It has been a long-running tradition for NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 winner to participate in the wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of the fallen soldier. The ceremony takes place at the Arlington National Cemetery, which is a final resting place for nearly 400,000 fallen servicemen and women since the Revolutionary War. 

To kick off Military Appreciation Month, Ross Chastain, accompanied by Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks, paid tribute to those soldiers. They were also joined by Charlotte Motor Speedway President Greg Walter and 2025 Coke 600 race-winning crew chief Phil Surgen. 

After the ceremony, Chastain reflected on the weight the moment holds, saying, "(I was) more nervous for that than a Cup race on Sunday, for sure," he said (via NASCAR.com). "I (had) clammy hands, sweating. I mean, it’s a cool day, perfect day to be in a suit, and my socks got a little wet there."

"Just nerves to walk the steps and to stay in sync with the guard, listening to them and then prepping us, you realize how thought out all this is, how long they’ve been doing this, no matter the weather. We were here on a day where we were very questionable about what kind of weather we were going to get. We knew we were going to be there rain or shine," the 33-year-old added.

The moment held even more weight for Ross Chastain as he had his grandparents by his side during the solemn moment. He thanked them for making the long journey and having that 'incredible experience.'

The 2025 Coke 600 winner and his team are now looking forward to defending their victory from last year.

Justin Marks eyeing back-to-back Coke 600 wins for Ross Chastain

Similar to Ross Chastain, even Justin Marks got "emotional" at the wreath-laying ceremony. He felt humbled by the moment, and later spoke about how the team would love to go back-to-back at the Coke 600.

Commenting on how the Memorial Day Weekend race on May 24 might serve as a turning point for the team, Marks said:

"I think going back as defending winners, after having days like this in Arlington, it’s going to put some wind in our sails. We’ve got a lot of work to do right now in our company to build faster race cars. Because of all the lean-in content, the tune-in stuff, it's imagery of your team winning, of you winning the race, and so you’re sort of inundated with this imagery of what a year prior meant for your company."

Marks called Ross Chastain's 2025 Coke 600 win "one of the greatest" wins in Trackhouse Racing history. However, since that triumph, the No. 1 Chevrolet driver has yet to win a Cup race.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yask Kotak