XFINITY: Ross Chastain completes LASTCAR Triple Crown in Chevrolet’s 2,000th NASCAR last-place finish
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
Chastain (left) follows Nick Sanchez (right) back to the garage around Lap 110 at Dover. (SCREENSHOT: @TheCW_Sports, thanks @STaranto92)
Ross Chastain picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in Saturday’s BetRivers 200 at the Dover Motor Speedway when his #9 Acceptance Insurance Chevrolet fell out with rear gear issues after 106 of 134 laps.
The finish came in Chastain’s 212th series start. In the XFINITY Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 16th for the #9, the 21st from rear gear issues, and the 667th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 55th from the rear gear, the 61st for the #9, and the 2,000th for Chevrolet.
With the finish, Chastain also becomes the 45th driver to complete the LASTCAR Triple Crown, scoring at least one last-place finish in each of NASCAR’s top three series. Coming into this race, Chastain had two last-place finishes in the Truck Series and three in Cup.
Between his five appearances in articles on this website, Chastain has developed into one of the Cup Series’ most popular and successful drivers. The “Melon Man” found a perfect home with Trackhouse Racing after his ride with Chip Ganassi Racing was absorbed into the team in 2022, the year he scored his first of six series victories. The most recent of these came in the Coca-Cola 600 this past May, where he rallied after an incident in qualifying put him 40th and last on the grid.
Since his last full-time XFINITY campaign in 2020, Chastain has still run between one and seven races in each year since, most often driving for underdog Mario Gosselin at DGM Racing x JIM. But for the third time this season, Chastain drove for JR Motorsports in the same part-time #9 entry that this season won with Daniel Suarez at Mexico City, then Shane van Gisbergen in Chicago. Chastain gave the team its first three starts this year at COTA, Darlington, and Nashville, where he finished 8th, 4th, and 5th, respectively. Acceptance Insurance continued its sponsorship of Chastain from the previous three rounds.
Chastain’s car was one of the 40 entrants on the entry list for Dover, site of his Cup debut in 2017, and was assured a starting spot thanks to the team’s previous wins. He ranked 11th in practice with a lap of 24.285 seconds (148.240mph), then improved to 5th in qualifying with a speed of 23.787 seconds (151.343mph). Sent home were the two teammates from Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen: Glen Reen in the unsponsored #35 Toyota and David Starr in the #53 ATS Alarm Tech Chevrolet.
Securing the 38th and final starting spot was Nick Leitz, who was originally listed out of the field instead of Reen’s #35. Thanks to his team’s rank in Owner Points, Leitz still made the show even though his #07 DexerDry.com Chevrolet had a suspension issue that prevented him from turning a lap in qualifying. On race day, Leitz incurred a redundant tail-end penalty along with 7th-place Justin Allgaier, who glanced his #7 Registix Chevrolet off the Turn 4 wall in qualifying, and 28th-place Jeremy Clements for a brake issue on his #51 BG Crane Services / Alliance Chevrolet. Before the start, NASCAR instructed Leitz to line up last on the outside line behind Clements.
When the race started, Leitz remained in last place, 3.758 seconds back of the lead with Clements up to 35th and Allgaier in 33rd based on intervals. At the end of Lap 1, Leitz had fallen 5.5 seconds back of the lead as his spotter watched Ryan Ellis drop to 36th in the #71 Englert / Sila Services Chevrolet. By Lap 5, Garrett Smithley dropped to 36th in the #14 Camp Barnes Chevrolet, 8.880 seconds back of the lead to Leitz’ 9.145. Smithley gradually inched ahead of Leitz through Lap 9, when he dropped Kaz Grala to 37th. Grala drove the #5 Ferguson Chevrolet as a late-week replacement for Kris Wright, an announcement that preceded news that Our Motorsports would shut down after the Dover race. On Lap 23, the leaders caught Leitz heading into Turn 3 and put the #07 a lap down, followed by the still 37th-place Grala on Lap 26. As faster traffic rushed by, Leitz was told by his team to save his rear tires. By Lap 46, when the caution fell to end Stage 1, there were just 31 drivers on the lead lap. Josh Williams in the #11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet fought then-leader Taylor Gray to stay on the lead lap through Turns 1 and 2, but was passed in Turns 3 and 4. He earned the first free pass of the race.
