“The best thing of 2022 in motor racing!” Fernando Alonso spoke for many after Ross Chastain’s ‘Hail Melon’ move at Martinsville – Chastain freely admits he put more thought into naming it than the move itself, which quickly went viral on social media.
Part inspiration, part insanity: if you haven’t seen it already, Chastain didn’t lift off, didn’t even brake for Turn 3 on the final lap of the recent NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race, but instead kept his throttle foot nailed to the boards and actually changed up to top gear – traditionally never used at NASCAR’s tightest track.
Chastain deliberately drove into the SAFER barrier to rim-ride the turn as fast as he possibly could, and in doing so made the cut for the Championship Four finale last weekend in Phoenix. It made Cole Trickle going low, instead of high, to pass Russ Wheeler in look lame. Heck, Tom Cruise’s character didn’t even celebrate his wins properly; Chastain habitually destroys a watermelon from the roof of his car!
