From Fanboying Kevin Harvick to Inheriting $117 Billion Worth Partner, Ross Chastain Opens Up on His Rise to Fame

What started with “one NASCAR Truck race” at IRP in 2011 has turned into almost 200 Cup Series starts and 4 victories for Ross Chastain. But from working his family’s fields as an eighth-generation watermelon farmer in Alva, Florida, to taking over the Busch Light mantle from Kevin Harvick in 2023, the Melon Man has certainly come a long way. As the dust settles on a perilous Texas advance, the #1 driver has flipped the page.

Ross Chastain, the #1 driver, seems to fully grasp the significance of this “full circle moment” as he heads to one of the tracks that propelled his global recognition this weekend. When Anheuser Busch announced that they would be partnering with Chastain to sponsor the #1 Trackhouse Chevy, their market cap sat around 110 billion dollars. As of April 2024, their value stood at $117 billion. One of stock car racing’s most interesting individuals driving for one of the most exciting teams in recent years seems to be the perfect primary sponsor for the beverage giants gracing NASCAR for over 40 years.

In an interview with Bob Pockrass, Ross Chastain explained his steady progress, replacing Kevin Harvick in the seat of the Busch car. Chastain, an avid beer enthusiast, explained his longstanding association with Busch Light in general. He said, “A-B and the Busch Light brand that they transitioned to [from Budweiser] on the NASCAR side several years ago with Kevin [Harvick], it’s just so iconic. But for me personally, I drank Busch Light before they sponsored me. And I’m going to drink it long after they sponsor me and the No. 1 car, so they don’t have to tell me what to drink. I was already drinking it.”

Hail Melon’s down-to-earth charm and caution-to-the-wind skills have helped him become a relatable superstar, with his sponsors benefiting from Chastain’s incredible popularity. He shared a heartwarming anecdote as he continued, “Long before I was ever in Cup, when I was in the Truck Series, I was probably mid-20s… We were at a bar back home in the offseason, and we were drinking it and laughing, and the Kevin Harvick banners are hanging on the wall. And they were asking me, What would it be like if they sponsored me? And [I said] “I don’t know what that would be awesome. Now in that bar, we were back there in December, and now my posters hanging up so…” 

But as the #1 driver heads to Talladega to repeat his 2022 victory with the Trackhouse Racing, another Chevy driver is making all the headlines for unlikely aggressions towards Chastain. But as it happens, the melon farmer from Alva appears to have a new kind of mentality in an evolving 2024 season.

Melon Man mellows out?

At Texas, Ross Chastain was primed for an inaugural race victory, or at least a much-deserved podium position, for the second time this season. Also, for the second time this season, William Byron was involved in a Chastain wreck on the final lap, much like at Daytona when the #1 Chevy was spun out of top-3 contention by aggressive late-race advances and HMS’ #24 driver claimed his inaugural Daytona 500 victory.

Nine races in and Ross Chastain has surprisingly made very little noise over his recent misfortunes. Often refusing to fan the flames of controversy with the media, Chastain has only finished in the top-10 four times this season. When Pockrass asked if these mellowed-down aggressions were attempts at maintaining “better relationships” with other drivers, he agreed, “No, no better relationships. I mean, I don’t go out of my way to do anything. I’m not mean to anybody off-track. On the track, it’s questionable sometimes. But, no, nothing is different. I learn. I’m not the same person I was last year, the year before, or even at Daytona this year. I’m continuing to learn this stuff and be the best NASCAR Cup Series driver I can be. Nothing changed drastically.”

Nevertheless, from driving his first full-time season in the Truck Series with SS-Greenlight Racing to entering only his eighth year in the Cup Series with Kevin Harvick’s former sponsor, the Trackhouse star’s trajectory has been unlike anything fans have ever seen. But with his feet firmly set on the ground, only the sky is the limit for Ross Chastain.