{"id":1548882,"date":"2023-02-03T12:39:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-03T17:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1548882"},"modified":"2023-02-03T12:39:12","modified_gmt":"2023-02-03T17:39:12","slug":"nascar-had-no-real-choice-but-to-ban-ross-chastain-widely-applauded-hail-melon-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nascar-had-no-real-choice-but-to-ban-ross-chastain-widely-applauded-hail-melon-move\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR Had No Real Choice But to Ban Ross Chastain\u2019s Widely Applauded \u2018Hail Melon\u2019 Move"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The \u201cHail Melon\u201d \u2014 as Ross Chastain\u2019s video-game style move last fall at Martinsville Speedway was widely proclaimed \u2014 is in the ash heap of history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/nascar-cleverly-banned-ross-chastain-hail-melon-flurry-of-announcements\/\">NASCAR announced earlier this week<\/a> that a pass like the oh-so-popular one executed by the eighth-generation watermelon farmer turned Cup Series superstar in October\u2019s Round of 8 elimination race is no longer considered legal, effective with the start of the 2023 Cup season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As much as many fans loathe the ruling and are inevitably accusing <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/tag\/motorsports\">NASCAR<\/a> of being quenchers of all things fun and exciting, the sanctioning body actually made the right call in this instance. And not just for one reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ross-chastain-s-hail-melon-was-too-dangerous-for-nascar-to-risk-a-repeat\">Ross Chastain\u2019s \u2018Hail Melon\u2019 was too dangerous for NASCAR to risk a repeat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NASCAR outlaws Ross Chastain&#039;s Martinsville wall move at all tracks on circuit | Motorsports on NBC\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7TD8wZN22C8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>While <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/is-ross-chastain-one-season-wonder-or-championship-contender\/\">Ross Chastain\u2019s go-for-broke maneuver<\/a> in turns 3 and 4 on the final lap at Martinsville left even some of his fiercest rivals in awe of what they\u2019d just witnessed, the move actually came at great risk. And not just for Chastain.<br><br>Imagine if another car had been directly in this path when he kept his foot on the gas and zoomed past five cars on the outside of turns 3 and 4. Compared to all the cars around him, Chastain\u2019s No. 1 <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/2022-cup-series-season-in-review-trackhouse-racing\/\">Trackhouse Racing<\/a> Chevrolet looked like it had been shot out of a cannon, so the result wouldn\u2019t have been pretty had Chastain run into anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">When the video-game move actually works \ud83d\ude33 <br><br>Ross Chastain punches it through the final turn at Martinsville to claim a spot in the 2022 Championship 4. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qXuDdVkui0\">pic.twitter.com\/qXuDdVkui0<\/a><\/p>&mdash; FOX Sports (@FOXSports) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FOXSports\/status\/1586843550301315072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 30, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, given the <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/nascar-confesses-how-badly-it-screwed-up-next-gen-car\/\">fragility of the Next Generation Cup Series car<\/a> that its debut season exposed, someone might\u2019ve even ended up seriously hurt if they had been in Chastain\u2019s way and he had plowed into them from behind when he came zipping past at roughly 35 miles per hour faster than everyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only this, but Martinsville has a pedestrian crossover gate in turns 3 and 4 that was in close proximity to where Chastain quite literally put his best foot forward. Consider for just a moment what may have transpired if Chastain had knocked that gate ajar. Anyone standing on the other side most likely would not have survived. What was initially thought to be the baddest, boldest, most off-the-chain move in NASCAR history could\u2019ve culminated in a tragedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">2 watermelon smashes, league leader in top 10 and top 5 finishes.<br><br>What a year it was for the Melon Man \ud83c\udf49 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/90Ki00pQa8\">pic.twitter.com\/90Ki00pQa8<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Trackhouse Racing (@TeamTrackhouse) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TeamTrackhouse\/status\/1593651778851115009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 18, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>NASCAR simply can\u2019t afford injuries \u2014 or worse \u2014 to its drivers and spectators if it's possible to avoid such outcomes. In the case of the \u201cHail Melon,\u201d it was a made-for-TV moment that fans will still be talking about in 50 years, and it ultimately allowed Chastain to accomplish his goal of gaining enough positions in the final turn to qualify for the Championship 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the move was in no way safe. Not for Chastain. Not for the drivers around him. Not for fans potentially standing on the other side of the gate. Not for anyone. But safety concerns aren\u2019t the only reason the \u201cHail Melon\u201d had to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Justin Marks says Ross Chastain&#39;s Martinsville car is currently in the Trackhouse Racing lobby. Fans have been stopping by for photos. He said the NASCAR Hall of Fame has also called about displaying it. But no firm plans for it yet.<\/p>&mdash; Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jeff_gluck\/status\/1587525710423285760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 1, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The \u2018Hail Melon\u2019 captured our imagination but stretched the definition of \u2018racing\u2019 too far<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Is it <em>really<\/em> racing when a driver holds his foot to the gas pedal in the middle of a corner, never bothers tapping the brakes, and bangs off the outside wall multiple times, all with the intent of trying to pick off as many cars as possible?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bold and clever and unconventional as Ross Chastain\u2019s move at Martinsville might\u2019ve been, no even remotely reasonable person could consider it real racing. This was the kind of Houdini act that should be reserved for magic shows, not live professional sporting events of significant consequence like the Round of 8 playoff elimination race at Martinsville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ross Chastain tried to convince his brother that he had not practiced the Martinsville move in the simulator. And he says he hasn\u2019t practiced for Phoenix.<br><br>\u201cYou\u2019re still driving a 3,500-pound race car into a steel wall at a high rate of speed. It\u2019s not pleasant.