"Are you kidding me?" - Ross Chastain calls unexpected win at GEICO 500 'a true seedless' one

Ross Chastain claimed his second NASCAR Cup Series season win of 2022 in the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. The venue, which hosted the 10th Cup race of the season, featured a thriller.

Chastain emerged victorious in a wild finish when he crossed Erik Jones and Kyle Larson off Turn 4 on the final lap.

During the post-race interview, Chastain called the GEICO 500 win an unexpected victory which came on the final lap of the overtake. Chastain said:

“No. Are you kidding me? You know me. I’ve wrecked myself so many times and gotten into it with guys. I’ve probably got a watermelon seed. This is a true seedless.”

The driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet was competing in his first season with the Trackhouse Racing Team. He never imagined that he would have this much success in the first quarter of his tenure.

Speaking about his success with the organization and team’s approach before the race, Chastain said:

“Yeah, I mean, Justin Marks and what he laid out for us was ambitious. I had no idea, you know, what to expect other than I knew I had my group from last year, I had AdventHealth, the Moose, now with Worldwide Express and Jockey coming onboard, we’ve got partners.

They’re believing in us. We started the year with a lot of races open. We’re almost full now. It’s because of the vision of Justin Marks. Pitbull, Armando, we won, yeah!”

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Ross Chastain’s finishes in the previous 2022 Cup Series races

Trackhouse Racing Team driver Ross Chastain is competing in his sixth NASCAR Cup Series season. The Florida-native has had a mixed season and has recorded six top-10 finishes, including two wins.

Pennzoil 400 was the first top-10 finish for him. His season has also featured subpar performances at the Daytona 500, WISE Power 400, Toyota Owners 400, and the Food City Dirt Race.

In Talladega, Chastain drove the same winning car that he used at the Circuit of the Americas a month ago. He and William Byron are the only drivers with two wins in the first 10 races of the season.

Earlier, he put up consistent performances from Las Vegas Motor Speedway to Bristol Motor Speedway, with the exception of Richmond Raceway.

The driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro finished third, second, second, first and fifth in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Atlanta, COTA and Martinsville, respectively.

With Sunday’s win, Ross Chastain gained 42 points and now stands ninth in the points table standings with 292 points.