“Try to sell more watermelon”: Ross Chastain reveals the literal reason behind iconic celebration

Ross Chastain recently shed light on the reasons for his post-win celebration. Ever since his NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts (Xfinity) Series days, Chastain has smashed a watermelon on the asphalt, grabbed a chunk, and bit into it on live TV after a win. He recently mentioned doing so to get the fruit in the spotlight and sell more melons.

During the 314th episode of Dinner with Racers with hosts Ryan Eversley and Sean Heckma last weekend (December 20), the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing driver shared the 'literal reason' for his unique celebration.

"The literal reason I do it is to try to sell more watermelons for the entire industry is to put it in a spotlight. And there's no better time as a race car driver than when you win. Everybody's watching. They're all watching you get out of that car. Nobody looks away. Once you get out, I mean, it's like driving a new car off the lot," Ross Chastain said (36:15 onwards). "It's depreciating quickly and the TVs are turning off, but everybody waits and watches the burnout and the driver get out, I think," he added.

Chastain grew up on his father's Florida watermelon farm. During the podcast, he also shared that his grandfather, who grew up in South Georgia, moved to Florida in the 1905s and settled on growing the cash crop, watermelons. However, his family had been farming since they immigrated to the States from France in the 18th century.

The 33-year-old also launched a short video series called Ag to Asphalt in 2023, which features farmers at tracks he visits to show how food reaches grocery stores.

---

Ross Chastain would have fixed his limited knowledge in watermelon farming 'if racing had failed'

Ross Chastain found his footing in the Cup Series after joining Trackhouse Racing in 2022. That year, he scored his first Cup win at Circuit of the Americas, added another victory later that season, and finished second in the championship standings. The following year, he retained his form with two more wins, at Nashville and the championship race at Phoenix, and ended the year ninth in points.

Chastain added a sixth win to his Cup Series total this season. The 'Melon Man' scored a crown jewel win at the Coca-Cola 600 this May, but would have kept up with his family's farming tradition had he failed to make a career in racing.

"If racing had failed, I would be more knowledgeable in watermelon," Ross Chastain said (37:40).

Chastain finished his fourth Cup season with Trackhouse at 10th place in the final Cup standings after collecting four top-five finishes and 12 top-10s. He reached the playoffs after missing them in 2024 and was eliminated from the Round of 12 after a risky last-lap move at the Charlotte Roval this season.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar