Ross Chastain is a guy who doesn’t mind being a hero or a villain, as long as he’s winning. His reckless driving has made him one of the most polarizing figures on the track. Even if we keep his iconic career wins aside, it is just impossible to forget the iconic ‘wall ride’ he made in 2022. For the first time in NASCAR history, fans saw someone who deliberately took the call to hit the wall. Chastain, who was facing elimination threats in the 2022 season, pressed the pedal in full power, while most of the pack downshifted on Turn 3.

The action was so grievous that NASCAR had to ban such acts of recklessness. But Chastain got what he wanted. “I grabbed fifth gear, asked off of two on the last lap if we needed it, and we did. I couldn’t tell who was leading. And I just made the choice. I grabbed fifth gear down the back and full committed. Once I got against the wall, I basically let go of the wheel. Just hoped I didn’t catch the Turn 4 access gate or something crazy.” said the Melon Man post race.

And his taste for recklessness hasn’t dropped today either. It was fated to be a great day for Trackhouse Racing in Sonoma last week, with Shane van Gisbergen making his third consecutive win on road courses this season. However, Chastain’s greed to win made the day tough. After finishing first in Stage 1, Chastain went overboard on Stage 2, pushing the car to an extent where he himself lost control of it, hitting Daniel Suarez.

But not all drivers are the same off-track the way they are when they race. Their way of racing doesn’t necessarily define their way of life. Ross Chastain recently proved it right when his kind acts for a young fan won the hearts of his fans. Chastain was signing autographs at a pizza place by the Dover Motor Speedway when a fan decided to bring his two-year-old son to try their luck with the Melon Man.

While describing this experience on Reddit, the fan said that Chastain, being the sweetest guy ever, “could not possibly have been nicer and more kid friendly”. He went on to explain Chastain’s warm gestures, and said, “He showed my son his show car and took multiple pictures with him and us. He gave him a fist bump and an extra autograph to take to my brother. I know he ruffles feathers on the track, but he’s an A+ dude in my book. He made two fans today.” This kind act from a ‘reckless’ driver surely caused a change of heart among the fans, and they couldn’t help but pour out their reactions on the post. Let’s check out some of them.

Fans shower Chastain with praise for his kind gesture

One fan said, “What a great story and memorable time with your son. Chastain has a huge fan base due to his everyman vibe off track and his will to win on track. I’ve been a fan since back in his Truck days.” This shows how different Chastain’s personality is off the track when he’s not racing, which has helped him garner a long-time fan base over the years.

Hailing from a humble background as a child of eighth-generation watermelon farmers, Chastain is known for his integrity and love towards other people. His farming background has given him the patience and resilience necessary to create his relentless winning mindset that he possesses now.

And some fans even seem to be really familiar with the reckless star. “He always takes time to talk to my boys. What’s funny is the difference in the autographs of kids versus adults. He takes extra time to make sure to get the kid’s autos perfect.” Well, this definitely makes it clear whose company Chastain would prefer when it comes to choosing between grown-ups and young fans.

One of the fans commented, “I saw him outside trackhouse one day last summer, he was doing some busch light social media post. i stopped and asked for a picture and he was super nice. he even said something along the lines of ‘oh im just drinking beer at work at 2pm on a wednesday’. hes a super cool dude and a great driver.” Chastain gives off a cool and chill vibe, and it tells us that though he’s a celebrated racer, he doesn’t let that vanity take over his head and remains very relatable, just like a guy-next-door.

Kindness with children is almost his second nature, as one of the fans said, “Nice! I’ll second that he’s great with kids. He took time to chat with mine at Dega last October right after qualifying.” Another fan also gave testimony to the same: “Last week at Sonoma he was fantastic with kids when signing. A pair of kids drew him a picture to keep and he sounded so grateful and spent extra time talking to them and their parents. You could tell he was on a time crunch but still made every meet personable”

A fan also shared an instance where Chastain sold a part of his car to help a charity. “He auctioned off a fender off of one of his cars at Charlotte for speedway children’s charity. He seemed pretty genuine.”

After all, a mindset like Chastain’s is necessary for anyone who wants to achieve high in life. One must never compromise on something that they’re passionate about, and no better example than how Chastain displays that in his actions. While his on-track shenanigans break cars and hearts, those wounds get stitched back together by his off-track kindness and love.