It has been three years since Ross Chastain pulled off the “Hail Melon” at Martinsville on October 30, 2022, yet it remains the signature moment of his career and one of NASCAR’s most beloved highlights.
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In that elimination race, Chastain snatched the final Championship 4 berth in the Cup Series playoffs with a move that stunned the sport.
Coming to the last two corners of the paperclip-shaped short track, Chastain threw his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet into fifth gear, pinned it against the outside wall, and rocketed around the rim like a roulette ball circling the wheel.
The breathtaking gamble delivered a fourth-place finish, enough to oust an unsuspecting Denny Hamlin from the playoffs. At first, the audacious move didn’t fully register as a moment of NASCAR folklore. Over time, though, fans have only grown fonder of it.
Appearing recently on WJHL with Amy Lynn, the Trackhouse Racing driver reflected on the move and its legacy.
“It is now knowing that it worked out. It was not fun in car. But the fact that the media, Jeff Gluck dubbed at the Hail Melon, a nod to my family in our and what we’ve done, what’s put food on our table for a really long time, is special for us. Yeah, you see watermelons all around us all the time.”
Looking back, he still marvels at the split-second decision, admitting he only thought about it for 15 seconds the lap before pulling the trigger.
“I can’t imagine I really can’t even grasp still why I thought it would work. But I was trying to think of a reason why not… And I couldn’t think of a reason, and I only thought about it for about 15 seconds, like the one lap before I did it.”
Chastain has noticed that the “Hail Melon” continues to overshadow most of his career milestones. Not even his Coca-Cola 600 victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway this season has held the spotlight for long.
While that crown-jewel win briefly nudged it aside, within weeks the Martinsville wall ride was once again back on top as the defining moment of his Cup career.
