Ross Chastain may not be firing on all cylinders like he did in 2022, but his Coca-Cola 600 win at Charlotte Motor Speedway this season marked a return to form. The win not only punched his playoff ticket after last year’s slump that saw him miss the postseason and land 19th in points, but also handed him the perfect stage to spotlight his agricultural roots.
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His Charlotte win checked several boxes. Forced to start dead last after wrecking in practice and unable to post a qualifying time, he rebounded from the rear of the field and took the checkered flag in a backup car. The victory came on one of the sport’s biggest stages, and when the smoke cleared, Chastain celebrated the only way he knows, by smashing a watermelon in Victory Lane.
The gesture has become his signature, a proof of his farming heritage and a salute to the industry that not only raised him but helped bankroll his early racing dreams. Now, Chastain wants to give back to his community. Through the Ag to Asphalt series, Chastain is helping spotlight agriculture and elevate its stories to a national platform.
Speaking to Farm Journal‘s agweb.com, he said, “A lot of what I want to do now is tell the stories. I want to tell our family’s story. I think I’ve done a decent job of that, but also other farmers.”
One interesting anecdote came after his Charlotte win, when Chastain was invited to the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth joined him in the parade field outside. Standing alongside his wife, Jenny, and their children, Hegseth grabbed a watermelon from Chastain’s farm to reenact the signature Trackhouse Racing celebration that has become second nature to NASCAR fans.
Chastain: From farm fields to finish lines
Backed by a sponsor roster that includes Busch Light, Kubota, Chevrolet, and Trackhouse, Chastain also flies the flag for several ag-based partners like New Leaf Symbiotics. While he’s found his groove in NASCAR, the Trackhouse Racing driver has always had dirt under his nails.
Born into a long line of watermelon growers, Chastain is an eighth-generation farmer from southern Florida, carrying on the legacy of his father, grandfather, uncle, and generations before them.
His family’s farming journey began in south Georgia before planting firm roots in Florida in the 1950s, where his brother Chad and the rest of the clan still work the land. Although Ross is the first in the family to chase checkered flags, his love for life behind the wheel took hold early. As a kid, he drove anything he could get his hands on around the farm.
That itch turned into a calling in late 2005 when his father let him take a spin around their packing house in a race truck. A few laps in, his dad waved him down and said, “Let’s go to the track.” Chastain was instantly hooked on the thrill of speed and, after a crash, on the wrecker too.
And now, every time he hoists a trophy and cracks open a melon, Chastain doubles down on his identity as NASCAR’s Melon Man. It’s a moniker that proves NASCAR might take the man out of the farm, but never the farm out of the man.