Under caution, Leitz reported his car was tight everywhere. His team prepared to make major adjustments and suggested alternate lines around the track where he could run faster. On Lap 53, the last spot fell to Blaine Perkins, whose #31 Werner Chevrolet also lost a lap in Stage 1, after an extended stop.
On the Lap 57 restart, Perkins dropped Leitz back to last with Smithley soon falling back to 37th once more. But Leitz’ crew said he was catching the cars in front, a sure sign his adjustments had worked. And on Lap 64, Leitz caught and passed Smithley, putting the #14 to last for the first time. On Lap 74, both Smithley and Leitz were still in the final two spots when they each lost a second lap to the leader. The order remained the same on Lap 91, when the caution fell to end Stage 2.
Under the second stage caution, Smithley reported his car was loose under throttle, so the team worked on making his car tighter. As to driver comfort, he responded, “Peachy – a Saturday afternoon drive,” though both Smithley and his spotters noticed rain clouds darkening the backstretch. Again, Perkins dropped to last under caution, this time on Lap 98.
With rain approaching, the race restarted on Lap 100 with Perkins still in last and Smithley passing Leitz to take 36th. On Lap 102, Perkins dropped Leitz back to last place, and Perkins’ spotter alerted him to Nick Sanchez slowing down ahead in the #48 Big Machine Label Group Chevrolet. On Lap 105, Leitz again passed a car for the 37th position, this time dropping to last Josh Bilicki in the #91 Rita’s Italian Ice Chevrolet. But he didn’t hold the spot for long.
During the previous caution, Chastain pitted on a closed pit road, then had been called back to the pits for a lug nut issue, keeping him near the tail end of the lead lap. Around Lap 107, he slowed and came down pit road followed by Sanchez, whose #48 continued to struggle since Perkins’ spotter noticed five laps earlier. As Chastain stopped, the crew feared he was done for the day, TheCW reporters relaying a possible driveshaft or rear end issue. Similar mechanical issues appeared to be the reason for Sanchez’ stop, although the first report indicated only Chastain’s was terminal. On Lap 110, Chastain fell to last, and by Lap 112 he was five laps down, one lap behind the now 37th-place Sanchez.
On Lap 113, TheCW broadcast showed Sanchez leading Chastain along the apron entering Turn 3, the two following each other behind the wall at the entrance to pit road. Both drivers remained separated by just one lap. Each were declared to have mechanical issues by NASCAR, meaning both could return to the race. But Chastain’s team indicated they were done on pit road, though it wasn’t until Lap 127 that Chastain was interviewed by TheCW, and several minutes into the Lap 134 red flag before Chastain was declared out by NASCAR. NASCAR had informed Sanchez’ team if he returned to the race, he owed a pass-through for both speeding on pit road and too many crew members over the wall. But he too didn’t return to the race before the red, his day done with steering issues.
The red flag on Lap 134 came out for rain, which ultimately cut the race 66 laps short. Bilicki moved past Smithley to take the 34th spot to Smithley’s 35th. Both ranked ahead of Kyle Sieg, who stayed out at the end of Stage 2 to lead three laps in his #28 IMS Ford. But after Connor Zilisch made the winning pass, a safety violation on Lap 126, followed by a speeding penalty just before the red flag left Sieg three laps down at the checkered flag, on the same lap as both Smithley and Bilicki.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first last-place finish for the #9 in a XFINITY Series race at Dover, and the first time a XFINITY driver finished last at Dover with rear gear issues.
*This marked only the sixth time in 79 races that a driver who started in the Top Five for a XFINITY Series race at Dover finished in last place.
*The 106 laps completed set a record for most laps completed by a XFINITY Series race at Dover. The previous mark of 62 was set by Parker Kligerman on April 29, 2023.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
38) #9-Ross Chastain / 106 laps / rear gear
37) #48-Nick Sanchez / 107 laps / steering
36) #28-Kyle Sieg / 131 laps / running / led 3 laps
35) #14-Garrett Smithley / 131 laps / running
34) #91-Josh Bilicki / 131 laps / running
2025 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Kaulig Racing (5)
2nd) Joe Gibbs Racing (4)
3rd) JR Motorsports, Sam Hunt Racing (2)
4th) Alpha Prime Racing, Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen, Our Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, RSS Racing, SS-Green Light Racing, Young’s Motorsports (1)
2025 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (13)
2nd) Toyota (6)
3rd) Ford (1)
2025 LASTCAR XFINITY SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
