Ross Chastain was eliminated from Chase contention following Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The No. 1 Trackhouse Racing driver exited the Dollar Tree 301 just 41 laps in after a mechanical failure caused smoke to spew out of the right-front wheelhouse of his Chevrolet. Chastain entered Sunday’s contest 63 markers below the 16-driver cutline.
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Chastain had previously qualified for three of the last four Cup Series postseasons when NASCAR had the win-and-in playoff format. Chastain was runner-up to the championship in 2022.
Both Chastain and teammate Connor Zilisch will miss The Chase, but fellow Trackhouse driver Shane van Gisbergen remains in play for a berth in the 16-driver battle for the 2026 title as the No. 97 Chevy driver sits 29 points above the cutline with the regular-season finale on deck Saturday at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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All drivers below Chastain in points are also out of contention to make The Chase, and the final three spots in the postseason will be up for grabs between five drivers: Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, van Gisbergen, Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski.