Could lightning strike twice for Ross Chastain?
He put in one of Hail Mary's greatest efforts at Martinsville and put them in contention for the NASCAR Cup Series championship.
But will he or will he do it again?
With no other choice, Ross Chastain made such a bold move this week that he didn't even consider it.
Do you think we're referring to Chastain's decision to get as many Ave Marias out of the auto races at Martinsville on Sunday as possible?
Where he went into fifth gear down the stretch on the final lap, loosened his grip on the wheel and pushed his Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet along the wall in Turns 3 and 4?
He was huge. He earned him the two positions needed to become one of four drivers to qualify for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway.
And it sparked a discussion about the sport beyond the world of NASCAR.
As important as that moment was, it has been called one of the most memorable in motorsports history,
it put the 29-year-old Floridian in another situation he had never experienced. Her phone exploded.
He has received almost 1,000 text messages and is busy preparing for Sunday's 312 laps in his quest to win
the championship this week, time hasn't allowed him to answer them all.
"I haven't caught up," Chastain said Thursday during NASCAR's Championship Weekend Media Day.
The flight to Phoenix on Wednesday gave him a few hours to respond, except...
"I never bought internet on airplanes," he said. "I bought internet on the go last night and texted all the time. And I only got (max) 400."
Welcome to another level of stardom, Ross.
Four days after moving to Martinsville, he continued to be the subject of heated competition as drivers Chastain,
Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell met with reporters for the championship.
"It's crazy to understand how far this has really gone," Chastain said. "People who don't really talk about NASCAR are talking about it.
I'm all for moving the sport [but] I didn't think it would be."
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