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NASCAR has officially announced that Ross Chastain’s controversial “Hail Melon” move, the name given to his dangerous last-lap wallriding move at the 2022 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, is official for the 2023 season and beyond was banned.
To honor Ross Chastain’s move, which will likely be remembered for life as NASCAR’s one of the craziest moves of all time, Justin Marks, co-owner of Trackhouse Racing, chose to preserve it as a show car and historical piece. The organization chose this approach despite the fact that 90% of the parts from the #1 Chevrolet are still usable.
On Wednesday (February 1st), Marks made the official announcement via social media and issued the following statement:
“So the good news is that these cars are strong. That’s why the Martinsville “Wall Car” came back from the race with 90% reusable parts. That means it would cost Trackhouse hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep the car exactly as it came off the track as a show car.”
“We’ve been going back and forth about what to do, but given NASCAR’s new decision that was made yesterday, we decided to preserve the car as best we could.”
He continued:
“Ros’s move to Martinsville was a historic moment and one that fans will remember in physical form for years to come. This sport isn’t just about the record, it’s about passion and moments and people.”
The last-lap move that ultimately qualified Ross Chastain for the season finale was named the #1 game at SportsCenter on race night and generated tremendous excitement in the NASCAR Cup Series, racking up 100 million video views in just two days .
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“The front right wishbones could both be broken” – Ross Chastain
When Ross Chastain was asked in a post-race interview last year if the car had any future potential or would be preserved, he said he initially had no idea if the car’s undamaged parts would be reused or if the car would be repaired.
During a post-race interview at Martinsville Speedway, Chastain said:
“Both front right wishbones could be broken. You have to take everything apart and measure everything. As for the chassis. The great thing about these cars is that if it’s not bent, we can drive it next.” It wasn’t going to Phoenix anyway, I knew that.”
See Ross Chastain and the #1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team in action as the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series gets underway on February 19, 2023 at the legendary Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.