HAMPTON, Ga. (June 25, 2025) – Ross Chastain is known for two things:
going really fast in his No. 1 Trackhouse Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup
Series and his enthusiasm for the agriculture industry.
On Wednesday, the eighth-generation watermelon farmer saw his two
passions come together at Southern Belle Farm in McDonough, Ga. — the
source of EchoPark Speedway’s traditional Victory Lane peaches that
each NASCAR race winner receives.
“Racing is a hobby that I turned into a career, but I was born into
agriculture, so I grew up in fields,” said Chastain. “It’s so cool
to see this farm thriving so close to the city and the people that come
out to this agritourism venue.”
Chastain received a tour of the farm, picked the brains of its staff
about their efforts to grow peaches and other crops, and then picked the
peaches that will be given out after Saturday night’s Quaker State 400
Available at Walmart.
“Pulling (peaches) right off the tree — they taste pretty sweet,”
Chastain said, adding, “But I figure they’re going to be even
sweeter on Saturday night if we win.”
Since the track was reconfigured for the 2022 season, Chastain has
scored a pair of runner-up finishes and four top-10s in seven starts at
EchoPark Speedway. Once a skeptic, he is now a fan of the “new”
EchoPark Speedway and embraces the challenge it provides as he pursues
his first win in Atlanta.
“I was in the camp that it was good how it was and we didn’t need to
mess with it, but I was wrong, and I’m man enough to admit that,”
Chastain said. “It’s better now. The Smith Family and Speedway
Motorsports have done an incredible job of taking a mile-and-a-half
track and creating superspeedway-style drafting like Daytona and
Talladega.”
Adding to the challenge is the introduction of NASCAR’s first-ever
In-Season Tournament, which starts Saturday night at EchoPark Speedway.
The bracket-style elimination tournament will see 32 drivers compete for
a $1 million prize. As the 13th seed, Chastain is in a head-to-head
matchup with 20th seed Erik Jones; whichever driver finishes better in
that pairing will advance to the next round at the Chicago Street Course
– the other will be eliminated.
Chastain said the added wrinkle of the In-Season Tournament hasn’t
changed his approach to Saturday night’s race, “but I do know that
if that 43 car is in front of me, I definitely don’t want to finish
behind him.”
Chastain and the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series competitors will hit the
track for qualifying on Friday evening. They’ll then compete for 400
miles under the lights on Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the Quaker State
400 Available at Walmart.
Tickets and camping accommodations for the June 26-28 Quaker State 400
Available at Walmart NASCAR weekend are available at
www.EchoParkSpeedway.com [2].
About the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart:
Atlanta’s Night Race returns with the Quaker State 400 Available at
Walmart on Saturday night, June 28, 2025. Sparks will fly as NASCAR’s
best duel under the lights on EchoPark Speedway’s challenging high
banks.
The rising stars of the NASCAR Xfinity Series bring the action Friday
night in the Focused Health 250 on June 27.
Adding even higher stakes to the weekend is the first running of
NASCAR’s $1 million In-Season Tournament. 32 of NASCAR’s stars will
be paired against each other in a bracket-style elimination tournament
that begins at EchoPark Speedway.
More information on the June 26-28 Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart
weekend and ticket availability can be found online at
www.EchoParkSpeedway.com [3].