NASCAR star Ross Chastain delivers important personal message to fans

Ross Chastain delivered an important message to NASCAR fans during the last race at Richmond Raceway.

The 32-year-old spoke to fans during a “Who’s Your Driver?” event at Richmond, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and Drive Smart Virginia.

Alongside signing hats, shirts and posters, Chastain opened up about dangerous driving and promoted safety behind the wheel.

“When people get behind the wheel, they should remember the real victory lap is making it home,” Chastain said.

“Wearing a seat belt and choosing a sober driver aren’t just safety tips, they’re decisions that save lives.”

“I do crash a lot, and that’s part of the sport of NASCAR. If I could get people to listen, maybe one more person wears their seat belt, one more person makes the right decision when they have a beer.”

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Chastain delivers powerful message to NASCAR fans

The message from Chastain also took on a personal element, after one of his friends was involved in a car crash that left them unable to walk in 2011.

Chastain revealed that the accident was transformative in how he thinks about driving, and shared the personal message to the fans who had gathered to see him.

The Trackhouse Racing star finished the Cook Out 400 in a disappointing 19th place, but a fan at the event did not feel short-changed and spoke positively about Chastain’s fan experience.

“I think [this event] is part of what makes NASCAR so cool,” the fan, called Ben Steelman, said to Richmond Free Press.

“It’s not perfect. There’s a lot of reasons to not love everything NASCAR does, but they do a pretty good job of making things like this fan-friendly and affordable for everyone.”

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