Ross Chastain would likely prefer to put last season in the rearview mirror. After finishing second in the 2022 NASCAR Cup standings and ninth in 2023, a 19th-place finish marked a sharp downturn. Still, racing remains his calling. He has chased speed since the age of 13, not for fame or accolades, but for the thrill that first drew him to the sport.
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In a recent conversation with Farm Journal, Chastain reflected on his early racing days. He recalled falling in love with the sport from the start but admitted he never saw it as a career path until much later: “2014, 2015,” he said. After climbing behind the wheel in 2005, he raced purely for enjoyment. But by 2015, something shifted. “Oh, I can do this,” he realized.
When asked whether his childhood dream was simply to follow in his family’s footsteps as a watermelon farmer, Chastain didn’t hesitate. He said, “I wanted to be like my dad and like my granddaddy and my uncle Richie and be like those guys that told me stories of our ancestors and Peepaw and my granddad growing up in South Georgia and the hard times, but seeing we were living through good times.”
Even when his NASCAR journey began, Chastain viewed it as a passion project. He enrolled in college with plans to earn a business degree and return to the family farm better equipped to navigate its future. However, in 2012, he moved to North Carolina and decided to go all-in on stock car racing.
Today, Chastain and his brother Chad represent the eighth generation of watermelon farmers in their family. Their roots trace back to South Georgia, where their forebears tilled the land before relocating to South Florida in the 1950s — the same region where Chad and the rest of the family continue farming today.
Chastain didn’t just inherit his farming roots from his father — his passion for racing was also planted early. While his father raced purely for enjoyment, Chastain carved a path of his own, becoming a first-generation NASCAR driver. From a young age, he was drawn to anything with a steering wheel, eager to be behind it.
“I just remember driving stuff,” Chastain said. “My dad would have me drive things on the farm as a kid. And then, when I first raced, it was late 2005, and my dad asked if I wanted to try driving a race truck. So, he let me drive it around our packing house first.”
The makeshift course wrapped around the family’s metal building where watermelons were packed, surrounded by a dirt driveway that soon became Chastain’s first practice track. “He let me drive until I got going too fast,” he recalled.
After a few laps, his father pulled the plug and took him straight to the racetrack. That Saturday night, Chastain wrecked. But rather than scaring him off, the experience hooked him.
Since then, every time Chastain has found Victory Lane in the NASCAR Cup Series — five times so far — he has celebrated in his signature style: smashing a watermelon in front of the crowd and taking a bite. That gesture is more than tradition. It’s a nod to where he came from.
The watermelon industry not only supported his family for generations but also helped fund the early days of his racing career. By honoring that connection each time he wins, Chastain stays true to his background — a commitment that earned him the nickname Melon Man.
