Ross Chastain Bio
Ross Lee Chastain is an American professional stock car racing driver who competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. He drives the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing and also runs a part-time schedule in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for JR Motorsports. The Alva, Florida native rose from humble roots on a family watermelon farm to become one of the most talked-about drivers in the national series. He is the older brother of fellow NASCAR competitor Chad Chastain.
Early Life and Background
Ross Lee Chastain was born on December 4, 1992, in the small farming community of Alva, Florida. He grew up on a family watermelon farm and worked the land until he was thirteen years old. His parents, Ralph and Susan Chastain, supported his early interest in motorsports, even though his father only raced as a hobby.
Chastain began racing at the age of twelve after watching his father compete and seeing other kids his age at the track. His home track was Punta Gorda Speedway in Punta Gorda, Florida, where he ran both late model and Fastruck Series events. He attended Riverdale High School in Fort Myers and later spent a semester at Florida Gulf Coast University before his racing schedule took over.
During his short-track days, Chastain raced on tight budgets at venues like Citrus County Speedway, Auburndale Speedway, and DeSoto Speedway. He piled up more than fifty feature wins, including the Limited Late Model portion of the 2011 World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway.
Path to NASCAR
Chastain made the move to Charlotte in mid-2011 and soon took over the No. 66 Turn One Racing entry in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series after Justin Marks vacated the seat. His first Truck Series race came at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, where he finished tenth. Connections in the watermelon farming industry helped him land additional starts that season.
In 2012, Chastain joined SS-Green Light Racing to compete for Rookie of the Year honors in the Truck Series, driving a truck sponsored by the National Watermelon Association. A year later, he signed with Brad Keselowski Racing for a fifteen-race Truck Series schedule in 2013. He scored his first career Truck Series pole at Iowa Speedway and led the most laps before finishing second to James Buescher.
Ross Chastain Career
Early Career (2014–2016)
Leaving Brad Keselowski Racing after the 2013 season, Chastain moved to RBR Enterprises for a part-time Truck Series schedule in 2014. He made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway with Viva Motorsports and added a part-time run with Hattori Racing Enterprises at Michigan International Speedway. His twelfth-place finish at Michigan was, at that point, the best result in team history.
In 2015, Chastain joined JD Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, replacing Jeffrey Earnhardt. He logged four top-ten finishes, including results at Daytona, Iowa, and Darlington. A season-opening top-ten at the PowerShares QQQ 300 helped establish him as a steady presence in the series.
Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2017–2019)
Chastain’s 2017 Xfinity Series season was the best of his career to that point, with a top-five at Iowa and two top-tens as he finished thirteenth in points. He also made his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut in the AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover, finishing twentieth in the No. 15 for Premium Motorsports.
The next year, Chastain tied his career-best Xfinity finish at Iowa Speedway with another fourth-place run. A summer agreement with Chip Ganassi Racing put him in the No. 42 for three races, including a strong run at Darlington Raceway. At the DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he led all but twenty of the 200 laps and won for the first time in more than 200 NASCAR starts. He capped the moment by smashing a watermelon on the track, a celebration that became one of his trademarks.
In 2019, Chastain split time between JD Motorsports, Kaulig Racing, and Niece Motorsports. He won his first career Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway in May and earned redemption the following week at Gateway after a disqualification at Iowa cost him a win. He also captured the Circle K Firecracker 250 at Daytona for Kaulig Racing and locked in his first Truck Series playoff berth.
Cup Series with Chip Ganassi Racing (2021)
Chastain moved into the Cup Series full-time with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021, replacing Matt Kenseth in the No. 42 Chevrolet. He opened the year with a seventh-place finish in the Daytona 500, his best Cup result to that point. When Justin Marks purchased Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR operations, Chastain’s status changed.
Trackhouse Racing Era (2022–Present)
On August 3, 2021, Trackhouse Racing announced that Chastain would drive the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 beginning in 2022, joining Daniel Suárez on a multi-year deal. The 2022 season became his breakout year. He scored his first career Cup Series victory at the Circuit of the Americas, added a win at Talladega Superspeedway, and finished a career-best second in the championship standings.
