From Watermelon Fields to NASCAR Glory: Ross Chastain's Journey Unveiled

Barn Talk

Tork and Sawyer Whisler

Business

4.6 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 7 October 2025

⏱️ 125 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to Barn Talk! In today’s episode, we’re bringing you a truly one-of-a-kind conversation with NASCAR star and proud watermelon farmer, Ross Chastain. Sawyer and Tork sit down with Ross to dig into everything—from his eighth-generation family farm roots in south Florida to his meteoric rise in the racing world.

You’ll hear Ross share stories of growing up surrounded by watermelon fields, learning the grit and grind of farm life, and how that translated into his “just do it” mentality behind the wheel. We get a behind-the-scenes look at how his family moved from packing watermelons in the old-school way to becoming leaders in the specialty crop market, plus the ups and downs that come from farming land that moves every 10 years and the constant battle with disease, weather, and regulation.

But don’t think it’s all about ag! Ross takes us on a ride through his NASCAR journey—how he hustled his way in, paid his dues, and made a name by staying true to his roots (plus the infamous “wall ride” at Martinsville and the birth of his watermelon-smashing victory celebration). The guys talk about the business side of racing, the pressure, the handshakes (and haymakers), and the crossover between competing in sports and in agriculture.

And if that isn’t enough, Ross opens up about his mission to shine a spotlight on American farming through his “Ag to Asphalt” project, why he believes every farmer has a story worth telling, and how keeping it real has become his brand—on and off the track.

So grab your favorite drink (maybe even a watermelon, if you’re inspired), and settle in for a fresh, fast-paced, and downright fun episode with the Melon Man himself. Let’s get into it!

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00:00 "Ross Chastain's Social Media Presence"

20:55 Watermelon Industry: Tradition and Promotion

27:17 Seed Selection in Agribusiness

41:34 The High Cost of Racing

48:39 Focused NASCAR Car Customization Dynamics

01:02:12 Gen 7 NASCAR Car Insights

01:10:19 Overnight Car Rebuild for Race

01:18:10 Racing Success and Driver Management

01:29:46 Farm Life vs. College Ambitions

01:38:51 Promoting Farming's Positive Image

01:54:12 "Ensuring Sustainable Agriculture for Future"

01:59:19 Electric Trucks Transforming Farm Life

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Transcript

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0:00.0	All of the food we eat and much of the clothing we wear comes from plants and animals that are raised on farms.
0:05.7	Farms are different in type, in size, and even in name.
0:55.0	Welcome to Barn Talk. What happens at the barn stays in the barn, but not today. We're going to let it all out for you guys. Today is going to be a hell of a good guest episode. Got a great guest coming to Southeast Iowa to have a great conversation with us. But before we get into the nitty gritty, you guys know the drill. If you get any value from the show, which I think today you are, share it out with the people that you know. There's a lot of ways to get value. If you laughed, if you're related to us on something, if you learn something, all that we ask is you share the show. It's kind of the ticket to admission to watch or listen to the show.
1:01.2	Another thing you can do to help us out here at Barn Talk is leave a review on Spotify or Apple.
1:06.7	The more that you guys do that, the more it makes our show credible so we can have more guests like we're having today, come on the show and have some damn good conversations.
1:11.7	Last thing you can do to support us here at Barn Talk is support our direct-to-consumer
1:16.1	meat business, farmergrade, farmergrade.com. We got Wagyu, pork, beef, chicken, all from American
1:23.3	family farms. And we have a pretty damn good subscription offer 50% off your first box 15% off
1:31.5	every box after that first initial box free ground beef for life free shipping for life so
1:37.6	we think it's the best subscription offer out there in the meat space because we know it's
1:43.2	pretty tough out there for people
1:44.4	when it comes to their checkbook. So we wanted to do something about it. So check that out
1:50.1	if you're interested in getting some meat. And I'm really pumped up for today's episode.
1:55.5	Yeah. Today, I'm trying to not let the cat out of the bag. So if I told you that our guest today was a watermelon farmer,
2:06.5	you really wouldn't know who I was talking about it.
2:08.7	If I told you he was from Florida,
2:10.3	some of you might start to get it.
2:13.0	If I told you that he also is a race car driver,
2:16.3	that would certainly narrow it down. But I think that if I told you that he also is a race car driver. That would certainly narrow it down. But I think that
2:19.4	if I told you that he has probably the most intimate relationship with the wall at Martinsburg
2:26.3	Speedway, I think that would probably seal the deal. This guy, I don't know how many people have this uh claim to fame but i'm pretty sure
2:37.3	that there is a nascar rule written because of something that he did so uh without any further
	...

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