“I Want It Really Bad”: Ross Chastain Opens Up on Chasing Martinsville’s Coveted Trophy

Ross Chastain has yet to crack the code at Martinsville and get on the winner’s list of the track. All the more since the track is already a landmark in his career: His name is etched in its lore for the ‘Hail Melon’ move he pulled on October 30, 2022.

On the final lap of the Xfinity 500 race on the track three years ago, Chastain sent his car into the wall and rode it through the corner, picking off rivals. The move punched his ticket to the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 title race. 

Chastain carries an average finish of 16.6 across 14 starts at the paperclip, with five runs inside the top 10. In the Next Gen era, Chastain has posted an average finish of 9.8 over the last six races, with one result inside the top five. In fact, over the last three Martinsville races, Chastain has inched forward each time he has taken the green.

Ross crossed the line in eighth in the penultimate race of 2024, then followed it up with sixth and fourth last season after starting from 17th and 13th. Step by step, race by race, he has worked his way into the front at the track. Ahead of the first short-track race of the season at the 0.526-mile oval, the No. 1 driver spoke about what makes Martinsville stand apart.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know Clay Campbell [Martinsville Speedway President] up there a little bit and go to breakfast with him,” said Chastain.

“Hearing him tell stories of his family’s history in and around Martinsville and the legacy he wants to continue on is really cool. That grandfather clock is a real thing you can take home when you win, which is so cool,” he added.

Chastain added that the track has a deep connection with the sport’s roots. “Everything in that track is built on the foundation around NASCAR and what the France family and the Campbell family have done together,” he said.

And having come close to winning the trophy quite a few times, Chastain shared, “The grandfather clock is something that I want. I want it really bad, and I’ll work a really long time to try to take one home.”

Chastain sits 20th in the standings this season with 115 points after six races, carrying an average finish of 19.8. His best run was a third at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

However, while Chastain hopes to succeed this Sunday, Trackhouse Racing, as a whole, has had to grind through the opening stretch. Shane van Gisbergen has shown pace on ovals with runs of 11th at Phoenix and 14th at Darlington. Zilisch has flashed his hand near the front, only to get caught in trouble when it mattered.

The common thread between all the Trackhouse Racing drivers has been a lack of pace across the board. And that has left Chastain fighting an uphill battle more often than not.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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