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Trackhouse Racing and Ross Chastain are set to ensure that the legacy of the infamous ''Hail Melon' move lives on. In a recent interview, the American driver revealed that the team is about to honor that moment with a tribute.
In the penultimate race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville, Chastain drove along the wall from tenth to fourth to qualify for the Championship 4. NASCAR reporter Peter Stratta on media day for the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville posted a video of his interaction with Chastain on X. He wrote in a caption,
"Ross Chastain is forever immortalized in Martinsville Speedway history with 2022’s Hail Melon, a moment he says everyone will soon be able to relive with a new display coming at the Team Trackhouse shop."
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When asked if he was tired of hearing about his wall-riding maneuver, Chastain said,
"Not at all. We have got the wall now and we (Trackhouse Racing) are gonna put together a little piece for people to see and make sure that memory never goes away. It will be around a lot longer than I am gonna be around."
Chastain's move was born out of his desperation to qualify. He was trailing behind Denny Hamlin, William Byron, and Ryan Blaney on the final lap, all of whom were in contention for the final. In a last-ditch effort, Chastain, tenth at the time, decided to ride against the wall on the last corner of the race. He overtook six drivers and finished ahead of Hamlin, taking his spot in the final four.
Chastain finished the lap with the fastest recorded lap time of 18.845 seconds at Martinsville. The wall-riding move was dubbed the 'Hail Melon' move by the racing community, as fans were in disbelief of what they had witnessed. Unable to find the reason behind the move, Chastain reflected:
"Still, it doesn't seem real that I decided to do it. I don't really know why. I didn't have a reason why not to do it. And for some reason, I decided to."
Chastain joined Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and Christopher Bell for the final at Phoenix in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series. He finished second behind eventual winner Logano, which remains his career-best finish in the NASCAR Cup.
Ross Chastain's history at Martinsville, apart from the 'Hail Melon'
While wall riding has been banned by NASCAR since Ross Chastain's iconic 'Hail Melon' finish at Martinsville, the move remains impactful. Fans and analysts alike have debated the risky nature of the move, but Trackhouse Racing aims to pay tribute to celebrate its never-dying spirit. However, the track has not been favourable for the Trackhouse #1 driver.
Chastain's fourth-place finish in 2022 remains his best finish at Martinsville, where he has yet to find another top-five finish on the .5-mile short track. In his other 11 starts at the speedway, he has finished in the top ten only twice. Ross Chastain will begin Sunday's (March 30) race in the ninth row and will be relying on his racing skills and not the barriers to bring him a favorable result this time.
