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In the aftermath of Trackhouse Racing's purchase of Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR operation, Ross Chastain went from realizing his dreams behind the wheel of a competitive Cup car to having to get back to the grind of searching for a ride in 2022. That grind was short-lived, as Chastain will simply make the transition from one banner to the next.

On Tuesday, Trackhouse Racing announced that Ross Chastain will drive the team's new No. 1 Chevrolet starting in 2022, moving from Ganassi to the Trackhouse team co-owned by former NASCAR driver Justin Marks and Grammy Award-winning recording artist Pitbull. Chastain is currently the driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet for Ganassi, an organization he has been with since 2018.

Chastain will serve as a teammate to the No. 99 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Suarez, rounding out the expansion of Trackhouse that was set up by the team's purchase of all of Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR assets effective at the end of the 2021 season.

"This is another dream come true for me," Chastain said in a press release issued by the team. "Trackhouse is one of the most interesting organizations in the garage. The enthusiasm they bring off the track and the program they are building on the track is exciting. Working with Daniel and Justin, however I can, is my number one priority. I know that I can help build our Chevrolets to be as strong as possible."

A watermelon farmer by trade, Chastain has had an already-compelling career that has seen him earn his way up the NASCAR ladder the hard way. The 28-year old from Alva, Florida cut his teeth by earning good results in lesser equipment, such as when he made the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs driving for JD Motorsports and earned a top 10 finish in the Daytona 500 for car owner Jay Robinson in 2019. Chastain had originally been hired by Ganassi to drive their Xfinity car full-time in 2019, but his opportunity with the team was deferred to 2021 after the Xfinity team's sponsor was shut down by the FBI and revealed as a Ponzi scheme.

Chastain has been one of NASCAR's hottest drivers over the summer months, as he has earned two top 5 and five top 10 finishes since mid-May with a best finish of second at Nashville. Chastain's recent surge has moved him to 18th in the points standings, and he currently sits 144 points below the Playoff cutoff line with four races left in NASCAR's regular season.

Interestingly, this isn't the first time that Marks and Chastain's racing careers have intersected: In 2011, Marks was the driver of the No. 66 Chevrolet for Turn One Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, but he left the team at midseason. In the very next race, Chastain made his NASCAR debut driving the No. 66 vacated by Marks to a 10th place finish at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Chastain's move to Trackhouse in 2022 highlights what has been a big week for his family as a whole. In addition to his own announcement, it was also announced that Ross' younger brother Chad Chastain -- a regular in the southeastern asphalt racing scene in-between working on the family farm -- will make his NASCAR debut driving the No. 45 Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports in Saturday's Truck Series race at Watkins Glen.