NASCAR: 5 possible landing spots for Ross Chastain in 2021
By Asher Fair
Ross Chastain 2021 landing spots: Kaulig Racing
If the right opportunity does not arise for Ross Chastain to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series next year, his best bet is to stick around for another year with Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series.
This would allow him to continue to develop his skillset, something that still definitely needs work following his early 2020 appearances at the sport’s top level of competition with Spire Motorsports and then with Roush Fenway Racing.
His full-time ride with Kaulig Racing is by far the best opportunity of his career so far, and he has been able to take advantage of it, as he sits in third place in the championship standings with a series-best 23 top 10 finishes in 26 races and an average finish of 7.9, the third best among all drivers.
He is easily the best driver who has not yet managed to find victory lane in 2020, illustrating his potential while still making evident the fact that he may not quite be ready for a Cup Series ride.
Additionally, sticking around with Kaulig Racing would presumably allow him to stay tied to Chip Ganassi Racing. While this would require Chip Ganassi to sign somebody else, perhaps Bubba Wallace, to replace Matt Kenseth behind the wheel of the #42 Chevrolet, Ganassi has said that he still “has a plan” for Chastain.
Notably, Kurt Busch’s contract expires after the 2021 season.
But there may be one more solid Cup Series opportunity that turns up for Chastain in 2021.