“I’m worried the more I talk about it, it might happen one day.” Ross Chastain is definitely left biting his nails after this revelation. The NASCAR driver and NBA legend Michael Jordan may not share a lot of things, but one thing that does draw them closer is the “Just Do It” slogan. And now the Watermelon Man finds himself in deep water.

Chastain’s family’s Florida-based watermelon farm is also named JDI (Just do it) Farms. And if the NASCAR antitrust lawsuit proved anything, it is that Michael Jordan isn’t someone to challenge lightly. Now with the attention drifting toward Trackhouse Racing’s farm name, Ross Chastain finds himself quietly wary of drawing the wrong kind of spotlight.

Speaking on the Dinner with Racers podcast, the Florida native didn’t downplay his fears of his JDI farmland.

“Yeah, if his (Michael Jordan’s) lawyer calls, we’re just shutting it down,” he said. “We’re not trying. Right now, it’s, yeah, it’s been my dad’s kind of motto. The farm used to be every version of Chastain Brothers, Chastain and Sons, and Chastain Farms. Just wanted it to be different.”

It is no secret that Nike, along with Jordan, coined and trademarked “Just Do It” in 1988, and since then, it has been one of the company’s most famous trademarks used across footwear, apparel, and sports marketing worldwide, meaning Nike must actively defend it to keep exclusive rights.

Beyond slogans, Michael Jordan’s name and associated branding have been rigorously defended in legal disputes. For example, he spent years in trademark battles in China to reclaim rights over his own name against a local company that used Jordan-related marks, illustrating how courts can get involved when famous names and marks are used without permission.

Even if Chastain’s JDI usage on a hat at his family’s farm is informal, the fear makes sense in theory. Trademarks are protected to prevent confusion or unauthorized association with a famous brand like Nike, and its star partners often pursue legal action when another entity uses anything that can be seen as connected to their marks or slogans.

But if Jordan chooses to pursue legal claims, Chastain’s use of the name or mark directly benefits financially and could mislead consumers into thinking there is an endorsement or association that doesn’t exist.

For eight generations, the family has grown watermelons, and he lived by a simple work ethic, “just do it,” embodied in the JDI slogan that once donned a single hat and now serves as a piece of personal history rather than a commercial brand.

While Ross laughs about the idea of MJ’s legal team calling, the reality is that his firm’s identity is anchored in tradition, community, and authenticity, not in profiting off someone else’s fame.

And if Jordan’s reputation for winning lawsuits, especially the antitrust NASCAR one, proves anything, it proves to everyone that they cannot be messed with.

But with no intention to lock horns with the NBA legend, Chastain keeps his farm going, especially with his new partnership.

Chastain gains new Melon 1 partner ahead of 2026

Titan International Inc. has partnered with the NASCAR driver and eighth-generation watermelon farmer in a deal that goes far beyond paint schemes and logos. Instead of saying on the racetrack, Titan brought its tires straight to the Chastain family farm, putting them to work in the same fields Ross grew up in.

This isn’t a clean, simple farming operation. From planting to harvest, the Melon 1 farm operates nearly a dozen different machines, tractors, sprayers, trailers, and ATVs, each one critical and needing to work without fail.

Titan’s Ag Specialists are now part of that process, working hands-on with the Chastain family to keep equipment rolling and downtime low.

For the NASCAR Cup driver, that means more than any branding deal. Farming shaped him long before NASCAR did.

“I grew up farming watermelons with my family, and that will always be a part of who I am,” he said. “What excites me about working with Titan is that they’re actually on the farm, looking at our equipment, and helping us find real solutions. I trust Goodyear tires on the track, and now I trust Titan and Goodyear Farm Tires on our farm. That’s what ‘Ag to Asphalt’ means to me.”

Watermelon farming demands versatility, and Titan is supplying it across the entire operation, whether it’s a Kubota M6 tractor grinding through long days or a utility vehicle making nonstop runs across the farm. The goal is simple: make every machine better and keep the season moving.

Ross Chastain has long been known as NASCAR’s agriculture guy, and this partnership leans into that identity. By teaming up with Titan, he’s spotlighting the farmers behind the scenes, the ones putting in the work long before race day.

From watermelon rose to victory lens, Titan, and Ross Chastain are proving that “Ag to asphalt” isn’t marketing talk. It is real work done in the dirt.