‘USE YOUR MELON’ HAS NEW MEANING FOR CHASTAIN

GAFFNEY, S.C. – When Ross Chastain scored the first victory of his NASCAR Xfinity Series career last month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he celebrated by smashing a watermelon. 

This was a bit odd, but it fit. Chastain’s family has a huge watermelon farm in Florida. 

Now, entering this week’s race at Dover International Speedway, Chastain is taking a different approach. 

The Delaware Office of Highway Safety is sponsoring Chastain’s No. 4 JD Motorsports with Gary Keller Chevrolet in Saturday’s Bar Harbor 200 Xfinity race in support of the office’s “Use Your Melon, Drive Sober Arrive Alive DE” campaign. 

The intent is to focus on impaired driving and its dangers. Safe drivers “use their melons,” in other words. 

“It’s a great concept and one we’re happy to be partnered with,” said Chastain, who’s in eighth place in the Xfinity playoffs. “We drive really fast on the racetrack, but it’s not possible to overemphasize how important safe driving is on our highways. Use your melon, folks. It works.” 

The Office of Highway Safety will be emphasizing the drive sober campaign throughout the state as the focus is on Chastain and his bright red race car at Dover.