No. 1 NASCAR Chevy To Be Preserved After ‘Hail Melon’ Wall Ride Ban
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Ross Chastain catapulted himself into online virality after purposefully laying his No. 1 NASCAR Chevy Camaro ZL1 against the wall at Martinsville Speedway, never lifting and charging past his competitors at a blistering speed to secure a slot in the championship round. Trackhouse Racing, who fields Chastain’s No. 1 Chevy, announced that it will preserve the battered Camaro race car as a testament to the historic wall ride in the wake of NASCAR’s decision to ban the move.
On January 31st, 2023, NASCAR announced that it will penalize any driver who attempts to execute a maneuver similar to Chastain’s. Wall riding is classified as eligible for penalty in concordance with section 10.5.2.6.A of the NASCAR rulebook, which states, “Safety is a top priority for NASCAR and NEM (NASCAR Event Management). Therefore, any violations deemed to compromise the safety of an Event or otherwise pose a dangerous risk to the safety of Competitors, Officials, spectators, or others are treated with the highest degree of seriousness. Safety violations will be handled on a case-by-case basis.”
Chastain’s wall ride has been colloquially referred to as the “Hail Melon,” referencing the Chastain family watermelon farm, and garnered over 100 million views in just two days online. In response to the sanctioning body’s ban on wall riding, part-owner of Trackhouse, Justin Marks, released a statement on social media outlining the team’s intent to preserve the No. 1 NASCAR Chevy from Martinsville in its current state as a show car, meaning its components will not be torn down for use in other Cup Series events.
“The good news is these cars are strong,” Marks wrote. “Because of that, the Martinsville ‘wall car’ came back from the race with 90 percent of its parts reusable. Which means keeping the car as it came off the track a show car would cost Trackhouse hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
— Justin Marks (@JustinMarksTH) February 1, 2023
Marks added that the decision took some time, but the news of NASCAR’s wall ride ban helped the team make up its mind on the matter. “We’ve decided to preserve the car as best as possible. Ross’s move at Martinsville was a historic moment and should be preserved for the fans for years to come in physical form,” he wrote.
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This is the first time that’s been done? This has been my move since NES. I find it shocking it’s never been done in real life.
I mean, slamming the wall and riding it to the finish has a high chance of failing dramatically… Chastain’s just insane.
He didn’t actually slam the wall; he drove up close to the wall, at speed, then steered the side of the car against it using his momentum to keep the car pinned against it while mashing the throttle pedal to the floor to advance position.
That what motor sports so good !
I had seen it done several times. It is the only one that worked.
I remember it at Indy at the 500. The leader hit the wall out of 4 and he floored it with the right front missing. He almost made it sliding against the wall but got passed before the line.
In his case the car had a hard time keeping traction on 3 wheels.
Someone else did it in NASCAR it may have been Edwards but at the track he was at it slowed him down.
Yeah, that was in 2011, when rookie J.R. Hildebrand hit the wall coming out of 4 and finished second after Dan Weldon passed him coming down the front stretch.
Perfectly legal move at the local Bump and Run.
They don’t need a new rule. When Chastain hit the wall, the caution should have come out, like it usually does, and locked the field. He should never have been allowed to advance his position after the caution. End of story. Nascar is becoming another “wrestling “ sport. Make the rules as you go.
To me it sounds like Nascar needs a little excitement as they’ve been bleeding viewers for a long time. It’s become too boring, drab and predictable. Not surprised with all the cars being so similar and nothing but left turns.
totally agree.
Last season was one of the best in quite a while. The Next Gen car has arguably leveled the playing field and given every driver equal footing to win. It’s nice to see different faces in Victory Lane every now and then. And every race I attended last year was completely sold out, so the fans are seeing it too.
Agree. Now they just need to do something with the 1.5 mile track snooze fests.
Interestingly it seems the trade off with the Next Gen car has been relatively interesting 1.5 mile races and pathetic short track races…
I’ve been thinking about this for awhile now. Do y’all remember where “NASCAR” got it’s start? It was a bunch of red neck moonshiners getting together to show off there finest bootleggin hotrod. My guess is they all just got sick of the “mine’s faster than your’s” stories, and had a race. Now it’s so… Regulated in the name of “safety” it’s not even fun anymore, for drivers or audience. Someone should organize an all out “no holds barred” flat out, all gas, no brakes, STOCK CAR race. With real Stock Cars. No limit on cars age, engine, horse power, or body style. I believe most red blooded Americans would tune in for that and tell their grandchildren about the “Last Great Race”
I’ve been thinking about this for awhile now. Do y’all remember where “NASCAR” got it’s start? It was a bunch of red neck moonshiners getting together to show off there finest bootleggin hotrod. My guess is they all just got sick of the “mine’s faster than your’s” stories, and had a race. Now it’s so… Regulated in the name of “safety” it’s not even fun anymore, for drivers or audience. Someone should organize an all out “no holds barred” flat out, all gas, no brakes, STOCK CAR race. With real Stock Cars. No limit on cars age, engine, horse power, or body style. I believe most red blooded Americans would tune in for that and tell their grandchildren about the “Last Great Race.” I don’t know if y’all know when the very first car race was? Think about it, I’ll wait… Yup when the second car was built. And not a NASCAR official in sight. Imagine that!
Even without the rule, I doubt 99% of drivers would ever try it, unless they’re desperate, as was the 1. I think even Chastain has said he wouldn’t try it again. But, if it were a (remote) option, it would make races a bit more interesting had NASCAR not prohibited it.
Typical NASCAR taking the fun out of racing! What’s next electric cars?
Sadly, Electric NASCAR is probably coming sooner than you think.
https://gmauthority.com/blog/2022/07/leaked-documents-say-nascar-ev-series-coming-in-2023/
Unfortunately, yes. Awhile ago I read that NASCAR will have an electric exhibition race at the Clash. They plan on six (6) electric exhibition races in 2023 starting about mid-season with the goal of an all electric National Series for 2025.
There’s been no news about that. Both Ford and Chevy have also dropped their electrification plans for Motorsports. Don’t hold your breath
That was a great move, but I guess nascar had to do something, can you imagine 5-10 guys doing the same thing at the same time to get the result Ross did, chaos!!, but man that was a great move! I still love watching it!