After starting NASCAR's longest race from shotgun on the field, Ross Chastain ended his 600-mile journey in Victory Lane when he passed William Byron with six laps to go to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Chastain's win is the first of 2025, the sixth of his career, and his first in one of NASCAR's crown jewel races.

After cutting a left rear tire and crashing in practice on Saturday, Chastain was forced to miss qualifying and had to start Sunday's race from 40th starting spot.

Using the length of the race to his advantage and working his way through the field, Chastain was able to find the front by the final run, passing Denny Hamlin for second before closing in on Byron, who had the dominant car and led 283 laps throughout the evening. Hamlin then dropped out of the race for the win, as he was forced to come to pit road low on fuel with 12 laps to go.

Then, Hamlin would create Chastain's chance: As Byron came up to lap Hamlin, Chastain was able to mount a run and cut to the inside entering Turn 1, sliding up in front of Byron and pinching his run to the outside off to complete the pass.

In winning the Coca-Cola 600 from a 40th starting spot, Chastain also became the first driver to win a Cup race from an official starting spot of last since Hall of Famer Bobby Allison did so at Richmond in 1969. By extension, Chastain also becomes the first driver in NASCAR's modern era (1972-present) to win from the final starting spot.