Ross Chastain had a terrible race in the Pocono Raceway’s Great American Getaway 400, sponsored by VisitPA.com, having to retire the car and receive no points. Chastain’s #1 Chevrolet Camaro spun out in Turn 3 on Lap 53, slamming hard against the outer retaining wall. The team decided it was time to retire the car after he also scraped the Turn 1 wall while attempting to return to pit road. Though it was a difficult weekend for Trackhouse Racing, Bubba Wallace ended up winning.
Wallace did not want the Chicago Street Race to happen on a Saturday, but he made up ground in Pocono. Wallace is currently 45 points behind and in the playoff drop-off zone. As long as the “wall rider” stays in the safe zone, his long-standing competition with Ross Chastain for the place will continue. The driver for 23XI Racing has to improve his game right now because, even though he has closed the gap with his opponent, he still has a long way to go before he can participate in the playoffs.
How Pocono assisted Bubba Wallace in getting nearer to the postseason
Bubba Wallace was hoping for a successful conclusion at Pocono following a difficult weekend in Chicago that culminated in a $50,000 sanction for an incident involving Alex Bowman. He was successful, placing ninth, which greatly increased his prospects of making the playoffs. Ross Chastain was comfortably 53 points above the playoff cut-off line going into the race, while Wallace was 45 points below it. But Chastain’s unlucky collision on Lap 53, which left him finishing in 36th place, completely altered the situation. Wallace is currently trailing Chastain, who has the final playoff spot, by just 27 points.
Wallace’s lead was increased when Ty Gibbs, a rival for a postseason berth, suffered an engine malfunction, which further reduced the field of competitors. At this time, Gibbs is 67 points above the cutoff. Wallace admits that, despite his progress, his performance wasn’t at its best, but that Chastain and Gibbs’ misfortunes helped him out.Wallace said on NASCAR.com following the race, “We didn’t capitalize on points.” But today wasn’t good for the 1 (Chastain). The 54—Gibbs—had an unpleasant day. It was a pleasant comeback. You know, we’re normally the other way around. We fade and lose a lot of track position after a strong start. Here, we managed to identify a sound plan and hold on. Simply put, we lacked the vehicle.
Bubba Wallace has competed in five races at Pocono since 2021, with a best finish of P5. Given that he currently ranks fifth on the circuit in terms of average finish, stronger performance was anticipated. He was only a few points ahead of P15 Ross Chastain and P16 Chris Buescher after the race.
Though his P10 finish following his DNF in Chicago appears like a decent result, he will need to give it everything he has in the remaining 5 races. The final five races before the playoffs start are fiercely contested, and every victory matters. Do you believe Bubba Wallace will advance to the postseason given his standing in the Cup series? After the Great American Getaway 400, this is where the driver is standing.
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