‘Haul the wall!’ Ross Chastain’s crazy move immortalized by his merch brand
Ross Chastain’s remarkable move at Martinsville Speedway has been immortalized.
Melon Man Brand, the official merchandising company of Chastain, released T-shirts on its website at 8 p.m. on Monday that paid tribute to the move that will go down in NASCAR Cup Series history.
How is Melon Man Brand immortalizing it?
The company is calling it “Haul The Wall” on a tee.
The TrackHouse Racing driver shocked the world of motorsports Sunday in Virginia. On the final lap — with Chastain facing elimination and needing to to move up two spots to advance to the Championship 4 — the driver went into video-game mode. He shifted into fifth gear, swung into the wall and pressed as hard as he could on the throttle.
Chastain’s hope was that the wall would handle the “steering” while he pushed the car as fast as it possibly could go.
And, somehow, it worked.
Chastain went from 10th to fifth in virtually one turn on the short-track, edging out Denny Hamlin and squeaking into the Championship 4, which is a winner-take-all race Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway.
The move was immediately thrust into NASCAR lore. It landed on SportsCenter’s Top 10 that night. It drew amazement and scorn and everything in between from fellow drivers.
It quickly drew comparison’s to Dale Earnhardt’s famed “Pass In The Grass,” which occurred in the final lap of the 1987 all-star race. Post-race on Sunday, Chastain was asked what he’d like his move to be named — and in his soft-spoken and smiley manner, he shrugged.
“I got no idea or opinion,” he told reporters in the Martinsville Speedway media center. “I’ll let y’all tell me. I’ll check the internet tomorrow.”
The shirts are selling for $28 before fees, per the Melon Man Brand website. Also included in the design is a watermelon: Chastain grew up on a watermelon farm in Alva, Fla.
This story was originally published October 31, 2022 at 8:46 PM.
