Ross Chastain’s Kansas upset proves Trackhouse still has what it takes to succeed in NASCAR

Ross Chastain may not have qualified for NASCAR’s 2024 Playoffs, but you’d be foolish to count out the Trackhouse Racing organization when it comes time to shine.

Chastain edged out playoff driver William Byron to take his first victory of the year, ending a 30-race winless streak and putting Trackhouse Racing back on the map.

How Ross Chastain took victory in Kansas

With 20 laps remaining in the Hollywood Casino 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain snuck into the lead of the race by opting for the inside line on a restart and charging past race leader Martin Truex Jr.

“It’s a huge deal,” Chastain said to media after the race. “For us on this team, it’s [why] Justin Marks bought into NASCAR with Trackhouse, to do stuff like this — to disrupt.

“There have been times this year where we couldn’t have disrupted the minnow pond outside of Darlington, let alone a Cup race.”

And disrupt he did. Chastain ended a 30-race winless streak by taking victory in Kansas, and he became the second non-Playoff driver to snatch victory — and, by proxy, a guaranteed entry to the next round for a current Playoff competitor.

“There were times after practice and qualifying [where] I didn’t think it had what it took,” Chastain admitted.

“I thought we’ve been way stronger here in the pst, and it didn’t feel great all day, but our Kubota Chevy [got] better as the rubber went down, and the adjustments were great.”

So great that second-place William Byron wasn’t able to mount enough of a challenge during the final stage of the race, even as he looked to guarantee himself a spot in the next round of the Playoffs.

Understanding NASCAR:

👉 NASCAR Playoffs explained: Format, rules, tracks

👉 Six big takeaways from NASCAR’s 2025 schedule

The Trackhouse Racing victory was significant for another reason, too: It’s the first victory for the team without Ty Norris.

Trackhouse was created back in 2020, when co-founders Justin Marks and former Dale Earnhardt Incorporated executive Ty Norris joined forces to start a team that would hit the track for the first time with Daniel Suarez at the 2021 Daytona 500. With funding from singer Pitbull, the organization got off to a strong start, with Suarez taking Trackhouse’s first win in 2022.

What made Norris such a significant hire for Trackhouse was his history. Norris first started his career in sports journalism before becoming the manager of media relations with RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1990 — then a massive sponsor of the NASCAR Cup Series.

Between 1996 and 2004, Norris joined Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, where he served as the executive vice president of motorsports and helped transform the DEI outfit into a dominant force. Norris then moved to Speedway Motorsports, Michael Waltrip Racing, Spire Sports + Entertainment, and ultimately Trackhouse.

Norris was reported as departing Trackhouse amicably earlier in September, leaving behind his role as president and chief business officer.

There’s no doubt that Norris played an integral role in bolstering Trackhouse Racing’s legitimacy both on and off the track, and for a lesser organization, his departure could have easily preceded disaster.

But Trackhouse has proved time and again that it has the chops to take on the best of the best — even if Chastain wasn’t quite able to snatch a spot in the coveted Playoffs.

Kansas was the first race in the three-event Round of 12 — where eight drivers will compete to advance to the next stage of the Playoffs, and where four will lose out on their hope of a Cup Series championship.

Of the three events, Kansas was also considered the most predictable and the least likely to produce an upset winner. The next two events at Talladega and the Charlotte roval (road course/oval hybrid) are expected to be even more chaotic and perhaps produce a handful of additional upset victors.

Read next: 30 weird and wonderful NASCAR race names F1 fans may not know about