Ross Chastain Tires Out, Crashes After Leading Coke 600 Practice

Ross Chastain headed into Charlotte Motor Speedway with momentum after earning a second-place finish in Friday night’s NASCAR Truck Series race. Carrying that speed over to Cup Series practice for the Coca-Cola 600, Chastain once again impressed.

He posted the ninth fastest single-lap time but stood out by topping the averages over 10, 15, and 20 consecutive laps. The No. 1 Chevrolet, fielded by Trackhouse Racing, appeared to be one of the best on long runs with Chastain behind the wheel.

The session took a dramatic turn after 20 laps on track. Chastain’s car suddenly lost all air pressure in the left-rear tire as he raced down the backstretch. For more details on tire safety and performance in motorsports, refer to this SAE International resource.

He attempted to keep the car straight and slow down before entering Turn 3 but spun and hit the outside wall with the driver’s side. The car came to rest on the apron and needed to be towed to pit lane.

Chastain was checked and released from the infield care center. He told reporters the tire failure was instant, giving him no chance to save the car.

While no official cause has been determined, teams have struggled with aggressive low air pressures causing tire issues at various tracks this season. Chastain was the only driver involved in a crash during practice.

Another Chevrolet entry, the No. 8 driven by Kyle Busch, never turned a lap after reporting a steering problem before taking to the track. Busch’s team responded by swapping out the power steering pump as he watched from the garage.

That came on the heels of a major announcement the same morning, as Busch confirmed an extension that will keep him with Richard Childress Racing through 2026. For more on team contracts and NASCAR regulations, visit NASCAR’s official site.

Carson Hocevar set the fastest single lap of practice, clocking in at 29.926 seconds with a speed of 180.445 mph in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. Ty Gibbs, piloting the No. 54 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, was right behind with a time just 0.013 seconds slower.

AJ Allmendinger ran third quickest in another Chevrolet. The rest of the top ten included Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace, William Byron, Chastain, and Michael McDowell.

Among them, Chastain ranked ninth on the overall timesheet despite his crash—after leading in the critical multi-lap pace categories.

Recent races across the NASCAR Cup Series have featured plenty of drama and tight competition. At Kansas Speedway, Kyle Larson dominated with over 220 laps led and claimed his third win of the season.

Talladega’s superspeedway action ended with Austin Cindric winning in a photo finish by just 0.022 seconds over Ryan Preece after a wild final lap. Denny Hamlin recently picked up back-to-back wins and has shown strength on various track types this year. For historical race data and statistics, check out Racing-Reference.

The road ahead for Chastain and the Trackhouse team means repairing the No. 1 car and regrouping for the race at Charlotte. The race at Charlotte is one of NASCAR’s longest and most challenging, testing both drivers and equipment under the lights.

Teams will analyze the tire data and look for solutions to prevent similar problems on race day. The practice incident is a reminder of how quickly things can change in motorsports, regardless of early speed or session results.

Fans and teams will have their eyes on how Chastain bounces back, as well as on the continued tight competition at the front of the field. As the season progresses, each event adds new twists to the championship storylines and brings new challenges for drivers across the series. For more insights into motorsports engineering, visit MIT’s Motorsports Research.

Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.