DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — William Byron saw Ross Chastain and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson ahead of him late at Darlington Raceway.
Byron made sure he was prepared for the fireworks he thought could happen.
DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Ross Chastain thinks things went too far last week in punching Noah Gragson in the pits at Kansas.
However, the NASCAR points leader says he feels more comfortable in his growing role as the Cup series' reigning bad boy.
‘Sick of him’: Chastain drawing ire of fellow NASCAR drivers
May 8, 2023 GMTKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Ross Chastain used to be known primarily as the driver with the family roots in watermelon farming, and whose victory lane celebrations usually involved standing on the roof of his car and smashing a melon to pieces on the pavement.
Appeals panel upholds penalties on Hamlin hit on Chastain
April 7, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Denny Hamlin's penalties for hitting Ross Chastain from behind at Phoenix last month will stand, according to a decision Thursday by a NASCAR appeals panel.
Hamlin was fined $50,000 and docked 25 points after he acknowledged on his weekly podcast he intentionally wrecked Chastain on the last lap of the Phoenix race.
Kyle Busch gets 1st RCR victory in Fontana’s NASCAR farewell
February 27, 2023 GMTFONTANA, Calif. (AP) — Kyle Busch still smiles at the memory of getting thrown out of California Speedway during his first competitive trip here in 2001. The 16-year-old upstart dominated a NASCAR Truck Series practice, only to be told he couldn't run in a race sponsored by Marlboro because he was too young to smoke.
Melon Man signs new deal that keeps Chastain with Trackhouse
February 16, 2023 GMTDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ross Chastain signed a long-term contract extension with Trackhouse Racing announced ahead of the season-opening Daytona 500 as NASCAR's hottest young team officially shored up its lineup deep into the future.
NASCAR Preview: Drivers to watch include Harvick, JJ, Logano
February 14, 2023 GMTDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — This 75th season of NASCAR begins Sunday with the Daytona 500 and it comes after what has been a long exodus of sorts.
Since 2016, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Danica Patrick and Jimmie Johnson have all retired (though Johnson is back).
NASCAR bans Chastain’s wall-hugging move at Martinsville
January 31, 2023 GMTNASCAR has essentially banned the “Hail Melon” video-game move driver Ross Chastain used at Martinsville Speedway to race his way into the championship finale.
Column: No slapping, please, at the 2022 Newby Awards
December 23, 2022 GMTAs the world reclaimed a bit of normalcy in 2022, the Newby Awards were hoping to produce an awards show featuring all the elegance and decorum that were our imaginary hallmarks in the pre-COVID-19 era.
No favorite among NASCAR championship 4 ahead of finale
November 5, 2022 GMTAVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The long and unpredictable NASCAR season comes to an end Sunday with a championship race fitting for a year that saw unprecedented parity and never a clear title favorite.
Sure, Chase Elliott led the standings for most of the season while winning a career-high five races and the regular-season title.
Wall-hugging Chastain, red-hot Bell eye 1st NASCAR title
November 4, 2022 GMTAVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Ross Chastain skyrocketed to motorsports infamy for wall-riding his way into NASCAR's championship race with a video-game style move that has overshadowed the finale and his fellow title contenders.
Chastain’s video game-inspired ride puts more eyes on NASCAR
November 3, 2022 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — Ross Chastain's video game-inspired ride along the wall at Martinsville carried him across the finish line, into the NASCAR championship finale and around the world.
Column: Chastain rides the wall into NASCAR’s title race
October 31, 2022 GMTThere's been an internal battle raging inside Ross Chastain as he's clawed his way into NASCAR's championship finale.
He's an eighth-generation watermelon farmer from Florida who was never supposed to make it to the top level of stock car racing.
Bell wins, Chastain rides the wall to earn title race spots
October 30, 2022 GMTRoss Chastain's aggressive style hasn’t made a lot of friends in NASCAR’s top series. Now, he'll be contending for a championship because of that approach.
Column: 7 desperate drivers have NASCAR season on the line
October 24, 2022 GMTJoey Logano has little stress headed into Martinsville Speedway, where his results won't make a difference in his march toward the NASCAR championship.
Larson wins NASCAR at Homestead, holding off Chastain at end
October 23, 2022 GMTHOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Larson found his way back into NASCAR’s headlines. This time, for a much more pleasant reason.
Larson held off Ross Chastain to cap a dominant showing at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, after leading 199 of the 267 laps over the 1-1/2 mile course.
Logano wins at Las Vegas to earn spot in NASCAR title race
October 16, 2022 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — Team Penske has a shot at two major championships this year — Joey Logano became the first driver to qualify for NASCAR's title-deciding finale with a win Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Chastain watching his mirrors in playoff elimination race
September 16, 2022 GMTRoss Chastain, the driver with a growing list of enemies, heads into the first elimination race of NASCAR's playoffs in a pretty comfortable position above the cutline.
It's Kyle Busch, and Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe and Kevin Harvick, who are trying to stave off elimination Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.
NASCAR quartet of first-timers eager for playoff experience
September 3, 2022 GMTDARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Austin Cindric has had more than six months to think about NASCAR's playoffs. The rookie racer thinks he's got a winning plan: maintain his steady, head-down approach when the 10-race postseason begins Sunday at Darlington Raceway.
