On Saturday, Ross Chastain took charge of the No. 9 car from JR Motorsports and took it to the victory lane of the Charbroil 300 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. With the win, the Watermelon man claimed his third NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series victory, and the first for JR Motorsports, a feat he has been waiting for 12 long years.

"I first watched a JRM car drive by me here at Charlotte in 2014. I was on the apron in practice, and one drove by, and I decided right then that I wanted to be in one, Chastain said post-race (via CW Sports). "It took me until 2025 to get in one. So that's a testament to just continuing to work. And I've asked and couldn't raise the funds. I've asked, they were full."

Tackling the funding issue, Chastain managed a race at JRM in 2025, but his dream came to reality in Charlotte this season, as he won the race on Saturday. Chastain started the race from 14th place and went on to win the race after leading 28 laps.

"I had funds like there wasn't room at the end. So for David Erickson to go to work and get me in this car through all of the relationships at JRM and through Chevrolet, you know, I did not think we would win one like this driving into the fence in liquid," Chastain further added.

Jesse Love and Austin Hill completed the top three, while William Sawalich and Corey Day came home in the top five. Connor Zilisch, Ryan Sieg, Cole Custer, Carson Kvapil, and Rajah Caruth finished the race in the top 10.

After he won the race, Chastain celebrated the victory in his usual way — by smashing the watermelon. However, this time, it was a bit different, as he also paid tribute to the late Kyle Busch, his fellow NASCAR colleague and a legendary figure of the sport.

Ross Chastain's Tribute to Kyle Busch

Following his victory, Chastain stood atop his No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro SS and bowed towards the fans in respect of Kyle Busch before his customary tradition of smashing the watermelon.

"I didn't know what I was going to do," Chastain said. "And we had conversations about, do we smash the watermelon or not? We were very aware and mourning with everybody. The bow I did was in the most respectful way of showmanship to one of the greatest drivers I've ever raced against, and to do it as a nod to him."

Kyle Busch, 41, breathed his last on Thursday, May 21, when he suddenly fell ill. He was immediately taken to the hospital in Charlotte, but passed away a few hours later, after suffering a severe case of pneumonia.

The former Richard Childress Racing leaves a long-lasting legacy in NASCAR and the motorsports world. The next time we see the name Busch in racing might be when his 11-year-old son is old and experienced enough to race in NASCAR.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Yask Kotak