Martin Truex Jr. Darlington

Ross Chastain, Martin Truex Jr. bounce off each other racing for the lead to end Stage 2

As Stage 2 of the Goodyear 400 was coming to an end, Ross Chastain had a hard challenge from Martin Truex Jr. for the lead. Just as the No. 19 was coming up on his left rear, the air packed in and pushed Chastain into the wall. Then things got a little wild in this NASCAR race.

When you get to the end of a stage at a race like Darlington, getting to the lead matters. Martin Truex Jr. led a majority of the first stage and was trying to get back in control of the race. Hoping he would finish ahead of Ross Chastain to finish the second stage, Truex put it all out there.

We have seen these cars get loose when air gets packed on them. It sent Chastain into the wall and then back into Truex. The 19 went spinning around and did not finish where he would have liked to end that stage.

Tough break. Tough racing. Truex loses out for a second, but the fans watching win.

This is a case of two drivers just going for it at the end of a stage. While Truex Jr. got spun around, he didn’t suffer heavy damage. It put him behind and he wasn’t able to build back up to the front in dirty air, but he was still a top-10 car.

As for Ross Chastain, as usual, he was unharmed and able to just keep going as the final stage began. The No. 1 has led a majority of the second half of the Goodyear 400, looking to be on his way to a win.

Ross Chastain leading strong pack of Chevys

The final stage got going, and it was clear who was the fastest. There was a group of Chevys, starting with Ross Chastain, that led the way. Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, and William Byron were all in the top-5.

Darlington has been giving some of these drivers a tough time. The classic stripes on The Lady in Black are building up and so are the cautions. Right after the Stage 2 break, things got scary on the restart.

What you don’t want happening to start a stage, is to lose your wheel as you’re getting to speed. That is exactly what happened to poor Erik Jones. Behind the leaders, Jones got sideways and his wheel came off his car.

That wreck led to multiple cars spinning out and wrecking. While some made it back on the track to race, others like Austin Dillon and Daniel Suárez, had to call it quits.

Right now, Ross Chastain is the driver to beat. There is still a lot of racing left to do and a lot to still happen at the Goodyear 400.