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NASCAR Xfinity Series: Ross Chastain to drive for Kaulig Racing in 2020

By Mark Kristl

TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 11: Ross Chastain, driver of the #45 CarShield Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Sugarlands Shine 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 11, 2019 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 11: Ross Chastain, driver of the #45 CarShield Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Sugarlands Shine 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 11, 2019 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Ross Chastain is set to drive for Kaulig Racing in the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season as the full-time teammate to Justin Haley.

Kaulig Racing have announced Ross Chastain will join the team full-time for the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. He is slated drive the #10 Chevrolet with primary sponsorship coming from Nutrien Ag for 23 races.

“Ross Chastain has it all – he’s competitive, he’s marketable, he’s all-around a great, blue-collar guy,” Kaulig Racing team owner Matt Kaulig said. “As a team, we couldn’t be more honored to land a driver like Ross. In just four races already this season, he’s not only helped advance our program, but he brought home this team’s very first win. Having him at Kaulig Racing next season, driving full-time, is a great gain for our organization.”

“Two of the most important things in my life are agriculture and racing,” Chastain commented. “Nutrien Ag Solutions is the best sponsor I could have ever asked for as it pertains to my family’s long history of farming. Matt (Kaulig), Chris (Rice) and all of Kaulig Racing gave me the opportunity to race this year when I really wasn’t sure I would ever get another winning opportunity in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. And, we won. Now, next year, we get to try to win more races and also compete for the championship.”

The announcement comes as no surprise. Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported the news over the Talladega Superspeedway race weekend and the NBC broadcasters mentioned it during the Cup Series race at the track when they talked about Chastain.

Despite the team denying the initial breaking news, Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal also confirmed the news. Now, on Tuesday, October 15, it is official. Chastain has a guaranteed ride for the 2020 season.

One year ago, Chastain rapidly broke out onto the NASCAR scene. After snagging a three-race deal with Chip Ganassi Racing in the Xfinity Series, he won his first career Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Chip Ganassi Racing later announced that Chastain would drive its #42 Chevrolet full-time in the Xfinity Series for the 2019 season.

Heartbreak occurred for Chastain, however, when sponsorship woes forced Chip Ganassi Racing to close their Xfinity Series program, costing Chastain his ride.

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In January 2019, Chastain announced that he would compete part-time for Niece Motorsports in the Truck Series in the upcoming season. He later announced his plans to compete full-time in the Xfinity Series, splitting the races between JD Motorsports and Kaulig Racing. Lastly, he announced he would compete in the majority of the season’s Cup Series races driving for Premium Motorsports.

Chastain furthered his popularity this season when he won his first Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway. Having competed in every Truck Series race up to that point, he switched his points eligibility from the Xfinity Series to the Truck Series and became eligible for the playoffs.

Heartbreak again struck Chastain when he crossed the finish line at Iowa Speedway in first place, only for his #44 Chevrolet to fail post-race inspection. As a result, NASCAR stripped him of the victory.

Not letting the misfortune stop him, Chastain won the following race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, and he now has three official wins this season. He is currently competing in the round of 6 of the Truck Series playoffs seeking a Championship 4 berth.

On the Xfinity Series side, Chastain has competed in 17 of 29 races this season. The highlight of his season occurred at Daytona International Speedway in July when he won, earning the first victory for Kaulig Racing.

Kaulig Racing currently field the #11 Chevrolet full-time for rookie Justin Haley, who qualified for the playoffs before he was eliminated in the round of 12. Haley has a two-year deal with the organization.

The team have fielded the #10 Chevrolet part-time, and it has been driven by several drivers so far this year. Driving the #10 Chevrolet, A.J. Allmendinger won at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval. It was the #16 Chevrolet which Chastain drove to victory lane at Daytona International Speedway.

After the Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway, Beyond the Flag speculated that Chastain would drive the #10 Chevrolet next season. Kaulig Racing would also like to field a third and potentially fourth car in select races next season. At the time of the Chastain announcement, no decision has been made on additional cars.

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Ross Chastain has competed in 156 career NASCAR Xfinity Series races and he will likely be one of the favorites to win the 2020 championship. With title contenders Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell both already having announced they will move to the Cup Series with Richard Childress Racing and Leavine Family Racing, respectively, next season, Chastain hopes to deliver more wins, more smashing watermelons and a championship to the organization.

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