The track has decided to remove a section of the Turns 3-4 wall, which Chastain’s car slammed against in a daring full-throttle manoeuver known now as the ‘Hail Melon.’ It’s also been referred to as the ‘Martinsville Miracle’ and various other nicknames.
He passed five cars on the final lap and broke the track record in a moment that left all watching speechless. The move immediately went viral across social media and gave Chastain the opportunity to fight for the championship in the 2022 title-decider at Phoenix.
He would ultimately end the season as the championship runner-up behind Joey Logano, who claimed his second title. Chastain is currently a 2023 title contender leads the standings after three races.
Chastain was present to help remove the wall, and even signed it before doing so. He was later presented with a framed piece of the wall by track president Clay Campbell.
In January, NASCAR banned the wall-ride for safety reasons. In response, Trackhouse Racing co-founder Justin Marks made the decision to preserve the battle-scarred car from that race, now knowing it would never be replicated.
“I played a lot of NASCAR 2005 on the GameCube with [brother] Chad growing up. You can get away with it. I never knew if it would actually work” Chastain said at the time about the move.
“I mean, I did that when I was eight years old. I grabbed fifth gear, asked off of [Turn] 2 on the last lap if we needed it, and we did. I couldn’t tell who was leading. I made the choice, grabbed fifth gear down the back. I was fully committed.
“Basically, I let go of the wheel, hoping I didn’t catch the Turn 4 access gate or something crazy. But I was willing to do it.”
NASCAR returns to Martinsville next month for the ninth round of the 2023 season on 16 April.