NASCAR Truck Series: 5 reasons Ross Chastain can still win the 2019 title

Ross Chastain has an uphill climb to make the 2019 NASCAR Truck Series playoffs, but he is still more than capable of winning the championship.

Niece Motorsports’ Ross Chastain appeared to be well on his way to the 2019 NASCAR Truck Series playoffs after winning the season’s 10th race, the M&M’s 200, at Iowa Speedway.

This victory was Chastain’s second victory of the season, as he also won the race at Kansas Speedway last month, but it was his first victory in two starts since he declared for Truck Series points following the halfway mark of the 16-race regular season.

Chastain launched himself into 25th place in the championship standings and was just 14 points out of the required top 20 to be eligible to qualify for the playoffs after this victory. After averaging 49 points in two starts as a Truck Series championship eligible driver, he trailed Reaume Brothers Racing’s Josh Reaume by 14 points (112 to 98) for 20th.

Then it all went away.

Following post-race inspection, Chastain was stripped of his M&M’s 200 victory, and he was officially scored in 32nd (last) place. He was also stripped of the two stage victories he earned in this 200-lap race around the four-turn 0.875-mile (1.408-kilometer) Iowa Speedway oval in Newton, Iowa, bringing his point total in this race from a perfect 60 down to a race-low five.

In summation, Chastain is now without a victory to lock himself into the playoffs, and he sits in 35th place in the championship standings with just 43 points, 69 shy of Reaume in 20th.

But even after all of this, there are still plenty of reasons to believe that the 26-year-old Alva, Florida native will not only advance to the playoffs but that he will win his first Truck Series championship come the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in mid-November.

Here’s why.