Ross Chastain led the field to the green flag with 16 laps to go in Sunday’s M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway.

After the restart, Chastain and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin were side-by-side coming out of Turn 1 when Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota drifted up the track and into Chastain, sending the Trackhouse Racing driver in the wall and sending him for a spin into the inside retaining wall, ending any chance at winning for Chastain.

“It was something that has been owed to me for a few months now,” Chastain said of the move. “I’m proud of the effort by Trackhouse Racing and everybody on this No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevy. It’s week-in and week-out that we keep bringing fast Chevy Camaro’s. Everybody at Advent Health, Moose Fraternity and Jockey - to keep bringing bullets like that and keep bringing fast cars is a testament to everybody at Chevrolet.”

The Hamlin-Chastain spat goes back to Gateway International Raceway in June when the two found each other on the 1.25-mile track.

The two made contact again at Atlanta Motor Speedway on July 10, and Hamlin was ready to pay Chastain back. Chastain’s aggressive driving style has won over fans, but not the drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series garage.

Hamlin’s move on Chastain was a major turning point in Sunday’s race, even up to the disqualification of the No. 11 and No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas.

The No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet was fastest in Saturday’s 45-minute practice session, and Chastain qualified 21st for Sunday’s M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400. In 89 Cup races at Pocono, no race has ever been won from the 21st starting position. The worst starting spot for a Cup winner at Pocono was 29th by Carl Edwards in June 2005.

Chastain is having a career year in the NASCAR Cup Series for Trackhouse Racing. The team really showed up at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when Chastain led 85 laps and finished third. The next week at Phoenix, Chastain finished runner-up to first-time Cup winner Chase Briscoe, so it was only a matter of time for Chastain to reach victory lane.

Chastain’s first series victory finally came at Circuit of the Americas in March after a thrilling battle with Alex Bowman and A.J. Allmendinger in the final corners.

Chastain also avoided a wreck among the leaders at Talladega in May for his second-career Cup win. The two wins all but guarantees Chastain and the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team a spot in the 2022 playoffs.

This has been the first year the Trackhouse Racing team has two full-time teams with Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez after the purchase of Chip Ganassi Racing. Trackhouse has three wins thus far this year, with Chastain having two victories, and Suarez winning his first Cup Series race at Sonoma in June.

Chastain is no stranger to Pocono victory lane after he won a Camping World Truck Series race there in July 2019.

Although he didn’t smash a watermelon Sunday afternoon, expect Chastain and the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team to go deep in the playoffs and be a title threat toward the end of the year.