The man who started last in Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 shone brightest when it mattered most. Ross Chastain crashed in practice and didn't post a lap in qualifying as his team spent most of Saturday preparing his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. Chastain pulled off a remarkable performance on Sunday night in going from 40th to first and adding a crown jewel to his resume under the unlikeliest of circumstances. Chastain chased down race leader William Byron in the closing laps and used one slip-up from Byron to take the lead, pace the final six laps and register one of the most unforgettable victories in Charlotte Motor Speedway history. The win marks the first time since 1971 that a NASCAR Cup Series driver qualified last and finished first in a race. Most of the night's action centered on a back-and-forth battle for the top spot among Byron and Denny Hamlin, who combined to lead 336 of 400 laps. Byron led a race-high 283 circuits, but Chastain caught him over the final 10 laps and, as Byron fought to navigate lapped traffic, Chastain pounced. Byron briefly broke loose exiting Turn 4, which was enough for Chastain to dive in front on the frontstretch and never look back – after he spent more than 580 miles only looking forward. Chastain's win was the sixth of his NASCAR Cup Series career and his first at Charlotte. Byron, who swept Stages 1 though 3, ended up second ahead of pole winner Chase Briscoe, A.J. Allmendinger and Brad Keselowski. Chase Elliott finished sixth with Michael McDowell seventh and defending Coca-Cola 600 winner Christopher Bell eighth. Ryan Preece and Noah Gragson completed the top 10. Hamlin's hopes of a second Coca-Cola 600 triumph evaporated, after he was forced to make an additional pit stop in the closing laps for fuel. Hamlin led 53 laps, but the extra stop left him 18th at the finish. Two additional past Coca-Cola 600 winners ran into issues that ended their races early. Four-time race winner Jimmie Johnson – making his 700th NASCAR Cup Series start – crashed on Lap 111 and finished 40th. Kyle Larson, the 2021 race winner, was involved in a multi-car accident on Lap 246 that put the Hendrick Motorsports driver out of the race. Larson ended up 37th, punctuating a frustrating day that included a mid-race crash at the Indianapolis 500 that robbed Larson of a potential 1,100-mile endeavor. ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 TRACKHOUSE RACING CHEVROLET (Race Winner): "It's sinking in that we won the Coke 600 but what that means for the team and me, I don't know yet. I'm excited to find out, though. We crashed yesterday in practice, the team stayed long after I was gone and worked to build a car for today. They basically had to build a whole new car. They left the track at 2:30 a.m. and got back here at 5:30 a.m. We had to keep working on our car tonight. The final thing I said before we won to (crew chief) Phil Surgen was, 'You nailed the balance.' A crown jewel race like the Coca-Cola 600, I've never driven backward after a race to celebrate, but I was doing that tonight. Why did I do that? Because we won and I've seen my heroes do it." PHIL SURGEN, NO. 1 TRACKHOUSE RACING CHEVROLET (Winning Crew Chief): "The 600's a long race. Starting 40th, we had a lot of work to do. We spent the first half of the race slowly chipping away at it. It was really just a slow progression. We started the race a little bit tight but we were kind of banking on the track conditions coming to us as the race went on. Ultimately, that last cycle and (Hamlin) being short on fuel allowed us to become a contender." JUSTIN MARKS, NO. 1 TRACKHOUSE RACING CHEVROLET (Winning Team Owner): "Ross is such an elite talent and he's really one of the founding members of this organization. What I've said throughout the year is we don't unload with a lot of speed, and we have to spend weekends getting the cars faster. It's really hard to win in this sport when you're starting 25th, 28th, whatever it may be. Ross is really invested in the rebuilding process to get us back to where we need to be. We unloaded with really good speed this weekend. We started last, but the confidence was really high. After we wrecked in practice, Ross left the care center, came back over and had a smile on his face. He was pumped because he knew we'd unloaded with speed. Ross is one of the best drivers in the Cup Series. He puts the team on his shoulders as we try to rebuild. ... This is a moment that holds major significance for everyone in the company and it's such an honor to win at this place." WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (Runner-Up): "It's just frustrating. I don't really have many words for it. I wish I won. (Chastain) was catching me, I was trying to defend, I put a couple good defensive moves on but I got loose in (Turns) 3 and 4, and that was really it. He got that run down the frontstretch and I tried to protect the inside, but it wasn't enough." CHASE BRISCOE, NO. 19 JOE GIBBS RACING TOYOTA (Third-Place Finisher): "We started on the pole, but we had a penalty that first pit stop and that put us behind. We kept coming from behind over and over. We really did. We weren't in the top 10 until 100 (laps) or so to go. Our car was really good, we just didn't really get the opportunity to show it. We weren't good enough to win, I think, but we finished about where we should've. We're definitely trending in the right direction. We just need to keep building on it."