NASCAR Star Digs Up Kyle Larson’s Failed Attempt Against Denny Hamlin Amid Major Rule Change

Ross Chastain’s infamous “Hail Melon” move has become almost a folklore by now. However, way before our watermelon man decided to pull such a move off, there was Kyle Larson who attempted it. As much as he would like to crib about it when someone else does it, Larson actually did the move against Denny Hamlin during the 2021 Southern 500 race at the Darlington Raceway. But unlike Chastain, he wasn’t successful.

Recently, fellow NASCAR driver Anthony Alfredo shared the clip where Larson can be seen attempting the “video game move.” He cheekily asked a question surrounding it, saying it was “for a friend.”

Alfredo asked in his tweet, “Wait, so is this move banned and a time penalty now too? Asking for a friend.“

What did NASCAR ban exactly, and how is Kyle Larson involved?

The infamous wall-ride maneuver executed to perfection by Ross Chastain has been officially prohibited by NASCAR. The ruling came in for the upcoming 2023 season.

During last season’s playoff elimination race at Martinsville, Chastain held the accelerator fully open on the final corner and rode the wall to advance position on Denny Hamlin.

MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 30: Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Moose Fraternity Chevrolet, rides the wall on the final lap of the NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 30, 2022, in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

As a result of this, Chastain secured his advancement to the Championship 4 race and received widespread admiration for his creativity on the track.

Read More: NASCAR Fans Upset as Chase Elliott Is Invited but Ross Chastain Isn’t, for the Same Watermelon Occasion

However, after the close of the 2022 season, NASCAR decided to scrutinize the move. This was after several drivers, including the likes of Kyle Larson, spoke against it. The ruling begins with the Clash exhibition race at the LA Memorial Coliseum this weekend.

The ruling will then be extended to the official season launch at the Daytona 500 and to the rest of the tracks thereon. NASCAR considers the maneuver to be unsafe and any driver attempting it will face a time penalty as a result. It may be sad to know that drivers will be discouraged to pull off the “Hail Melon” move. But the reasoning behind it cannot be adjudged as flawed. It surely was a once-in-a-lifetime move that would forever be cemented in NASCAR history.

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