It was the penultimate race of the 2022 season. Chastain was dealing with sure elimination from the NASCAR Cup Collection playoffs.
Christopher Bell was moments away from profitable his method into the Championship 4. Joey Logano had already locked himself in with a victory a pair weeks prior, whereas Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin at present held the ultimate two switch spots.
Chastain’s maiden 12 months with the fledgling Trackhouse Racing Group had been an unimaginable one, profitable twice and main your complete discipline in top-fives and top-tens.
Nevertheless, he had additionally made a variety of enemies alongside the best way, most notably in Hamlin. The 2 drivers had a number of run-ins, and the elimination race at Martinsville was no completely different. They rubbed fenders and slammed doorways whereas battling for the prospect to advance into the championship race.
It regarded as if Hamlin was set to prevail with Chastain two factors out on the white flag. There was no method he might probably achieve extra positions on his personal. His title bid was over. However the eighth-generation Florida watermelon farmer wouldn’t be denied. What adopted was one in every of, if not probably the most unbelievable move within the historical past of NASCAR. The ‘Martinsville Miracle’ as some have known as it, or higher recognized merely because the ‘Hail Melon.’
Because the pack slammed on the brakes, downshifting as they filed into the tight Turns 3 and 4 of the half-mile quick monitor, Chastain upshifted as a substitute. He saved the pedal to the ground, the automotive in opposition to the surface wall, and instantly nobody cared about who received the race. There was a surprised silence, after which there have been simply cheers.
The No. 1 Chevrolet ripped across the outermost bounds of the race monitor, grinding in opposition to the wall and blistering previous his astonished rivals. He misplaced maintain of the wheel as he flew previous 5 vehicles in whole, drawing even with Hamlin on the line and eliminating his season-long rival from title rivalry.
His remaining lap shattered the Martinsville monitor document for a NASCAR inventory automotive at 18.845s, working practically a full second sooner than that weekend’s pole velocity set by Kyle Larson.
The video blew up, transcending the motorsports world fully and reaching mainstream information. It was considered over 100 million instances throughout social media. Even Method 1 World Champions took discover.
Fernando Alonso praised the transfer, saying: “That is one of the best factor of 2022 in motor racing! All of us did this on video video games with injury disable. By no means thought this might change into actuality.”
He was removed from the one one, with drivers from each nook of the racing world reacting to the wall-ride with shock and amazement. Two-time IndyCar champion Will Energy mentioned: “That is one of many coolest issues I’ve seen in a very long time.”
However after all, there have been detractors as nicely. One of many louder voices got here from a fellow Cup driver with Larson believing it to be “embarrassing” and “not a great search for our sport.” However the overwhelming response remained optimistic.
Even NASCAR Corridor of Famers had been baffled with Mark Martin referring to it as “cold-blooded” and Jeff Gordon saying that it was “fairly unimaginable.”
The place did the thought to try this even come from? Chastain claimed that he had discovered the transfer from NASCAR 2005 on the GameCube, which he performed along with his brother Chad as a child.
As fascinating because it was, there was nonetheless a difficulty of security that wanted to be addressed. What if it did not work? And with how a lot of a bonus the transfer supplied, what occurs subsequent time the Cup Collection visits Martinsville?
Banning the transfer
Chastain had simply opened Pandora’s Field, and NASCAR was confronted with the tough determination of whether or not to shut it or not. With the championship finale simply days away, they selected to not take any motion … but.
Logano would in the end win the title, 235ft forward of a charging Chastain at Phoenix Raceway. There was no sequel to the wall-ride, and no different methods up his sleeve. Forward of the 2023 season, NASCAR lastly determined to ban the wall-ride. Additional solidifying the legendary transfer, it might now by no means occur once more.
“To make sure that our rivals don’t make use of methods that will compromise the security of themselves, different rivals or followers, NASCAR will concern a time penalty to any automobile that makes an attempt an unsafe maneuver such because the one carried out at Martinsville,” declared the sanctioning physique.
Trackhouse Racing workforce co-owner Justin Marks determined to protect the now well-known automotive so followers might go to it for years to come back. The monitor itself went a step additional. Martinsville Speedway, with assist from Chastain himself, eliminated a bit of the wall that was nonetheless scarred from its shut encounter with the aspect of the No. 1 Chevrolet.
It was arguably the best move in NASCAR historical past. So iconic {that a} workforce retired a race automotive and a monitor lower out a bit of its personal wall in honor of it. The diecast that was later made grew to become Lionel Racing’s top-selling diecast for 2022.
A 12 months later, NASCAR returns to Martinsville for yet one more elimination race. Six drivers are vying for the 2 remaining spots. Chastain shouldn’t be amongst them, as he was eradicated from the 2023 playoffs a pair weeks in the past.
We may even see some determined strikes by these on the cusp of being knocked out of title rivalry, however how might something ever prime what we noticed one 12 months in the past? The reality is that nothing in all probability can.
Chastain will commemorate the transfer with a particular helmet design this weekend. Wanting again on it, he mentioned: “It is wild to assume that it has been one 12 months for the reason that wall trip. Clearly, it was big for my workforce as a result of we received an opportunity to run for the championship in Phoenix but it surely ended up being an enormous second for our sport. It is wild how many individuals exterior of racing noticed it and the quantity of consideration it received. That is nice although. We introduced extra eyes to the game of NASCAR and hopefully gained some new followers.”
Chastain is a gifted racer who could very nicely go on to have a Corridor of Fame profession. He might win a number of championships and lots of extra races, however even he is aware of that the transfer he made on the ultimate lap of that Martinsville race will supersede all of it in the long run. That is only a reality.
There have been a number of historic moments which have come to outline NASCAR prior to now 75 years, moments that exist exterior of time in a method. A obscure point out or a single line from the printed and all will know precisely what you are speaking about. They’re simply that memorable.
“There is a battle … The tempers overflowing. They’re offended. They know they’ve misplaced.”
“And Earnhardt’s nonetheless received the lead! Unbelievable!”
“Twenty years of attempting. Twenty years of frustration…”
“Have you ever ever? No I by no means!”
“Check out what he did! I’ve by no means seen something like that earlier than in my life.”
Chastain singlehandedly elevated himself to the extent of NASCAR legend, no matter no matter else he accomplishes throughout his profession, just because in that second with the percentages stacked in opposition to him, he refused to just accept defeat. He didn’t elevate, and so we’ll check out what he did, each single 12 months at Martinsville for seemingly the remainder of our lives.
And the way might we not? We’re by no means going to see anything prefer it ever once more.
