ROSS CHASTAIN AND HIS WATERMELON CAR HIT THE BIG LEAGUES

Last year, I wrote about Ross Chastain, then a 17-year-old professional race car driver on the FASCAR circuit (Florida Association of Stock Car Auto Racing). I wrote about Ross because he and his #36 car are proudly sponsored by the National Watermelon Promotion Board.

When I say “sponsored by,” I don’t mean sponsored in a small-sticker-on-the-rear-fender kind of way. The folks at the NWPB are the main sponsors of Ross and his speed machine, which means there’s a grinning watermelon emblazoned on the hood of Ross’s car and on the center of his driving suit. It also means Ross celebrates each victory by hoisting a slice of ice-cold watermelon in the winner’s circle after the race.

Ross and his watermelon car have been doing so well on the FASCAR circuit that Ross (now 18) was invited to race in his very first NASCAR Truck Series race last month. That’s right, NASCAR. The Big Leagues of auto racing. Ross didn’t disappoint, either. He finished in 10^th place – not bad for a guy who had just graduated from high school and was competing in his first NASCAR race. Even better, Ross’s truck finished the 200-lap race without a scratch. “No scrapes from other cars, no dings from the wall,” said one article about Ross’s recent success.

The day after Ross’s top 10 finish, he stopped by the Illiana Watermelon Association booth at the Kroger 200 race to help pass out watermelon samples and accept donations for the Riley Hospital for Children. That’s a picture of Ross in action at the top of this entry.

Because of his impressive showing, Ross will likely appear in more NASCAR Truck Series races this year, and the National Watermelon Promotion Board will be along for the ride. I’ll keep you posted on Ross’s success. In the meantime, Ross and I will be chatting soon for an interview, which I’ll post here on What About Watermelon in the near future.