What happened
Ross Chastain ran 4th before the final pit cycle at Martinsville Speedway, led Laps 423–424 and then lost time on his last stop. The No. 1 Trackhouse Racing crew needed extra time to tighten a wheel during the final pit cycle.
Christopher Bell opened the final green-flag pit cycle on Lap 415. Chastain stayed on track beyond Chase Elliott’s Lap 420 stop and briefly inherited the lead before coming in for his own service.
Background
Chastain had climbed from a 16th-place start to 8th in Stage 1 and 4th in Stage 2 before his final stop interrupted that progress through the field. Chastain said the car handled well and needed no major adjustment changes during the afternoon. Chastain had spent most of the 2nd and final stages running inside the top 5.
What it cost
The slow final stop dropped Chastain to an 11th-place finish, a loss of 7 positions from 4th before the cycle. The delay also cost him the lead lap, and he never returned to the top 10 after that final round of service. He completed 499 laps and was still running at the checkered flag.
Chastain’s delay came under green, so the field kept circulating at racing speed while his crew finished the wheel work. The race ended with a 230-lap green-flag run, leaving no late caution to regroup after the service delay.
What could have been done differently
Trackhouse needed to complete the wheel installation correctly during service so tightening it did not extend the stop. William Byron and Elliott both completed clean stops during the final pit cycle.