One of the defining moments in modern NASCAR came at the 2022 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. On the final lap, Chastain drove his car into the outside wall through Turns 3 and 4, picked up unprecedented speed, and rocketed past Denny Hamlin and four other drivers to finish fifth on track, fourth after disqualifications, and clinch a Championship 4 berth. The move, nicknamed “Hail Melon,” drew more than 100 million views on social media and led NASCAR to ban the wall-riding technique for future events.
Chastain picked up his first win of the 2023 season at Nashville and closed the year with a victory in the Phoenix finale. In 2024, despite four top-fives and nine top-tens in the regular season, he missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021 but responded with a playoff win at Kansas Speedway. He also returned to Niece Motorsports and won in the Truck Series at Darlington.
Driving Style and Strengths
Chastain is known for an aggressive, hard-nosed driving style and a willingness to use every inch of the track. He is comfortable on short tracks, road courses, and superspeedways, and his farming background has given him a reputation for tireless work ethic. His spotter is Brandon McReynolds, and he often marks big wins with his signature watermelon smash.
Notable Races and Milestones
Chastain’s signature moments include his first Cup win at the Circuit of the Americas in 2022, his Talladega victory later that season, the “Hail Melon” move at Martinsville, the 2023 Phoenix finale, the 2024 Kansas playoff win, and the 2025 Coca-Cola 600. His Cup Series win total also includes the 2024 Kansas victory and the 2025 Coca-Cola 600, where he became the first driver in the modern Cup era to win a race from the last starting position.
Ross Chastain Career Wins
Chastain has built a versatile win résumé across NASCAR’s top three national series. His first national series victory came in the 2019 Truck Series at Kansas Speedway, and his first Cup Series win followed at the Circuit of the Americas in 2022. He has since added signature wins at Talladega, Kansas, Phoenix, and the Coca-Cola 600.
NASCAR Cup Series Highlights
Chastain’s verified Cup Series wins include the 2022 Circuit of the Americas race, the 2022 Talladega Superspeedway event, the 2023 Phoenix finale, the 2024 Kansas playoff race, and the 2025 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He finished a career-best second in the 2022 Cup Series standings.
Other Wins and Performances
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Chastain’s first national victory came in the 2018 DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, his wins include the 2019 Digital Ally 250 at Kansas and a victory at Pocono Raceway later that same season, when he dedicated the win to Kaulig crew chief Nick Harrison.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 5 | Multiple | Multiple |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | 1 | 27 (2020 season high) | 1 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 2 | Multiple | 1 |
Ross Chastain Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Chastain is the son of Ralph and Susan Chastain and grew up working on the family watermelon farm in Alva, Florida. His father raced as a hobby, but Ross is the first generation of his family to pursue motorsports competitively. His younger brother, Chad Chastain, also competes in NASCAR.
Personal Life
Ross Chastain is in a relationship with Erika Anne Turner. He still has ties to his Florida farming roots and often celebrates victories by smashing a watermelon on the track, a nod to his family’s agricultural background. His estimated height is 177 centimeters and his weight is around 75 kilograms.
2025 Season Performance
Ross Chastain opened the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with a 40th-place DNF at the Daytona 500. The early part of the year was a grind, but the team kept working to find consistency and speed at Trackhouse Racing. The season’s outlook shifted dramatically in late May at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
In the 2025 Coca-Cola 600, Chastain ran down and passed the dominant William Byron with five laps to go to score his first win of the year. The victory made history, as he became the first driver in the modern Cup Series era to win a race in which he started last in the field. The performance confirmed that the No. 1 team remained a weekly threat in the garage.
Heading into the summer stretch, Chastain carries the momentum of one of the season’s most talked-about wins. With playoff positioning in sight, Trackhouse Racing will look to build on the Coca-Cola 600 result and keep Chastain in title contention through the back half of the schedule.
