Ross Chastain wins strange NASCAR O’Reilly Charlotte race, marred by rain, fog, oil slick

The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race ended under caution after Stage 2 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

It was a strange and bizarre race, hindered by rain and later fog. It took over six hours to run the first 90 laps, and the final half of the race never happened.

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A total of 54 of the 91 laps completed were run under caution.

“I’ll start with us and this team,” said Chastain after being told he was the winner. “I first watched a JRM drive by me here at Charlotte in 2014, and I decided right then that I wanted to get in one, and it took me until 2025 to get in one … that’s a testament to just continuing to work, and I’ve asked. Couldn’t raise the funds, or they were full.”

On the death of NASCAR legend Kyle Busch, Chastain added: “This weekend, it’s just incredible to try and grasp losing Kyle. I just don’t understand how he’s not here racing. I don’t grasp it, mentally or spiritually. Obviously, racing is the best thing we can do to celebrate him and what he did in this sport and in his life.”

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Before his signature watermelon smash, Chastain honored Busch’s signature celebration, bowing in Victory Lane.

Chastain finished just ahead of Jesse Love in second and Austin Hill third for Richard Childress Racing. William Sawalich finished fourth, and Connor Zilisch fifth.

The final caution of the race was for oil on the track, and Chastain actually slammed the wall while maintaining the lead. NASCAR ran out the stage as rain moved in, and ended the marathon night, which angered Love. He called it a ‘joke’ before shifting his focus to the bigger picture of this race weekend as the sport grieves the loss of one of its titans.

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Stage 1

Rain and fog at Charlotte Motor Speedway

The race went green an hour earlier than expected, and Mayer immediately took the fight to Allgaier for the top spot.

There was an early caution for Harrison Burton spinning off the nose of Love, and Mayer was scored as the race leader.

They then spent several laps behind the pace car as the rain misted down, but the race resumed by Lap 12.

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Allgaier back into the lead, and remained there until a Lap 25 competition caution. Mayer had fallen to tenth, and the field came down pit road for pit stops.

The rain began to pick up again, so NASCAR brought the field down pit road and halted the race after 33 laps.

After waiting under red-flag conditions for 4hrs, 21mins, and 59s, the race finally resumed. The battle up front was frantic, with Zilisch taking the lead and winning Stage 1 over JR Motorsports teammates Allgaier and Chastain. They were followed by Day, Mayer, Love, B. Jones, Caruth, Crews, and Creed.

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Stage 2

Brent Crews, Brandon Jones, and Harrison Burton wreck

Blaine Perkins stayed out, and the restart was chaotic as Allgaier moved back into the lead.

Behind them, Brandon Jones went spinning, collecting JGR teammate Brent Crews and H.Burton, severely damaging all three cars. The wreck began with contact from Creed into Jones.

Chastain pushed Hill out to the lead on the restart, and then passed him for the top spot as RCR cars were now running second and third, with Love making gains as well.

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The next caution flew for Sam Mayer, who tried got sideways and slammed the outside wall in Turns 1/2.

The battle at the front of the field was intense as Love and Chastain went back-and-forth for the top spot.

That’s when Dawson Cram’s car dumped oil all over the track, with race leader Chastain and most of the field sliding up into the wall on the next lap.

The caution flew as chaos broke out, with various levels of damage throughout the field. While the leaders appeared to escape major damage, the cars of Allgaier, Gray, Clements, Creed were among others who weren’t as fortunate, sustaining more significant damage.

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The rest of the stage was ran under caution, as it started to rain, putting NASCAR in a bad spot, and they appeared to throw in the towel. Unfortunately, the final 110 laps were not able to be completed.

Chastain, who also had right-side damage from hitting the oil slick and then the wall, was victorious. This is his third career win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series, and his first since the 2019 season.

While Chastain’s car cleared technical inspection, there were two unsecured lug nuts, resulting in a $5,000 fine and a one-race suspension for crew member Michael Roberts, who will sit out the Pocono race.

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