Larson looking forward to racing Raikkonen at Watkins Glen
August 19, 2022 GMTKyle Larson attended last year's Formula One season finale anticipating a behind-the-scenes look at the so-called best drivers in the world. Little did he know he'd soon be racing against a world champion.
Reddick wins at Road America for 1st NASCAR Cup victory
July 4, 2022 GMTELKHART LAKE, Wis. (AP) — Tyler Reddick needed a little longer than expected to win in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The circumstances of his triumph made it worth the wait.
Reddick won Sunday at Road America by outdueling Chase Elliott, the defending champion on the course and the current points leader.
Ross Chastain threading fine line of aggression, patience
July 1, 2022 GMTRoss Chastain has proven to be a decent road racer over his career and there's no reason to believe he won't be in the mix Sunday at Road America in Wisconsin.
But it takes a fine line of patience and aggression to battle for race wins and Chastain has been trying hard to find that balance in his breakout season.
Hamlin to lead field to green at hot Nashville Superspeedway
June 25, 2022 GMTLEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — Denny Hamlin will lead the field to green at Nashville Superspeedway while debuting a heat-combating device for the first time in his career.
The Sunday forecast calls for temperatures in the high 90s, which would raise the heat inside the race car closer to 125 degrees.
Suárez’s Sonoma win punctuates Trackhouse’s impressive rise
June 13, 2022 GMTSONOMA, Calif. (AP) — Of all the surprising developments to ponder during this one-week break in a highly entertaining NASCAR Cup Series season, the emergence of Trackhouse Racing might be the most unlikely of all.
Hamlin vows to get even with Chastain after Gateway wreck
June 6, 2022 GMTMADISON, Ill. (AP) — Denny Hamlin posted a clip on Twitter late Sunday that essentially mashed up his beef with Ross Chastain from earlier in the day with a scene from “Days of Thunder,” when Tom Cruise's character tells his team to change his tires after a race had ended so that he could head back out and wreck his foil.
Chastain wins in wild NASCAR Trucks finish at Charlotte
May 28, 2022 GMTCHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Ross Chastain, who led for just four laps, got an assist from Grant Enfinger on the final lap to win the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 in double overtime on Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway for his fourth career NASCAR Trucks Series victory.
Pitbull, Marks provide international drivers path to NASCAR
May 24, 2022 GMTCONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Trackhouse Entertainment Group, a venture of former driver Justin Marks and Grammy Award-winning rapper Pitbull, launched a program Tuesday that will field a NASCAR Cup Series entry for renowned international drivers.
Next Gen vs. Old School: New car gets 1st Darlington test
May 7, 2022 GMTDARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — It's Next Gen vs. Old School when NASCAR's new racer takes on its oldest superspeedway at Darlington Raceway on Sunday.
“It kept me up this week thinking about that,” said Ross Chastain, who has won twice this season.
Chase Elliott wins at Dover to snap 26-race winless streak
May 2, 2022 GMTDOVER, Del. (AP) — Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for the Hendrick Motorsports trophy celebrations and photo shoots and all the kitschy social media posts created as one by one — and as his three teammates won, and won and won again — they all brought home checkered flags.
Column: Chastain calms down to surge into title contention
April 25, 2022 GMTTALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — He stood atop the winning Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway ready to celebrate in his own signature way. But when Ross Chastain smashed a month-old watermelon onto the track, the crowd roared as if it was an Earnhardt who had just snatched a thrilling, last-lap victory.
Ross Chastain steals victory at Talladega Superspeedway
April 25, 2022 GMTTALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Ross Chastain surveyed his situation on the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway and decided his best strategy was to stay right where he was and not make a move for the win.
Recipe for success at Martinsville: Beating and banging
April 8, 2022 GMTMARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — A lot of the talk in NASCAR has been about how the sturdiness of the Next Gen car allows for more physical racing, a point the first six winners — all 30 years old and under — have celebrated with playoff spots likely secured.
Hat trick: Blaney wins third consecutive Cup Series pole
April 2, 2022 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Ryan Blaney is on a roll running for poles.
The Team Penske driver turned a lap of 119.782 mph at Richmond Raceway on Saturday to earn his third consecutive top starting spot in NASCAR's top series.
From farm to track: Chastain puts watermelons in spotlight
March 29, 2022 GMTRoss Chastain started the NASCAR season with one watermelon and it traveled with him from track to track. The fruit lasted five weeks before “The Watermelon Man” had to freshen his supply.
The eighth generation watermelon farmer from Florida did not call home and ask his family to send a fresh melon to Austin, Texas, for the first road course of the season.
Trackhouse succeeded in build of new-look winning race team
March 28, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Ross Chastain was testing in Delaware when he received an ominous text from a friend: ‘Justin bought Chip's,’ wrote the friend.
“I said, ‘I hope you mean Doritos,’” deadpanned Chastain.
Ross Chastain bangs Trackhouse Racing into 1st victory lane
March 28, 2022 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Pitbull is somewhere smashing watermelons and drinking champagne.
Ross Chastain and Trackhouse Racing became first-time Cup winners Sunday when Chastain bashed and banged his way around the final lap of overtime at the Circuit of the Americas road course.
Chastain, Suarez have upstart Trackhouse eyeing victories
March 15, 2022 GMTCHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — One quick glance at the statistics fails to accurately show the most improved NASCAR team through the first month of competition.
Neither driver has won a race. One is ranked 14th in the standings, the other 22nd.