Ross Chastain 2026 Report Card: No Wins, a C+
Welcome to the Happy Hour Racing 2026 Season Report Cards, where every full-time Cup Series driver gets a grade computed from all 36 races, not opinion. Next up: the number 1, and a season that started with a wheel coming off and ended with his best stretch of the year.
The Short Version
Ross Chastain's 2026 season never found a rhythm until it was too late. He did not win, he had three top 5s, and his Chase hopes ended at New Hampshire in August when his car started smoking 41 laps in. Then, with nothing left to race for, he averaged a 15.6 finish over the last 10 races, his best stretch of the year. He finished 18th in points. His computed season grade is a C+, 19th of 35 full-time drivers.
Why the Ross Chastain 2026 Grade Is a C+
Every HHR report card grade comes from the same math. After every race, each driver gets a score out of 100 based on where they finished in the field, how many spots they gained or lost from the start, how many laps they led, and a penalty for not finishing. The season grade is the average of all 36 race scores, curved against the 35 drivers who ran the full year.
Chastain's season score ranked 19th of 35, which lands at C+. His card is middle of the pack almost everywhere, 15th to 19th in 11 of the 14 stats. The stat that pulls the grade down is positions gained. He started 17.2nd on average and lost 1.4 spots per race from there, 25th of 35.
There was no win to lift the score either. Without one, a driver needs a pile of top 5s and top 10s to grade in the B range, and Chastain had three and eight.
Ross Chastain by the Numbers
Here is where Chastain ranked among the 35 full-time drivers in 14 stats. The bar and the circle show his rank (1 is best). The number on the right is the actual stat.
His best ranks were in laps led (141) and laps led per start (3.9), both 15th. He was 17th in average finish (18.7), average running position (18.3), lead lap finishes (21) and percentage of laps in the top 15 (48%). He ranked 18th in average driver rating (70.4) and fastest laps (148), and 10th in DNFs with three.
The low spots were the finishing counts: 18th in top 5s and 19th in top 10s, plus that 25th in positions gained.
A Rough Start and a May to Forget
The season opened well enough. Chastain started 37th in the Daytona 500, led 12 laps and finished 20th, then ran 3rd at Atlanta the next week, his best finish of the year. At COTA on March 1 he started 2nd, led 4 laps and then lost a wheel. He finished 35th, and NASCAR suspended two Trackhouse crew members for the wheel coming off.
Late May was the low point. He crashed out of the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24 and finished 35th, then crashed out at Nashville a week later and finished 37th. Through the first 18 races his average finish was 19.9.
There were bright spots in the summer. He finished 8th at Pocono, 7th on the San Diego street course and 7th at Iowa, where he led 40 laps, his most of the year.
New Hampshire Ended the Chase Push
Chastain entered New Hampshire on Aug. 23 well below the 16-driver Chase cutline. He was out of the race 41 laps in, when a mechanical failure sent smoke pouring from the right-front wheelhouse of his Chevrolet. He finished 36th and was eliminated from Chase contention. A week later he started on the pole for the regular-season finale at Daytona, led 12 laps and finished 24th.
Then the number 1 got better. Over the final 10 races Chastain averaged a 15.6 finish:
- World Wide Technology Raceway, Sept. 13: started 20th, led 15 laps, finished 5th.
- Phoenix, Oct. 18: started 11th, finished 9th.
- Talladega, Oct. 25: started 15th, finished 4th.
His second-half average finish was 17.4, two and a half spots better than his first half.
What 2027 Looks Like
No change is expected in the number 1. FOX Sports reports Chastain is signed with Trackhouse through 2027. Brandon McSwain was his crew chief for all 36 races in 2026, and no crew chief change has been announced. His teammate's box is changing: Blake Harris takes over Shane van Gisbergen's No. 97. Track every move on our 2027 silly season tracker.
The 2027 Daytona 500 is Feb. 21. Start times and channels for every race are on our race TV guide, and every other driver's grade is on the 2026 report cards page.
The Bottom Line
Chastain's 2026 was a mid-pack season with a bad May and a good October. The C+ says the whole year averaged out to 19th. If the final-10 version shows up in February, 2027 starts a lot better than 2026 did.
Gear Up for the Melon Man
- Ross Chastain No. 1 Lime Indy Scheme Shirt
- Ross Chastain No. 1 Uniform Pit Jacket
- Ross Chastain Cup Series Schedule T-Shirt
- Ross Chastain No. 1 Signature Keychain
Sources: NASCAR official race results and loop data for all 36 2026 points races; COTA penalties via Jayski and NASCAR.com; New Hampshire via NASCAR.com and MRN; contract status via FOX Sports.
