Earlier in the week, Dale Jr. held Ross Chastain’s “Hail Melon” mentality close to his heart, saying, “ I wouldn’t want to miss something, ’cause I think Ross is gonna be doing some stuff. Ross is gonna Ross.” For a driver who stormed to victory while starting dead last at the Coca-Cola 600, leading 283 of 400 laps and sweeping the first three stages of NASCAR’s longest race, the struggles were evident as the Cup garage walked into Charlotte Roval.

With a 21st-place finish, Ross Chastain fell just four points short of Roger Penske ’s star driver, Joey Logano, who finished 20th thanks to a bold pit strategy with 11 laps to go. It all came down to the final playoff spot in the semifinal round. Logano’s team rolled the dice, calling him to pit for fresh tires late in the race, hoping

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