CHARLOTTE COUNTY — NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain is set to debut a new paint scheme for the #42 car on May 30 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. AdventHealth will be the primary sponsor for the race, the Coca-Cola 600, and Chastain couldn't have picked a better partnership.
"Working together, with AdventHealth on my race car at the Daytona 500 and Coke 600 were two big points for me to learn about them," Chastain said via Zoom. “If I can work with that group, I’m definitely all-in."
Chastain, 28, did the interview from his family's watermelon farm in Charlotte County. That's where the promo shoot for the new car was taking place.
Chastain said he's fortunate to continue his Cup racing dream, especially after the coronavirus threatened the future of many people throughout the sports world. Chip Ganassi Racing went all-in on its people. They didn't lay off any employees during the pandemic.
"They knew that for us to compete moving forward, they had to keep all the people they had spent years and decades acquiring. Building the shop, building the morale," Chastain said.
Chastain's path to Ganassi Racing was a fortunate one. He was doing freelance work for a sports and entertainment company that needed a motor home driver for its clients. That relationship led him to meet the man himself.
"They introduced me to Chip [Ganassi] and the sponsors at Chip Ganassi Racing and pushed for me just because we became friends, not because they had any business interest in it. Now we do everything together, and we’re here in the 42 car this year, full-time," he said.
Chastain said he only had one more thing to say before the Zoom call ended.
"Go buy a watermelon today!" Chastain said.
The Cup Series runs the Goodyear 400 at Darlington on Sunday.
