The now famous move called the "Hail Melon" pulled by Ross Chastain at Martinsville Speedway last fall, cannot be used in the sport anymore. However, Chastain wasn't the first driver to pull a video-game move in a Cup Series race.
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Kyle Larson holds that honor as his attempted wall ride in the 2021 Southern 500 at Darlington shocked many. The move by Larson didn't work out for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, as he didn't get past Denny Hamlin for the win, and it really was a pointless attempt for the No. 5 car, as all it did was slow him down.
With the NASCAR 2023 playoffs beginning this weekend at Darlington Raceway, NASCAR on NBC posted the old clip of Larson trying to pull the wall ride move in 2021 on X. He was caught talking about trying to pull a video game move on his in-car radio.
"I tried to video game it," Larson said on the radio.
When Chastain he went for the "Hail Melon," he wasn't going for the win and made it work passing several cars to make the championship four in 2022.
The post made by NASCAR was seen by Chastain, and he took some time to poke fun at Larson for his failed attempt. However, it might cause potential issues between the two drivers, who will both be looking to start the playoffs on a high note.
There remains some animosity between Larson and Chastain, especially after several run-ins during the regular season.
Chastain gave Larson's attempted move a new nickname on social media.
"The fail melon," Chastain said.
the fail melon 🍉 https://t.co/Ojp0SxhA13
— Ross Chastain (@RossChastain) August 31, 2023
Both drivers have been strong contenders when it comes to Darlington Raceway in their respective careers, and it looks like both will be firing on all cylinders after this back-and-forth over each other's video game moves on the race track.
Chastain is no slouch when it comes to making other drivers unhappy. Chastain might just be thinking it is all in good fun, but then again, Larson wasn't too fond of the Hail Melon last season.
The NASCAR playoffs always have heated rivalries, and now it looks like Larson and Chastain could be the rivalry to watch in this year's playoffs.
