Ross Chastain, TrackHouse Racing Earn First Cup Win

It was a career day for Ross Chastain and TrackHouse Racing on Sunday in Austin, Texas.

After knocking on the door for the majority of the season, the driver and team were able to break through for their first win in the Cup Series. It did not come easy, as the driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet had to beat and bang with multiple drivers on his way to taking the checkered flag.

After several late caution flags, the race was set up for a two-lap overtime finish. On the restart, Chastain had to battle AJ Allmendinger and Alex Bowman for the lead. On the final lap, Allmendinger moved Chastain to claim the top spot. Moments later, Chastain returned the favor and sent AJ off course and into Bowman, clearing his way to the finish line.

"That’s insane," said Chastain. "To go up against some of the best with AJ... I know he’s going to be upset with me, but we raced hard, both of us, and he owes me one. But when it comes to a Cup win, man, I can’t let that go down without a fight. I didn't draw it up that way in my head, but I did what I did and I stand by it."

Bowman was able to guide his beat up Chevrolet across the line for a runner-up finish, but Allmendinger was not so fortunate. The Kaulig Racing driver was just a few turns away from the weekend sweep after winning the Xfinity Series race yesterday, but the contact with Chastain sent him into the gravel. After starting last, the driver of the No. 16 Chevrolet finished in 33rd position.

"At the end of the day, we all got to look at ourselves in the mirror and be okay with it,” said Allmendinger. "More than anything I'm proud of Kaulig Racing. I think if we could have just a long run, nobody was going to touch us. Pit stops were great. Everybody at Kaulig Racing. All the men and women. A lot of sleepless nights for them right now trying to get these cars to the next race. So I was doing everything I could to try to sweep the weekend for them. We were that close. Unfortunately, we needed about two more corners."

Christopher Bell did not have a great day but managed to come away with a 3rd place finish. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver battled his way through the field after dealing with a steering issue at the midpoint of the race. Chase Elliott was another driver that struggled for most of the day, but was at the front when it mattered most and finished 4th. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was considered the favorite coming into the weekend but was never in contention for the win.

Tyler Reddick rounded out the top five, once again leading the way for Richard Childress Racing. Chevrolet had four cars inside the top five today, including the race winner. The highest-finishing Ford was pole sitter Ryan Blaney in 6th. Martin Truex Jr had a quiet afternoon and finished 7th. Austin Cindric rebounded from multiple spins to finish in 8th. Erik Jones brought out a yellow flag with 27 laps to go when his No. 43 car stalled on track, but was able to rebound for a 9th place finish. Austin Dillon rounded out the top ten at COTA.

Other drivers that didn't make much noise but earned a top 15 finish were Kevin Harvick, William Byron, Michael McDowell, Brad Keselowski, and Justin Haley. Denny Hamlin finished 18th but earned the Stage 2 victory, his first stage win of the season.

Early on, it appeared as though Daniel Suarez was going to be the driver that got TrackHouse Racing into victory lane for the first time. The driver of the No. 99 car dominated the first stage, leading all 15 laps. At the start of the second stage, he got spun in Turn 1 and had to limp all the way around the 3.41-mile track with a flat tire. He was unable to get back to the front and had to settle for a 24th place finish.

It was another frustrating afternoon for Kyle Busch. The veteran driver got spun off course by Elliott in Turn 12 in the opening stage. After battling his way back into the top five, the former Cup champion got spun again in the closing laps of the race, which relegated him to a disappointing 28th place result.

Another talented Kyle had trouble on Sunday as well. Defending series champion Kyle Larson spun shortly after Busch in the first stage. He then got tangled in a mess with Joey Logano and Kurt Busch in Turn 1 in the final laps that left him with a 29th place finish.

Chase Briscoe was fighting at the front of the field for most of the day but contact with Allmendinger with 12 laps to go sent him off course. He was initially given a drive through penalty but NASCAR ultimately rescinded the penalty when it was determined that he was forced off of the track. He was unable to get back to the front though, and ultimately finished 30th in his Stewart Haas Racing Ford.

Joey Logano was the race leader at the start of the second stage, but his No. 22 Ford got loose as he entered the heavy braking zone in Turn 1. He lost 12 positions in the blink of an eye and had heavy contact towards the end of the race when he made contact with the outside wall that broke the rear of his car. While his Penske teammates both recorded a top ten finish, Logano came home in 31st.

Team owner Justin Marks was thrilled with how his driver handled the late-race situation. "When the money is on the line and a playoff spot is on the table, you do what you've got to do." There have now been three first-time winners in the opening six races this season. With Chastain's victory today, it also extends the streak of race winners under the age of 30 to 12 races.

With the first road course race complete, the series will now head east for three consecutive short oval events. The first stop will be in Richmond, Virginia. Coverage for Sunday's Toyota Owners 400 begins at 3:30 PM ET on FOX.