Chastain's Dramatic Finish at the ROVAL

Ross Chastain, the fan-favorite “Watermelon Man,” delivered a rollercoaster of chaos at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, only to see his NASCAR Cup Series playoff hopes unravel in a dramatic, backward finish.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Piloting the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro, Chastain’s day was a masterclass in resilience marred by critical missteps, culminating in a final-lap spin that handed Team Penske’s Joey Logano the last spot in the Round of 8.

Chastain started the Bank of America ROVAL 400 from 10th, slicing through the field to finish Stage 1 in a promising fifth. But the first cracks appeared during the Lap 28 stage break. Misjudging the pit exit, he overshot the blend line, plummeting from a potential 15th to a deflating 30th. “I thought I had more room,” a rueful Chastain said post-race. “I was just trying to get to the yellow line, and that started the downfall.”

The 30-year-old Floridian clawed back through the field, showcasing the speed that’s made him a playoff contender. Yet, trouble struck again on Lap 87 when NASCAR flagged him for speeding out of his pit stall. Chastain, already sensing the error, slammed his steering wheel in frustration before the penalty was confirmed. The drive-through penalty that followed left him teetering on the playoff bubble with fewer than 20 laps to go, battling to build a points buffer against Logano.

As the race hurtled toward its climax, Chastain’s fight for survival took a desperate turn. On the final lap, he ran out of talent and misjudged the entry to Turn 7’s hairpin, downshifting to first and sliding the rear tires.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin pounced, slipping past in the No. 11 Toyota. In a last-gasp bid to reclaim position, Chastain dove into the final chicane, clipping Hamlin’s rear and sending both cars spinning.

Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Busch Light Chevrolet, and Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Progressive Toyota, spin after an on-track incident to finish the race in reverse the NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 05, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)

In a surreal moment, Chastain threw his Camaro into reverse, crossing the start-finish line backward—a futile flourish as Logano secured the playoff spot.

“They expect so much more out of me,” Chastain said, his voice heavy with disappointment. “I went off the end of pit road, didn’t turn. Came out of the pit stall and double-clicked into third gear. Just unforced errors. Terrible.” The weight of letting down Trackhouse Racing’s nearly 200 employees and CEO Justin Marks, who entrusted him with the No. 1 car, stung deeply. “It’s heartbreaking,” he added. “We had the speed on that last lap, but I missed Turn 7 and let the 11 by. Not acceptable. Completely unacceptable.”

Chastain’s ROVAL run was a microcosm of his high-octane, high-risk style—capable of brilliance but vulnerable to costly mistakes. As Logano advances, Chastain and Trackhouse are left to regroup, their playoff dreams deferred but their resolve undeterred. In a sport where margins are razor-thin, the Watermelon Man’s backward finish will linger as a poignant reminder of what might have been.