"I thought neutral" - Ross Chastain describes his mind set after botched restart at COTA

Trackhouse driver Ross Chastain drove his Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 No. 1 all the way to the victory lane at the great Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, March 27.

The win was a huge plus for him as it marked his first Cup series career win as well as the team's first win of the season. On Twitter, Pitbull congratulated Ross Chastain and his team for their first win.

With five races under our belts, the No. 1 driver has been one of the most competitive drivers since the start of the season. His efforts have finally paid off in NASCAR’s first road course race of the season.

The highly anticipated road course race at COTA ended in overtime, lasting 69 laps instead of 68.

Ross Chastain led the most total laps, but he almost lost the lead in the ninth and final caution of the day with only two laps to go. Tyler Reddick took the lead from Chastain before the final caution was called and the No. 1 driver felt as if he had lost it.

Losing the lead at the restart wasn’t easy for him and he was tense, but he managed to bounce back to his winning position. In a media interview, when asked how he was able to bounce back, Ross stated:

“ I don’t know how we got back by. I was so worried about AJ (Allmendinger) on the second-to-last restart that I let Tyler (Reddick) drive right by both of us. And AJ is so good. I’ve learned so much from him. And it was like how do you go beat the guy? He taught me so much.”

He went on to describe his mindset.

“It crossed my mind, like, We’re not going to win, we’re on old tires, but I couldn’t think that way. I thought neutral.”

Ross Chastain struggled to the victory lane at the great Circuit of the Americas

Despite Tyler Reddick getting the lead at the restart, Chastain was able to reclaim it on the last lap. AJ Allmendinger was not going to let him enjoy the lead as he snatched it from him.

The two went on to battle, with Chastain trying to get back in the lead before Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 car for Hendrick Motorsports, joined the mix.

Allmendinger held the lead with Alex Bowman in the outer lane. On Twitter, Jeff Gluck posted a video depicting Chastain pushing Allmendinger, who landed on Bowman's side.

The only obstacle that stood between Chastain and the victory lane was Allmendinger, so Ross Chastain gave him a push from behind, sending him to Bowman’s side. With Allmendinger spinning and Bowman destroyed, Chastain made a sprint all the way to the finishing lane.