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8mZkrlGgS0\">pic.twitter.com\/8mZkrlGgS0<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bobpockrass\/status\/1588530717008404480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 4, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Had Chastain not opted to put his Superman cape on and pretended to be a daredevil, he would have missed the Championship 4, and <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/denny-hamlin-radio-communication-reveals-chaos-ross-chastains-miracle-move\/\">archrival Denny Hamlin would\u2019ve made it<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s pretty sad now to think that Hamlin\u2019s championship fate was sealed by an action that NASCAR outlawed less than three months later. Hamlin, to his credit, didn\u2019t criticize Chastain during his post-race interviews, but he had every reason to be upset when considering how far Chastain pushed the boundaries of what NASCAR would consider acceptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than doing his best Evel Knievel impersonation, Chastain should\u2019ve tried to make the Championship Round with a legit racing move instead of turning one of the season\u2019s most important races into a clown show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Radioactive: Martinsville - &quot;That was (expletive) ridiculous, dude!&quot; | NASCAR ON FOX\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5DIqORrTtyc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If Chastain wanted to drive like this, he <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/kyle-larson-questions-reporter-ross-chastains-video-game-move-embarrassment-nascar\/\">should\u2019ve gone down to his local Saturday night short track<\/a> and jumped in a Late Model or a modified. But deliberately running into the wall multiple times so you can advance your position and be one of four drivers who compete for the championship?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s a bit much, and it stretched the definition of \u201cracing\u201d too far for comfort. Thankfully, NASCAR had the foresight this week to shut down the \u201cHail Melon.\u201d Otherwise, this move would\u2019ve inevitably been repeated over and over again in future seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Can you imagine a race where the top 15 or 20 cars all run flat-out through the final turn on the final lap in hopes of gaining a few spots? Talk about a disaster. NASCAR had no choice but to put a stop to the \u201cHail Melon\u201d \u2014 or else risk this becoming a commonplace maneuver that happens on a regular basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"zxx\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XRabtCXYY2\">pic.twitter.com\/XRabtCXYY2<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Justin Marks (@JustinMarksTH) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JustinMarksTH\/status\/1620827694194921472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 1, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So to all the fans and others out there who wish NASCAR had left the \u201cHail Melon\u201d live on, take heart. The reality is that the move will live on \u2014 but it\u2019ll be in replays and maybe in a museum, as opposed to during live race action. And that\u2019s just the way it has to be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While NASCAR's choice to outlaw Ross Chastain's &#8220;Hail Melon&#8221; move may be disappointing, it was ultimately the right move to make.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":259,"featured_media":1548889,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[253795],"tags":[118377],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v22.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>NASCAR Had No Real Choice But to Ban Ross Chastain\u2019s &#039;Hail Melon&#039; - Sports7<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While Ross Chastain&#039;s &quot;Hail Melon&quot; was an iconic part of NASCAR history, outlawing it was the right move moving forward.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nascar-had-no-real-choice-but-to-ban-ross-chastain-widely-applauded-hail-melon-move\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NASCAR Had No Real Choice But to Ban Ross Chastain\u2019s &#039;Hail Melon&#039; - Sports7\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While Ross Chastain&#039;s &quot;Hail Melon&quot; was an iconic part of NASCAR history, outlawing it was the right move moving forward.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nascar-had-no-real-choice-but-to-ban-ross-chastain-widely-applauded-hail-melon-move\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports7\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-03T17:39:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-02-03T17:39:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Ross-Chastain-Hail-Melon.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1250\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"834\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jared Turner\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@jared_turner\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jared Turner\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nascar-had-no-real-choice-but-to-ban-ross-chastain-widely-applauded-hail-melon-move\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nascar-had-no-real-choice-but-to-ban-ross-chastain-widely-applauded-hail-melon-move\/\",\"name\":\"NASCAR Had No Real Choice But to Ban Ross Chastain\u2019s 'Hail Melon' - Sports7\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nascar-had-no-real-choice-but-to-ban-ross-chastain-widely-applauded-hail-melon-move\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nascar-had-no-real-choice-but-to-ban-ross-chastain-widely-applauded-hail-melon-move\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Ross-Chastain-Hail-Melon.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-03T17:39:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-02-03T17:39:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#\/schema\/person\/23db61794cbcc036a237162f9cabb0bd\"},\"description\":\"While Ross Chastain's \\\"Hail Melon\\\" was an iconic part of NASCAR history, outlawing it was the right move moving forward.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nascar-had-no-real-choice-but-to-ban-ross-chastain-widely-applauded-hail-melon-move\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nascar-had-no-real-choice-but-to-ban-ross-chastain-widely-applauded-hail-melon-move\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nascar-had-no-real-choice-but-to-ban-ross-chastain-widely-applauded-hail-melon-move\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Ross-Chastain-Hail-Melon.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Ross-Chastain-Hail-Melon.jpg\",\"width\":1250,\"height\":834,\"caption\":\"Ross Chastain's \\\"Hail Melon\\\" was iconic, but NASCAR had no choice but to ban the maneuver. | Stacy Revere\/Getty Images\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nascar-had-no-real-choice-but-to-ban-ross-chastain-widely-applauded-hail-melon-move\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"NASCAR Had No Real Choice But to Ban Ross Chastain\u2019s Widely Applauded \u2018Hail Melon\u2019 Move\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/\",\"name\":\"Sports7\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#\/schema\/person\/23db61794cbcc036a237162f9cabb0bd\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/author\/jaredturner\/\",\"name\":\"Jared Turner\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e069b255af6b169e567352529e4fb38a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e069b255af6b169e567352529e4fb38a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jared Turner\"},\"description\":\"Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 18 years. 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