Ross Chastain has established himself as a top NASCAR star (Image: Getty)
On the night of October 30, 2022, Ross Chastain went to bed with a realization. He had just pulled off NASCAR’s most iconic moment in recent memory, a viral sensation that put him in the Cup Series Championship.
The ‘Hail Melon’ defied belief even to the non-NASCAR viewer. It catapulted Chastain into the mainstream. Even before any of that had time to materialize, he knew it was a moment that would forever be synonymous with his name.
“I realized that night that was going to be something I was going to talk about the rest of my life,” he says. “I accepted that”.
Since then, Chastain has experienced the highs and lows of racing at the highest level. And while he knows that the ‘Hail Melon’ will always define him, it is the fact it has proved a springboard to even more success that fills him with most pride.
“What is awesome, for me, as a competitor, is that I’ve won more races since then than I did before,” he reflects.
“That one is like another win for us. But we’ve won more races since, which I get excited about.”
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It has been far from plain sailing, and last year’s heartache still clearly stings the Trackhouse Racing star.
In stark contrast to lying in bed knowing he had made history, last year he found himself looking himself in the mirror and shaving off his trademark beard in a desperate attempt to rid himself of the pain of missing out on the playoffs altogether.
“That was a terrible feeling at Darlington,” he recalls. “So bad I went and shaved my beard off!”
“That was an impulse. One morning I woke up and it was happening, I don’t really know why I did it.
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Chastain shaved off his beard after missing the playoffs but then found a win (Image: Getty)
“But for sure, motivating, because that was a bad feeling, and I don’t want to feel bad. I want to feel good and I want to win. Definitely on the beard side I didn’t want to do that again!
“It was terrible. Just felt like a total disappointment. A let down to my team, I let them down, by not being able to get one (win) or not getting enough points.
“Thinking back to how many races I threw away points going for the win. The Daytona 500, a couple of different races I crashed in that were unforced errors, that stuck with me.”
Again, just as he’s always done, Chastain didn’t give up. While a win at Kansas was too little too late in terms of the playoffs, it was the shot in the arm the No.1 team needed.
“We were able to go and get that win at Kansas, and that was a really rewarding win,” he recalls. “To be able to continue to show up in the playoffs…we just kept hammering away. Maybe to our own detriment sometimes, but we just kept going and put it together in the fall.”
The ability of Chastain and the No.1 team to ride the highs and lows was in full display after speaking to the Express U.S. Sports. Moments after our chat at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he crashed out in qualifying.
His team rallied to prepare his backup car, and he started the Coca-Cola 600 from the rear. He ended up winning the race, a historic Crown Jewel victory which undoubtedly slots in behind the ‘Hail Melon’ among his finest moments.
Chastain won the Coca-Cola 600 after starting last (Image: Getty)
Chastain’s drive, culminating in passing William Byron for the win, was a display of raw speed combined with a patience and maturity which may well have been missing in years gone by.
“I feel like I’m older, and I’m always going to try and learn from my past. I’ve had a lot of NASCAR races I’ve been able to be a part of.
“Early in the year last year we did have a couple of shots (to win), legitimately. But it goes in waves. I’ve learned to weather the storms and be fine.
“Monday mornings, show up no matter what. And if we keep doing that, we’ll be OK.”
In years gone by, Chastain had a tendency to rub drivers up the wrong way with his aggressive style. While he’s still known as a hard, no-nonsense racer, the fact he’s been able to fly much more under the radar is a clear sign of the way he’s developed.
Still, there’s an unofficial, unwritten law of order that comes with policing the Cup Series garage with rivals out on track.
“Just depends who has the last hit, who spun each other out last,” he says. “I’ve got guys where I did it last to them, and guys where they did it to me, more than once, so that’s just how it goes. That’s what racing’s all about.”
With his playoff place locked in, Chastain and the No.1 team can breath a sigh of relief knowing there won’t be a repeat of last year’s painful postseason miss. But with ambitions on returning to the Championship 4, just where the ‘Hail Melon’ sent him in 2022, there’s no time for rest.
“Good, not great,” Chastain characterized his season prior to his Coca-Cola 600 win. “Definitely Saturday’s we could be better, start closer. We’re competitors. We want to be the best in everything, and we haven’t been hitting that mark on Saturdays.”