CONCORD, NC — Ross Chastain has one of the more unique victory celebrations in all of NASCAR. In a tribute to his roots working on his family’s watermelon farm, he stands on his car and throws the large fruit down into the pavement, smashing it to his fans’ delight.
He did that Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But first, he honored the late Kyle Busch, who had his own iconic go-to move in victory lane.
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Chastain stood atop his No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and said, “I have to do it.” The driver then folded his right arm in front of him and bent at the waist, bowing just the way that Busch did after so many memorable wins.
And then, of course, Chastain smashed a watermelon.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do. And we had conversations about, do we smash the watermelon or not? We were very aware and mourning with everybody,” Chastain said. “The bow I did was in the most respectful way of showmanship to one of the greatest drivers I’ve ever raced against, and to do it as a nod to him.”
Chastain was the winner of the Charbroil 300 on Saturday night after NASCAR declared the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race over because of inclement weather after two stages were complete. Chastain led at the end of the second stage following several laps under caution due to a heavy mist and fog.
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The race was initially delayed for more than four hours due to the weather and restarted around 10 p.m. ET. Chastain said he fell asleep on the floor of his hauler during the rain delay, and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. went home.
Of the 91 laps completed, Chastain led 28 of them, more than anyone else.
It was the first NASCAR race completed since Busch suddenly died on Thursday, due to what his family called complications from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.
“I think racing is the best thing we can do,” Chastain said.
Like the rain clouds above the track, Busch’s death has lingered over the racing community all weekend, setting a somber tone on what is normally a celebration for the sport around the Coca-Cola 600.
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“Getting on the track felt so good, to go fast, to just drive and slide the car,” Chastain said. “This is the start of feeling a little bit of healing through this. It felt good to go fast tonight. … Losing Kyle was on my mind through all of this.”
Jesse Love and Austin Hill, two drivers for Richard Childress Racing — the Cup Series team Busch belonged to — finished second and third in the O’Reilly race. Hill will drive in Busch’s re-numbered Cup car on Sunday in the Coca-Cola 600. He and Love both put on Busch hats after getting out of their cars Saturday night.
Love was initially angry with how the race ended, but quickly changed his outlook after reflecting on the loss of Busch.
“I’m mad, right? I think it’s a complete joke, handling it how (NASCAR) handled it. … Then I kind of realized, if this week has taught us anything, this all doesn’t matter as much as we think it does, right? There’s things way more important than a trophy,” Love said. “There’s a lot of hurt people right now.”
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The win is Chastain’s fourth in the O’Reilly Series, and 15th across all three of NASCAR’s top three national touring competitions. The victory also means he has now won at Charlotte Motor Speedway in each of the three series.
Chastain is scheduled to run in both the Craftsman Truck Series race and in the Cup competition on Sunday. The truck race — postponed from Friday night — is set for 10 a.m. ET and the green flag will drop on the Coca-Cola 600 at 6 p.m. ET.
When asked if his celebration will inspire the winners of Sunday’s races to honor Busch the same way, Chastain said, “I hope nobody else gets the chance, and we just win all the races.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyle Busch honored by Ross Chastain with bow after NASCAR win
