“I was in complete shock”: Jimmie Johnson claims NASCAR Hall of Famer's dangerous move inspired Ross Chastain’s ‘hail melon’

Recently, Jimmie Johnson shared a clip of his former rival Carl Edwards pulling a video game move on him. This happened in 2008 at the Camping World RV 400 at Kansas Speedway, and years later, in 2022, it inspired the Track House Racing team driver Ross Chastain.

In 2008 at Kansas Speedway, during the last lap, Edwards passed Johnson and hit the wall in turn three. He almost pulled off the move and could have won the race, but the wall slowed him down. Johnson "was in complete shock" when Edwards flew directly into the guardrails intentionally. However, his move backfired and he finished in second place.

Johnson believes "that moment definitely inspired some wild moves" like Chastain's Hail Melon. After 14 years, on Sunday, 30 October 2022, Chastain successfully pulled a move like Edwards in Martinsville Speedway.

In the final two corners, Chastain used the guard rails for his benefit. He pushed his #1 Chevy Camaro to fifth gear, pinning it against the wall, and shot around the track. This helped him gain six positions and succeed in the next round of the playoffs.

Though Ross Chastain's Hail Melon was successful, NASCAR banned the move

Even though Carl Edwards tried his move, Jimmie Johnson ended up winning the race. However, Ross Chastain managed to pull his Hail Melon successfully in 2022. The #1 Chevy driver crossed the finish line 0.079 seconds before Denny Hamlin, finishing fourth and securing his spot in the next round of playoffs by eliminating Hamlin.

However, NASCAR didn't take too long and banned the move. In 2023, the Stock Car Racing Association banned the move for future racing years. In their updated rulebook, the association mentioned that any move endangering the safety of anyone on the track is banned.

"It brought got a great deal of excitement, a great deal of exposure to our sport, but it also came with some scrutiny. If there's an act that we feel that's compromising the safety of our competitors, officials, spectators, we're going take that seriously, we will penalize for that act going forward. That move at Martinsville would be a penalty," explained NASCAR's VP Elton Sawyer.

Ross Chastain and Carl Edwards are not the only drivers to try using walls for their benefit. Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson started this trend again in 2021 at Darlington Raceway. But just like Edwards, Larson's plan to overtake Hamlin also backfired.

On the radio, the #5 driver said he "tried to video game it." The #1 Chevy driver is the only driver to pull this move successfully in the modern era of racing.