TrackHouse Racing NASCAR St. Louis results placed the team’s playoff hopes under increased pressure, after the team’s three drivers—Ross Chastain, Shane van Gisbergen, and Daniel Suárez—endured setbacks at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday. As the second of ten playoff races concluded near St. Louis, both Chastain and van Gisbergen find themselves fighting for survival in the playoff standings ahead of the upcoming race in Bristol, Tennessee.
Mixed Results as Playoff Pressure Intensifies
Ross Chastain led Trackhouse Racing in the team’s effort, finishing 24th, while Shane van Gisbergen followed in 25th place, and Daniel Suárez ended the day in 35th after an early exit. These finishes came in a critical moment for the playoffs, with the elimination cutoff drawing close—only one race remains before four of the sixteen playoff drivers will be knocked out. Chastain currently holds 11th place in the playoff driver standings, keeping a narrow 19-point margin above the cutoff for elimination, while van Gisbergen is positioned 14th, trailing by 15 points below the transfer line. Suárez, after a promising surge earlier in the race, saw his hopes dashed by a crash that forced him to retire.
This race marks a crucial turning point in the Round of 16, with elimination rounds scheduled every three races, culminating in a winner-take-all Championship event at Phoenix Raceway on November 8. The next and final race of this round will take place at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night, setting the stage for a dramatic playoff showdown.
Race Events and Key Incidents at World Wide Technology Raceway
Chastain gave Trackhouse Racing hope in the early stages, running near the front of the field and recording an eighth-place result in Stage One, followed by a 10th-place finish in Stage Two. However, an unfortunate sequence of events, including an untimely caution that fell just after his pit stop, dropped him to 28th place with only 25 laps left. Despite pushing through the final laps without another caution, Chastain was only able to climb to 24th position by the checkered flag.
Reflecting on the day’s challenges, Chastain shared his thoughts:
“I thought for most of the day we had around a 10th-place Busch Light Chevy. A bad restart and then the caution coming out at a bad time and putting us a lap down wasn’t ideal. We want more. We have a chance at Bristol and we’re 19 points above the cutline which is better than being no points above the cut line.”
—Ross Chastain, Driver
Shane van Gisbergen faced a parallel set of obstacles. After a solid run in the first stage, he experienced a spin and incurred a speeding penalty on pit road. Restarting in 29th position with 25 laps to go, van Gisbergen managed to make up a few spots, ultimately finishing 25th. Assessing his performance and the team’s improvement, he said:
“We were too tight in traffic, and then eventually got on the other side of it and I made an error and spun. We just couldn’t get it back. We weren’t amazing. We were probably a 15th-place car, but then detuned it a little bit and ended up where we did. Little frustrating, but it’s kind of where we’re at. 20th and 15th is a huge improvement for us, but obviously in the playoffs, you expect more. There’s that pressure there.”
—Shane van Gisbergen, Driver
For Daniel Suárez, the race ended in disappointment after he climbed into the top 15 during the second stage but was involved in a collision on lap 62 that sent him into the Turn 1 wall. The damage forced him to retire just a few laps later, curbing what could have been a promising effort.
“There wasn’t much we could do today. We just got hit by another car and put in the wall. We’ve had too many days like this.”
—Daniel Suárez, Driver
What’s Next for Trackhouse Racing in the Playoffs?
The difficult TrackHouse Racing NASCAR St. Louis results set up a high-stakes scenario for the coming race at Bristol Motor Speedway. With both Chastain and van Gisbergen close to the cutline in the playoff standings, their fates depend heavily on strong performances this Saturday. Meanwhile, Daniel Suárez and the rest of the team will hope for better luck and fewer incidents as the playoffs progress. Every point will be crucial as elimination looms, and Trackhouse Racing must regroup quickly in order to keep their championship aspirations alive, with major contenders and rivals like Buescher, Custer, and Keselowski also fighting in this fiercely competitive NASCAR Cup Series season.
