Ross Chastain's miracle move propels him toward a feat no Floridian has achieved in NASCAR

PHOENIX — Chad Chastain could hear the buzz, feel the excitement even before he walked into the Lawhon’s grocery store in Alva for his usual Monday morning breakfast of biscuits and gravy and chicken tenders.

The afternoon before, his older brother Ross Chastain, had just pulled off one of the most astounding clutch moves in NASCAR history. The entire, close-knit Alva community was absolutely beside itself in appreciation, if not entirely surprised by Chastain’s gumption.

“You go to the local gas station to get breakfast and that’s all anybody’s talking about,’’ Chad Chastain said. “Monday, even before I walked in, I could hear people talking about it inside

“It’s so cool with everything that’s happened with [Hurricane] Ian in our county and all our area has gone through that there’s a glimpse of hope that everything’s going to return to normal.

“That’s what sports is about though, right. It’s everybody’s escape from reality, escape from the bad of the world. So to go watch them drive race cars and get excited about something different is cool.’’

And Ross Chastain has left absolutely no question how much he would love to give Alva more to talk about, even something to celebrate. There’s nothing he wants more right now than to become the first Floridian to win a NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy - and he’s getting his shot in Sunday’s NASCAR 2022 season finale at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET, NBC).

It would be the ultimate “top that” coming off an unbelievable outing to even make the quartet of Championship-eligible drivers that also includes past champions Chase Elliott and Joey Logano and third-year driver Christopher Bell.

Last-lap miracle propelled Ross Chastain into NASCAR Cup Series championship

With a mere half-lap left in the race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway last Sunday to set the championship-four field; Chastain literally jammed his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet against the track’s outside wall, floored the accelerator ...

And hoped for the best.

The car beat and banged against the wall moving so quickly by other cars that video footage of the lap doesn’t appear real-time. Chastain passed five cars in a blink of the eye, moving from 10th place on track to fifth place - literally “taking” that final championship-eligible position by a mere 1-point. It was the fastest race lap in the 73-year history of the storied speedway.

Indianapolis 500 winners, even a Formula One champion, were among those who congratulated him on social media. Dozens and dozens of NASCAR crew members and competitors sought out Chastain on Martinsville pit road after the race, shaking their heads and offering “thatta-boys” and pats-on-the-back even if they couldn’t believe what they had just seen.

Even this week speaking with the national media in advance of Sunday’s race, Chastain conceded, “It doesn’t seem real. Sometimes I watch the clip and it doesn’t seem like it’s me in the car or even my car, probably because it’s like a blur. It just flies by everybody.’

“It won’t always be wide-open around the wall in this highlight reel of highlight reels,’’ Chastain continued. “but I’m proud of it. I’m proud that we’ve moved the needle for fans and casual people that were not fans, but they see it and they want to now experience NASCAR. That makes them come to the track, feel that roar, that thunder when we go by.’’

Yet for all the massive attention still on the astonishing move, it’s actually of no surprise to those who know Chastain best.

“Regardless of what the obstacle is, you have to persevere and make that happen and that’s in farming and in racing,’’ Chastain’s younger brother and fellow racer, Chad Chastain, said without hesitation this week.

“That’s what we live by.”

The philosophy has certainly helped propel the elder Chastain into NASCAR’s primetime lineup and ultimately given him a shot at the sport’s most coveted trophy. And he gets the motivation honestly.

Favorite son of Alva and watermelon farmers everywhere

Chastain grew up on his family-owned watermelon farm in Alva, a farming town of less than 3,000 people; just east of Fort Myers on the border between Lee and Hendry counties. There is a lot of Chastain-family in the area and there are a whole lot of Ross Chastain race fans.

The Chastain brothers – who graduated from Riverdale High -  grew up racing at 4-17 Southern Speedway in Punta Gorda, where Ross won multiple track championships. Although the family primarily raced in Southwestern Florida, in 2011, Chastain captured the prestigious Limited Late Model title during February Speedweeks at New Smyrna Speedway. It was the sign he was ready to move up.

His actual arrival in NASCAR’s big leagues wasn’t easy, however. He spent years driving non-competitive equipment just to be a part of the show and meet people. He got a promising opportunity with one of the big name teams, only to have sponsorship fall away unexpectedly and the team shut down mid-year.

But this season has undoubtedly been Chastain’s true “break out.” Hired by team co-owners Justin Marks and Grammy Award-winning musician Pitbull, Chastain scored his first two career victories – at the Austin, Texas road course and the famed Talladega Superspeedway.

He’s been ranked Top-5 in the championship standings with career highs in Top-5s (14) and Top-10s (20) and is regarded as an absolute legitimate championship contender. Even if he ultimately had to pull a trick out of his bag to earn that trophy opportunity this week.

“In all reality, this is the most highly-publicized high-stress situation that Ross has been in and we’ve been in as a family,’’ Chad Chastain explained “But there have been way more stressful situations of ‘just having to make a race.’

“Some fans may not realize just how hard that is a lot of times. When you’re going into a race and you and five other trucks or cars are vying for two or three spots and have to go out and qualify like that – that’s way more stressful, way more. When you don’t have the resources and you don’t have this or that and you have to just go make it happen.

“I’d say Ross has been in a lot of really high stress situations and this is no other. I think he’ll handle it just fine.’’

That certainly seemed to be the case for Chastain, who is absolutely ready to end this life-changing season on a high note, but remains deeply reflective on his challenging path to this point.

“A lot of gratitude and just talking to people back home and family, different crew chiefs and crew members that I’ve worked with,’’ Chastain said of what this championship opportunity means after his unorthodox journey.

“[Past] team owners have reached out, just realizing the journey. … just remembering some of those moments when I kind of thought everything was done and over with. Now realizing if I can just go back and tell myself that it’s going to be okay. I don’t think I would have believed myself.

“A lot of gratitude this week. Some nerves. Look, this is wild, this is big. Yeah, it’s ‘just another race’ but I feel it. I love that I feel it because I’m getting to experience this. I’m going to remember these moments.’’

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Ross Chastain in NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix