AUSTIN (KXAN) — Legendary prop comedian Gallagher may have popularized smashing fruit, but NASCAR driver Ross Chastain made it cool.
The eighth-generation watermelon farmer from Florida won his first Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas in 2022, and after every win, he pays homage to his roots by slamming a melon like a medicine ball on the track. It’s his way of highlighting agriculture and getting it front and center on one of America’s biggest stages.
“I try to promote agriculture in a bright light and tell people where their food comes from,” Chastain said. “My social media is as agriculture-focused as it is racing sometimes.”
A year after the big win in 2023, the COTA team asked Chastain if he’d take smashing melons to new heights. They wanted him to toss one off of the 251-foot observation tower at the track for promotional and social media opportunities as well as to celebrate his 2022 victory. Even though he’s not the biggest fan of heights, Chastain obliged.
“It was a cool moment, but I held on to the railing pretty tight,” he said.
(David Graham)
He also signed watermelons for fans and handed them out as souvenirs as part of the celebration.
He’s a five-time Cup Series winner in his nine-year career with his most recent win last year at the Kansas Lottery 300. He finished 19th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings last season with six top-five finishes and 14 inside the top 10. Over the past four seasons, Chastain’s average finish at COTA is fourth, so he knows how to handle a road course. He finished seventh last season.
This season’s race at COTA is earlier than usual. It’s the third race of the NASCAR schedule when it has been the sixth each of the past three seasons. In 2021, it was the 14th race of the season. The race weekend begins Feb. 28 with the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix scheduled for 3:30 p.m., Sunday.
Once his racing days are done, Chastain will spend more time on the farm and continue his family’s legacy. But for now, he’d love to destroy another one on the COTA track.
“Watermelons will be there for me after racing, but life at the farm is limited for me these days,” he said.
