ICYMI – NASCAR driver Ross Chastain shocked his fellow racers and race-fans around the world, when he pulled a maneuver that NASCAR.com described as being a “video-game move.”
It’s going to go down in history. In order to lock in his place in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4, Trackhouse Racing Team’s Ross Chastain RODE THE WALL. Nope that’s not a typo. Check it out.
UNBELIEVABLE!@RossChastain floors it along the wall to go from 10th to 5th and advance to the CHAMPIONSHIP! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/9qX3eq7T6h
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 30, 2022
As Bryan Chai of The Western Journal put it, “Chastain effectively wrecked his own car by driving it into the wall on the last lap.”
As the driver pulled into the final turn at Martinsville instead of decelerating and settling into tenth place for the final straightaway, Chastain gunned it as he approached the turn and slamming the car into the wall passed five other drivers on the right, scraping against the wall the entire way.
Chastain went from tenth place to fourth in a matter of seconds, and in so doing nearly overshadowed driver Christopher Bell who actually won the race.
Here’s a longer clip for full context:
The NBC announcing crew appeared to be stunned by the move.
“It almost doesn’t look real,” one host said while watching the replay of Chastain’s reckless charge up the right side wall.
“I couldn’t even process what I was seeing,” said a second. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime, once-in-generation type move.”
Chastain reportedly finished with the fasted lap at Martinsville in the history of the track according to The Western Journal. And now the team advances to the Championship 4 in Phoenix, Arizona this Sunday.
Twitter user MarcoB retweeted dashboard footage of the incredible pass noting “He had the star power,” as music from the Super Mario Brothers video game played.
He had the star power pic.twitter.com/8kMz1QuJnu
— Marcoẞ (@Butcher0fTorfan) October 31, 2022
According to Insider, some drivers were displeased with he move complaining that it set a bad precedent. NASCAR Crew chief Larry McReynolds disagreed though.
“It has moved the needle across the board,” McReynolds said on FS1. “And I realize there are some drivers saying we can’t have this every week. And you know what? I don’t want to see it every week, and I don’t think we will. But let it breathe. Celebrate one of the neatest things we have seen in our sport in a long time.”
“Ross Chastain didn’t do anything wrong,” McReynolds said. “He didn’t shortcut the track. He didn’t bring out a caution. He didn’t wreck nobody but his own race car. He executed it to a T.”
Ross Chastain looks at his car as it is pushed by him after the finish at Martinsville and just laughs. pic.twitter.com/KxJcNPreiy
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 30, 2022
Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass noted on Twitter that as his car was pushed by him after the race, Chastain looked at it and “just laughs.”
