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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 30: Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Moose Fraternity Chevrolet, rides the wall on the final lap of the NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 30, 2022 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 30: Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Moose Fraternity Chevrolet, rides the wall on the final lap of the NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 30, 2022 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
On October 30th, 2022, one of the most unbelievable scenes unfolded before everyone’s eyes in NASCAR. Ross Chastain was on the verge of getting knocked out of Championship 4 contention. However, he then dug deep and brought out, what is now famously called the “Hail Melon” move. With a massive wall ride, the #1 driver slingshot around several drivers. As a result, he vaulted up a few places to just sneak into Championship 4.
Needless to say, this drove several people nuts, and one of them was Martinsville Speedway president, Clay Campbell. In a recent interview, he said, “The last lap of the Xfinity 500. Did you expect anything else? It was a great race, and capping it off with that bold move by Ross Chastain, which I think will be etched in NASCAR’s history books from now on, it will outlive all of us. That was great for Martinsville Speedway, for Martinsville.”
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The infamous NASCAR move will soon be immortalized
Expectedly, the move went viral on social media, and made an urban legend of Chastain. According to Campbell, it was the second-best thing he saw at the Martinsville Speedway in 2022. The only thing that beat it was the race track announcing a sellout crowd, its first since 2006. Incidentally, that same race weekend took place over a month after the speedway’s 75th birthday.
In 2023, the NASCAR paddock will be back in Martinsville for the month of April. It is also worth mentioning that the scrapes from the wall ride at Turns 3 and 4 will remain as a sort of badge of honor. Obviously, no one would have the heart to try to clear it up and erase the traces of history.
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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 22: Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Kubota Chevrolet, looks on during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 22, 2022 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Campbell continued, “It’s going to stay up until race week in April. We’ve got so many people stopping by here, taking pictures. It’s an historical moment, and we’re going to do our best to preserve it all that we can. It was one move that go so much exposure, not only for Martinsville Speedway, but for the sport. That move will go down in history and it will be there forever.”
Of course, it will have to be off in time for the April race. So the fans will have to hurry if they want to scramble and take pictures of the iconic scene.
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