By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
When Ross Chastain took the race lead and ran with it on lap 25, it looked as though he may have another strong day at Dover International Speedway.
And though he did have another strong day on the one-mile track, that first victory of 2020, much like Saturday’s first round of the weekend’s doubleheader, was not in the cards.
Though leading his most laps in a race (24) since Pocono Raceway in June, his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet wasn’t quick enough to keep with race winner Chase Briscoe, who beat Chastain to the checkered flag by 2.4 seconds after 200 laps.
Despite the second-place finish, his third of the year, Chastain was smiling following another day in contention.
“I’m just really proud of this whole No. 10 team,” Chastain said. “To come here with that car, the No. 22 [Austin Cindric] and those guys who’ve been kicking our butts all year, is a big statement. We did it both days.”
Finishing third in Saturday’s Drydene 300, Chastain showed a tick more pace in Sunday’s race. The consistent results, his 12th top-10 finish in the last 13 races, makes Chastain breathe a sigh of relief as the playoffs are just weeks away.
“It’s so hard to race week-in and week-out when you don’t have speed,” he said. “You just don’t know what you’re doing wrong. There are thousands of things you can adjust on these racecars. Knowing what nobs to twist each weekend is so hard to find. We have found that over the last couple weeks and especially this weekend.
“We will take this, we will move on. When we win, we will win a lot. Having this group believe in me and everybody behind the scenes who nobody sees, that’ll get me through this coming week. I can’t thank them enough.”