LEBANON, Tenn. >> Firsts are never forgotten, and Ross Chastain hopes to tap the magic he found at the Nashville Superspeedway a year ago to jumpstart the second half of his season.

Chastain earned the first pole of his career here, then went on to win the Ally 400 giving Trackhouse Racing its first victory at its home track. Starting from the pole and winning snapped a 42-race skid for Chastain, allowing him to celebrate in his signature style by smashing a watermelon.

“That’s a moment that I will never forget, let alone the win ...,” Chastain said. “That played a role that night. That’s a very unique track. It takes a very unique car set up and driving style from my side that, it applies to some other places, but, a lot of things came together that night.”

The driver from a long line of Florida watermelon farmers hasn’t won since the 2023 finale in Phoenix. He comes into Sunday’s race at the 1.33-mile concrete oval ninth in points with two top fives among seven top 10 finishes, including 10th last week at New Hampshire.

Without a win, Chastain ranks 12th in the playoff chase.

A victory back in Nashville would be a big boost going into the second half of the season.

“We’re looking to rekindle that at other tracks as well,” Chastain said.

Chastain appeared to be putting things together with crew chief Phil Surgen and their Chevrolet at the end of February finishing seventh at Atlanta, then fourth at Las Vegas to start March. Chastain followed that with a sixth-place finish at Phoenix.

He hasn’t finished higher than seventh since, the last at Sonoma when he came in fifth. Chastain had some contact with Kyle Busch on the last lap, which dropped Busch from fifth to 12th. Chastain said it’s not just one thing they’re missing with the entire team trying to find what can take that next step.

Chastain said Saturday that they’re working for consistency from start to finish and lap by lap.

“I feel like we’re a really consistent 10th-place car,” Chastain said. “A good restart, we’ll go to six and a bad restart I go to 14th. So yeah, it’s just a little bit ... it’s just crumbs now is what we’re looking for to get that top five. And then you see it. With top fives, then you win. You put yourself in position.”