TALLADEGA, Ala. – Ross Chastain surveyed the situation on the final lap Sunday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway and decided his best strategy was to stay right where he was and not make a move for the win.
It got him to victory lane.
Chastain stole the win when leader Erik Jones moved out of his way to defensively block reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson. It cleared the lane for Chastain, who pointed his Chevrolet straight, slipped past Jones and collected his second career win on the top circuit – a month after his first.
“Holy cow! We didn’t do anything! We just stayed down there!” Chastain screamed over his radio after winning for the second time in five races.
The race was Jones’ to control on the final lap, and the Petty GMS Motorsports driver knew Hendrick Motorsports’ Larson would make a move for the win. Larson waited until they were exiting the final turn, and in hindsight, Jones said he should have let him go and stayed put with Chastain on his bumper.