Ross Chastain Eliminated From NASCAR Chase After New Hampshire Disaster

Ross Chastain arrived at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with one final path into the NASCAR Cup Series Chase.

That path disappeared before Sunday’s race was even close to over.

Chastain’s No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet suffered a drivetrain issue during the Cup Series race at New Hampshire, sending the car to the garage and ending his afternoon. More importantly, the early exit officially eliminated Chastain from contention for the 2026 Chase for the Championship.

It was a brutal ending to a season that had left Chastain needing something dramatic over the final two races of the regular season.

Instead, his hopes ended with a mechanical failure.

Ross Chastain’s New Hampshire race unraveled early

The first sign of serious trouble came when smoke began pouring from Chastain’s car.

Initially, there was concern about a tire issue. But Chastain quickly made it clear over the radio that he believed something much more significant was wrong.

“We are pitting. It’s bad,” Chastain said.

The No. 1 Chevrolet came down pit road before eventually heading behind the wall. Trackhouse Racing’s attempts to diagnose the problem confirmed the worst-case scenario: Chastain had suffered a drivetrain issue, and his race was over.

He will finish last at New Hampshire.

There could hardly have been a worse time for a race-ending mechanical problem.

Chastain entered Sunday 18th in the Cup Series standings with 504 points, two positions below the 16-driver Chase cutoff. Shane van Gisbergen occupied the final Chase position entering the afternoon with 567 points, while Ryan Preece sat 17th with 517.

That left Chastain 63 points behind van Gisbergen with only New Hampshire and next Saturday night’s regular-season finale at Daytona remaining.

The points deficit already made climbing above the cutoff an enormous challenge. Winning represented Chastain’s clearest path into the postseason.

Now, there is no path left.

Chastain will miss the NASCAR Chase

The elimination brings a frustrating regular season to a definitive end for Chastain.

Through the first 24 races, Chastain had one runner-up finish and five top-five finishes, but he had been unable to find Victory Lane. He entered New Hampshire without the postseason security that a win would have provided and with almost no margin remaining in the points race.

Sunday’s failure erased whatever mathematical possibilities remained.

It also means next weekend’s race at Daytona will carry a very different meaning for the No. 1 team. Chastain can still chase a victory in one of NASCAR’s most unpredictable races, but it will not be enough to rescue his postseason hopes.

For Trackhouse Racing, the situation is particularly striking.

Van Gisbergen entered New Hampshire holding the 16th and final Chase position after winning twice during the regular season, while Chastain, long one of the organization’s central Cup Series contenders, found himself on the outside looking in.

There would be no last-minute turnaround at New Hampshire.

Chastain needed Sunday’s race to keep his season alive. Instead, his car went behind the wall, his afternoon ended early and his Chase hopes went with it.

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