By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
Executives at Chip Ganassi Racing announced on Thursday that Ross Chastain will drive the No. 42 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in three races.
Chastain will be in the No. 42 at Darlington Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway. He currently drives the No. 4 entry for JD Motorsports in the series.
Chastain has made 22 starts in 2018 between the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series. He currently sits 12th in the Playoff standings for Xfinity.
DC Solar will be the sponsor for Chastain.
“This opportunity with DC Solar and Chip Ganassi Racing is unbelievable. I want to recognize Johnny Davis for all that he has done for my career and express how proud I am of our performance this year. I am also very thankful to grow my relationship with Jeff and Paulette Carpoff and look forward to having this opportunity in the No. 42 DC Solar Chevy in the NASCAR Xfinity Series car for these races,” Chastain said in a statement.
“We are looking forward to having Ross (Chastain) in the car for a few races this season. To have DC Solar come on-board for these races with Ross is just another testament to the support that they have for our organization and the sport of NASCAR racing,” said Doug Duchardt, chief executive officer for Chip Ganassi Racing, in a statement.
Unfortunately the news comes at the expense of John Hunter Nemechek, who was unable to secure the sponsorship for those three races.
Unfortunately we were unable to sell these three races to keep myself in the @XfinityRacing car. Ross will do a good job for the team as I look forward to taking back over for the @NASCAR #playoffs to make a run for the owners championship! #nemechek42 https://t.co/2Q3OJxbhFk
— John Hunter Nemechek (@JHNemechek) August 23, 2018