 12 races. The name of that driver? Justin Marks, the man who created Trackhouse Racing and the man who hired Chastain to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet.
Chastain said at the time that IRP was his only scheduled start that season. However, he was able to make four more starts. This helped pave the way for him to move full-time to the Truck Series in 2012.
The Florida native has continued to compete in NASCAR in the years since that fateful July evening at IRP. He has gone from a driver fighting to put together opportunities across the three national series to a perennial playoff contender with one appearance in the Championship 4.
A key season in this journey was 2019. Chastain competed full-time in the Truck Series for Niece Motorsports and he finished second in the championship standings after winning three races.
While Chastain moved up to Cup full-time in 2021, he has continued to make starts in both Xfinity and Trucks while driving for DGM Racing and Niece Motorsports, respectively. He has added two more Truck wins to his resume, one at Charlotte in 2022 and one at Darlington this season.