We bet the best of NASCAR fans could not imagine Ross Chastain winning the Coca-Cola 600 this year.
Well, who would? After all, his revving engine was pretty much drowned out at the very back of the pile when the race started at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Fast-forward, with six laps to go, Chastain was passing William Byron, the number one on the NASCAR Power Rankings, and his fellow Chevrolet driver. We cannot wait to see what he has in store for us in the Cup Series and the NASCAR championship. But who really is Ross Chastain?
The early life of the Watermelonman: Who is Ross Chastain?
Ross Chastain is from Alva, Florida. Born in late 1992, he grew up in a family where watermelons were the order of the day. The Chastains had been growing watermelons for eight generations.
His father, Randy, worked on the 350-acre farm and racing was his weekend hobby. His mother, Patty, kept the family grounded and encouraged Ross to chase his dreams.
The young Chastain first felt the racing bug at twelve years old. He watched his dad competing in the Fastruck Series and saw the other kids of his age tearing around the track. Something clicked. Before long, he was behind the wheel at Punta Gorda Speedway, competing in Late Model and the Fastruck events.
His younger brother Chad caught the racing fever, too. Both boys spent their teen-hood bouncing between the farm and the racetrack.
Racing career
Ross Chastain’s path to NASCAR was anything but smooth. He started racing professionally in 2011 when he took over the #66 Turn One Racing truck. His first race at Lucas Oil Raceway ended with a 10th place finish. Not bad.
He can thank some of his connections in the watermelon business for landing him a few more races, though crashes at Bristol and Kentucky did not help. Rain at Homestead forced the team to buy another car just to make the race, where Ross finished two laps down. Still, he had made an impression.
In 2012, Ross ran for Rookie of the Year with SS-Green Light Racing. The National Watermelon Association sponsored his #08 truck, the only driver in NASCAR backed by produce growers. He finished seventh at Martinsville and third at Bristol.
The next few years brought a mix of teams and results. Ross drove for Brad Keselowski Racing in 2013, hoping it might lead to a Team Penske ride. It did not work out that way, but he won his first career pole at Iowa Speedway and came close to the podium several times.
By 2014, Ross was bouncing between different teams and series, picking up the rides wherever he could. He drove trucks for the RBR Enterprises until they fired him mid-season due to several racing incidents. He moved to the Xfinity Series, where he debuted at Charlotte in a Viva Motorsports car.
The breakthrough came in 2019. Ross won his first NASCAR national series race at Kansas Speedway, though the celebration was short. Later that year, he won at Iowa but got disqualified after his truck failed inspection — the first driver to lose a victory that way since 1995.
Ross made up for it the next week, winning at Gateway. Then came the victories at Daytona in the Xfinity Series and Pocono in trucks.
In 2021, everything has changed. Justin Marks bought Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR operation and renamed it Trackhouse Racing. Ross signed on to drive the #1 Chevrolet and finally got a chance to compete in a full-time Cup Series competition.
The 2022 season was Ross’s breakout year. He won his first Cup race at Circuit of the Americas, beating Alex Bowman and A.J. Allmendinger in a thriller. A month later, he took the chequered flag at Talladega.
Ross finished second in the 2022 Cup Series points standings, the best season of his career. His 2023 victories at Nashville and Phoenix proved that the previous year was no fluke.
The 2025 Coca-Cola 600 win was special for different reasons. Starting dead last in the 40-car field, Ross methodically made his way forward and won the Blue Ribbon Cup race.
What is Ross Chastain’s net worth?
Ross Chastain races for the Trackhouse Racing Team, signing a very long-term contract with a $1 signup bonus. But do not let that fool you. Ross the Boss earns a little over $2 million each year from the Concord-based motorsports org. That places him among NASCAR’s 15 highest earners.
The contract wages aside, Chastain expects plenty of performance bonuses. He gets paid something extra for playoffs qualifying, championships, and Cup Series races. Even bigger bonus checks come from placing first and winning races.
The Watermelon Man has also cut a multi-million sponsorship and endorsement deals. Some credible reports show that Ross will earn big bucks from the underwear retailer Jockey, fast-food brand Wendy’s, hotel chain Choice Privileges, Kubota, Moose Fraternity, and beer maker Anheuser-Busch.
Other sponsors include providers of insurance, seed treatments, tires, video games, and even casino games, like those featured on Casino Guru.
Together, Chastain’s net worth ranges from $4.5 to $10 million, depending on who you ask.
Life outside of racing
When Ross is not behind the wheel, he tries to stay in touch with his farming roots. The Chastain family still operates their watermelon farm in Florida, though Ross does not work on the fields as he used as a teenager. He often posts about the farm on social media, though.
Ross is dating Erika Anne Turner, a professional model and former beauty pageant contestant. Erika was crowned Miss US Landscapes in 2020 and Miss North Carolina, United States in 2021. The couple keeps their relationship relatively private, even though they occasionally appear together at NASCAR events.
His family remains close. Brother Chad also races in the NASCAR’s Truck Series, though he hasn’t matched Ross’s success yet. Their parents, Randy and Patty, still support their sons at the tracks each time they race.
