Ross Chastain - TSport 200 Race Preview
Race: TSport 200 (200 laps / 137.2 miles) | Race 15 of 23
Track: Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
Location: Brownsburg, Indiana
Date & Time: Friday, July 19th | 8:30 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | Motor Racing Network (MRN) | Sirius XM Ch. 90
No. 45 Designated Drivers Are Legendary Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Ross Chastain | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
- Chastain's Last Hurrah: Friday's event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park will see Ross Chastain make his final CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start of the season with Niece Motorsports. Chastain's four starts this year have produced one win (Darlington), three top-fives, and three top-10 finishes, including a fifth-place effort last weekend in Pocono.
- Chastain's IRP Stats: In 2011, Chastain made his NASCAR national series debut in the Truck Series race at IRP. During his series debut, at 18 years old, he put his name on the map by earning a top-10 finish. In the years since, Chastain had never entered another race at this track. He will make his second start on Friday.
- Gould's IRP Stats: Phil Gould has competed in both races at IRP since 2022, and his trucks have been fast. In the first year, Carson Hocevar led 34 laps before late-race issues relegated him to a 21st-place finish. Last year, though he didn't lead any laps, Gould's team finished fourth with Hocevar.
- On the Truck: Chastain's No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute to promote the Designated Drivers are Legendary campaign. His truck will also feature associate sponsorship from the Illiana Watermelon Association.
- Cutting it Close: With a full-length, 50-minute practice on hand for the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Chastain will be in a unique predicament on Friday. The two tracks aren't entirely far away from each other, but with only five minutes in between the end of Cup practice to the start of Truck practice, he'll have to hustle to make some laps. The team will have a driver on standby for the start of practice should Ross get delayed.
- Recapping Pocono: By virtue of the qualifying metric, Ross Chastain started the deepest in the field of the Niece Motorsports drivers in 27th position. He did not stay there for long, however, as he made quick work early on to pick up track position. A 16th-place finish in stage one propelled him to a seventh-place run in stage two, enabling Chastain to fight for the win in the closing laps of the race. With just a handful of laps to go, his truck began to stumble, but held on following both red flags to come home with a top-five finish.
- Owner Points Outlook: Though the No. 45 team might have lost one spot in the owner points standings following the race at Pocono, Chastain's top-five finish widened the gap to the Playoffs cutline. Currently seeded 10th in owner points, the team has a 19-point cushion above eleventh with only two races in the regular season left to run (IRP & Richmond).
- Quoting Chastain: How challenging is it to jump from the big track in Indy over to the short track at IRP?
“It’ll be a challenge for sure, but that’s part of the reason why I’m so excited to run at both tracks. I have fond memories of IRP; it’s where my career began, and I think the racing here is great. The two tracks are so different, so nothing will carry over, and I’ll have to use a different mindset as soon as I hop out of the Cup car in Friday’s practice. I’ve had a fun year racing for Al (Niece) and everyone at Niece Motorsports. Any time I get the chance to drive one of their trucks, I know we’ll have the pace to contend. I’m hoping to make this last start of the year a good one for all my guys on the No. 45 team.”
- Quoting Gould: What are you looking to build on your short track package for IRP?
“I feel like the past few years, we’ve just been okay at IRP. We haven’t been great, haven’t been bad, but we’re looking to improve on it this week. Really, on the short tracks, our team is pretty good, but IRP is a bit of a different animal. We need to get the trucks handling better with more corner speed to contend for the win. I’ve only been here twice with Carson (Hocevar) before, but we’ve been working on our package with Ross in the simulator, so I’m feeling optimistic about this weekend.”
About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2024, Niece Motorsports enters its ninth season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as X @NieceMotorsport.
About Indiana Criminal Justice Institute: The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) is the state planning agency for criminal justice, juvenile justice, traffic safety and victim services. The institute develops long-range strategies for the effective administration of Indiana's criminal and juvenile justice systems and administers state and federal funds to carry out these strategies.
Through the use of evidence-based decision-making, ICJI works to improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system, from call for service through post-conviction. The agency accomplishes this by bringing together key leaders from the criminal justice system at the state, local, and national levels to identify critical issues facing Indiana. The agency evaluates policies, programs, and legislation designed to address these issues. ICJI is designated as the State Administering Agency for distribution of federal funds, and as the State Statistical Analysis Center for research.
