Ross Chastain - Buckle Up South Carolina 200 Race Recap
Event: Buckle Up South Carolina 200 (147 laps / 200.8 miles)
Round: 4 of 25 (Regular Season)
Track: Darlington Raceway
Location: Darlington, SC
Date & Time: Friday, March 20 | 7:30 PM ET
No. 45 Buckle Up South Carolina Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Ross Chastain | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
Start: 9th | Stage 1: 8th | Stage 2: 2nd
Finish: 2nd | Driver Points: N/A | Owner Points: 2nd
- Key Takeaway: Ross Chastain and the Buckle Up South Carolina team had the win in their sights, but were forced to settle for second-place. Chastain qualified ninth and finished eighth in stage one, noting that his truck was tight early on. After making some adjustments on pit road, the No. 45 came to life and finished second in stage two. In a thrilling final stage, Chastain swapped the lead back and forth several times. The team led the white flag lap, but got passed in turn three for the final run to the checkered flag. Nevertheless, it was a great run for the team.
- Ross Chastain's Post-Race Thoughts:
Interviewer: Ross Chastain obviously did everything right. We talked about the launch, all the restarts, the gamesmanship. You nailed all that, but unfortunately had a tire disadvantage. Talk about what happened.
“I have no idea what just happened, Austin (Cindric). Yeah, like you said, I thought that our Niece Motorsports Click It Don’t Risk It Chevy – like we did so much right. From the start of practice, stepping through it with Phil Gould, continuing to get back used to these trucks for the first time in the last six months or whenever I ran it last summer, I thought we started the best that I’ve ever started with the team. Coming back to the checkered, (Brandon) McReynolds said “The No. 5 (Corey Heim) is there or something – he’s fast”. And I was like, ‘yeah, fine’ and he just drove by me. I had no idea.
So I think that’s on us as a whole that we didn’t catch that. Of course, I would have ran the bottom if I thought he was even going to be close, but I just thought he had a good restart. Bummer. We’re kicking off Florida watermelon season right around now, so you know, it’s a good time to get back in this truck and start off the weekend well.”
About the South Carolina Department of Public Safety: The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) includes the Highway Patrol, State Transport Police, Bureau of Protective Services, Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame. SCDPS has approximately 1,300 employees serving across the state, providing a wide range of public safety services focused on making South Carolina a safer place to live, work and raise a family.
About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is a professional auto racing team that has competed in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series since 2016. The team is owned by Josh Morris of DQS Solutions and Staffing and the Fowler Family of J.F. Electric and Utilitra, and was founded by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. At its 80,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Salisbury, NC, Niece Motorsports is a full-service race vehicle build shop as well as a customizable fabrication shop for any manufacturing needs.
Follow the Team: To keep up to date with the latest team news, visit niecemotorsports.com or connect on Facebook and Instagram (@NieceMotorsports) as well as X (@NieceMotorsport).
