Ross Chastain’s weekend at the Quaker State 400 on June 28, 2025, was one for the books, but not for the reasons he’d hoped. The Watermelon Man was running strong near the front during the In-Season Challenge opener at EchoPark Speedway when chaos struck.

A massive 23-car wreck on lap 69, sparked by Denny Hamlin and John Hunter Nemechek, turned Atlanta’s 1.54-mile tri-oval into a demolition derby. Chastain’s No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet got caught in the mess, with the right-front suspension sheared off after a chain-reaction hit.

“The brakes got really tight,” Chastain reported, as the front end dove and collapsed, a sequence fans on X and forums described as pure Atlanta madness. This kind of high-speed pileup has become a hallmark of the track’s reconfigured “mini superspeedway” layout, notorious for snarling fields and taking out front-runners.

Big names like Denny Hamlin and William Byron were also knocked out, paving the way for Dawsonville’s own Chase Elliott to snag the win and advance in the $1 million In-Season Challenge. Chastain stayed cool despite the early exit, later telling reporters it wasn’t about reckless driving but just “one of those things” in Atlanta’s wild pack racing.

Fans expected him to lick his wounds and prep for Chicago’s street race, but instead, Chastain popped up somewhere totally unexpected just hours later, cheering for soccer legend Lionel Messi at the FIFA Club World Cup in Atlanta. Talk about a plot twist!

Fresh off the wreck, Chastain traded his firesuit for a fan cap and hit up the FIFA Club World Cup to watch Lionel Messi take on Paris Saint-Germain. His Instagram post lit up feeds: “Been awesome watching Messi take on his old squad at the FIFA Club World Cup! Can’t wait to watch the rest of the Club World Cup to see who takes home the trophy on TNT & DAZN.”

Sadly, Messi and Inter Miami got smoked 4-0 by PSG in the round of 16. Joao Neves struck twice, heading in the opener in the sixth minute and finishing a slick team move in the 36th. A Tomas Aviles own goal made it 3-0, and Achraf Hakimi sealed the rout just before halftime.

PSG now faces the Flamengo-Bayern Munich winner in Saturday’s quarter-final. Chastain’s post, cheering for the GOAT, left fans scratching their heads but loving the crossover.

Fans react to Chastain’s surprise soccer outing

Chastain’s Instagram had fans buzzing with a mix of laughs and confusion. One commenter gushed, “both the goats in the same building.” The idea of Chastain, NASCAR’s own smash-and-pass star, sharing space with soccer’s GOAT Messi was a wild collision of worlds. Fans couldn’t get enough of the surreal moment, picturing the Watermelon Man hyped up in the stands for a sport far from the oval.

Another fan wrote, “Glad you are ok after that crashing hamlin did.” The nod to Chastain’s Atlanta wreck pinned the blame on Hamlin’s role in the 23-car chaos, showing fans were still reeling from the race’s carnage. The sentiment reflected relief that Chastain walked away unscathed, ready to cheer on Messi just hours later.

But not everyone was on the Messi train. “Ross, hate to tell you but Ronaldo is better,” one fan quipped, sparking the age-old soccer debate. Chastain’s Messi fandom clearly stirred some playful rivalry, with fans tossing shade and picking sides in the GOAT debate. The post turned Chastain’s rough race day into a fun, unexpected detour, leaving fans chuckling at his quick pivot to soccer stardom.