The Wrecking Ball Saga: Ross Chastain’s Origins, Rivalries, Odds & Hail Melon

Over the course of history, every driver in NASCAR has celebrated their maiden wins behind the wheel in different ways. When Ross Chastain won his first Cup Series race in 2022, he carried out a watermelon and smashed it to the ground to celebrate. The reason behind the peculiar celebration was to pay homage to the business that helped him scale the heights of American stock car racing. After his debut in the Truck Series in 2011, it took Chastain a further 11 years to get his first win in the highest tier of the sport. But the journey that took him to that win and the one that has followed since, are stories for the prime pages of history.

The beginnings and the journey that took NASCAR’s wrecking ball to his first Cup Series win

The first time Chastain got behind the wheel of a car to race was when he was merely 12 years old. Competing in late model and Fastruck Series events as a kid, his career continued on a stringent budget up until he reached the peaks of NASCAR. Back then, Chastain’s life was on his family’s farms where he helped grow watermelons. In the time that he wasn’t needed at the fields, he sat behind the wheels burning rubber in the local short tracks. Chastain’s time in short tracks saw him score over fifty wins. He eventually moved to Charlotte in 2011 and found himself a seat in Turn One Racing, a NASCAR Truck Series team.

After spending several years in the Truck Series and Xfinity Series, racing for multiple teams including Brad Keselowski Racing, Chastain got his big break in 2018 when he got a full-time seat in the Cup Series. The joy was short-lived though. Racing for Premium Motorsports that year, he failed to create any kind of impact with regular finishes outside the top 30. While he would find his knack in the Cup Series only in the 2022 season, he marked his name in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2019. Finishing second in the driver’s standings, he also won the Most Popular Driver award. 2022 was a career-defining year for Chastain. Joining Trackhouse Racing to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet, he turned fate around its head and finally managed to shine. His first victory would come just weeks after his debut with the team, at the Circuit of the Americas. 

Speaking to the press after his win, he said, “It’s been a grind … and I don’t feel like I’m the most talented race car driver. But when I’m on track, I am the best and I believe that so that’s been a work in progress over 11 years in the sport now.” But little could the driver have known that what he achieved that weekend marked just the beginning of his story.

Watch Story: Hamlin’s Sharp Critique of Chastain’s Performance

Ross Chastain defines his name on the Cup Series grid through victories and rivalries

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Even from his time in the Truck Series, Chastain had been one to be known for his on-track aggression. Promoting his brand and image needed a capable team and the driver found that in Trackhouse. Following his maiden win at COTA, he went on to score another victory, 15 top-5 finishes, and a staggering 21 top-10 finishes. He firmly etched his name in everyone’s minds when he rode the wall at Martinsville Speedway that year to advance to the 2022 Championship 4. The scintillating move that is now known as “The Hail Melon”, an ode to his past, aided him in finishing second in the driver’s championship standings. Along with all the glory, Chastain’s character was given additional shades through the rivalries that he managed to find in the grid.

Throughout his season in 2022, Chastain continually found himself causing wrecks and amidst them. Perhaps the first time he made a notorious impact was when he sent Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota into the wall at Gateway Motorsports Park. Hamlin would later repay the kindness in the Pocono Raceway, by spinning Chastain out. The No. 1 Chevy driver said to the press in the aftermath, “I think that’s something that has been owed to me for a few months now.” But that tally did not mean that he was done with Hamlin yet. Pulling one of the most dramatic racing moves ever, “The Hail Melon”, he grabbed the final championship 4 spot from Hamlin.

Continuing his antics into 2023, Chastain earned the nickname, “The Wrecking Ball”, bestowed by Christopher Bell. Another rival that he managed to choose from the grid was Legacy Motor Club’s now-suspended driver, Noah Gragson. Beginning their mutual hate at Talladega in April, after a wreck involving Kyle Larson, the bubble burst when the duo came down to fist fight at Kansas after making contact in the AdventHealth 400. Despite all the aggression and wrecks, the only thing that matters at the end of the day is the standing that a driver holds. Ross Chastain currently sits 11th in the 2023 playoffs, as he heads to the Roval for one final shot at keeping his championship hopes alive. Out of love or out of hate, the racing community doesn’t seem to be able to take its eye off Chastain. And, that can only mean good for the sport.

Read More: NASCAR Insider Slyly Confirms Rick Hendrick’s Ross Chastain Pulverization As He Unmasks Trackhouse Racing’s Worsening Reality