NASCAR Cup Series: Ross Chastain to drive for Premium Motorsports in 2019
By Asher Fair
Ross Chastain has a handshake deal with Premium Motorsports team owner Jay Robinson to drive for the team in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Ross Chastain is set to return to Premium Motorsports in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season as the driver of the #15 Chevrolet, and he is set to return to the team as a full-time driver. He has a handshake deal with team owner Jay Robinson to do so.
The 25-year-old Alva, Florida native has stepped into the spotlight in the Xfinity Series over the last month or so, as he drove in his first three races for Chip Ganassi Racing. He dominated the first two of those three races at Darlington Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, earning his first career Xfinity Series victory at the latter, and he finished in second place in the race at Richmond Raceway.
Chastain began driving full-time for JD Motorsports in the 2015 Xfinity Series season. His three races driving for Chip Ganassi Racing earlier this year were his first three races driving for a non-JD Motorsports team since he was a part-time Xfinity Series driver in the 2014 season.
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With him only securing a ride with Chip Ganassi Racing in three races this season, of which one, the race at Richmond Raceway, was a playoff race, Chastain returned to JD Motorsports for the final two races of the first round of the playoffs, the round of 12, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval and Dover International Speedway. He was unable to advance to the second round, the round of 8, but he is set to continue driving for the team throughout the rest of the season.
While Chastain currently competes for points in the Xfinity Series, he is pretty much a full-time driver for Premium Motorsports in the Cup Series. He has missed just two of the season’s first 30 races. He has recorded an average starting position of 31.6 and an average finishing position of 28.1. Despite the fact that he is driving for an underfunded team, he has secured two top 20 finishes this season, including a career-high 18th place finish in the April race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Chastain made his Cup Series debut last season in the June race at Dover International Speedway, and he finished in 20th place in that race. His only other Cup Series start prior to this season was his start in last season’s October race at the track. He finished that race in 38th.
Chastain will likely continue competing in the Xfinity Series next season, and Robinson has stated that he will not prevent him from taking advantage of a better opportunity if one should come along for him in the Cup Series. There was speculation that he could end up replacing Jamie McMurray behind the wheel of the #1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, but that does not look likely at this point.
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Will Ross Chastain be given a better opportunity in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season, or will he end up driving full-time for Premium Motorsports once again like he is expected to? Will he drive for Chip Ganassi Racing in the 2019 Xfinity Series season or will he continue driving for JD Motorsports for what would be his fifth consecutive season driving for the team?