NASCAR's Most Viral Moment became its Biggest Flop

[@VanillaMidgetSSBM]

The best quote from a pit crew was "So that DOES work." as if he had pondered it before after seeing it in a video game

[@Buffaloguy1991]

they interviewed all the drivers and pretty much everyone said the same thing both that they always wondered but were too scared to drive

[@phoenixbda6164]

BECAUSE HE DID LMFAO

[@zephyrod7307]

The hail melon is what gave me even a passing interest in Nascar. But I had no idea when and where the next races were. I have no TV. I struggled to understand their weird points playoffs system. Even went to a live NASCAR race this year for the first time, and the stage system was understandable but really weird. The problems of nascar are much deeper.

[@giantidiot31]

At this point, I just watch motorsports to see skilled drivers go fast. Haven't payed attention to points, names, or standings in years

[@lithium8083]

Don't worry about how playoffs works, just see if the one you like is above the cutline hahaha, and try to get more context from the broadcast

[@cmkeelDIM]

THANK YOU!!!!!

[@csmith6583]

the problem is that NASCAR has long forgotten what made them successful and what keeps dirt racing thriving to this day, hardcore fans. they cater to casual fans with their product and they make things so confusing in doing so that casual fans are repelled

[@pulaski1]

I had been a fan, in the UK in 80's and 90's, though TV coverage was minimal back then. Then I moved to the US in 2001, and went to a number of races over the next six years, but totally lost interest soon after the "chase" play-off format was adopted. My interest these days is very low.

[@Seb_Kowalke]

Do you think the moment would've had a bigger effect on NASCAR if Chastain wins in Phoenix and wins his first championship? At that point, everything would be replayed, it paid off, everyone would talk about the Hail Melon again, and everyone would just say "this won him the championship".

[@Thatguy8134]

Absolutely, like you said it would’ve been “the move that won him the championship” but without the title to go with it it has been forgotten in sorts.

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

Still...he ended up second...and was running Logano down. Just didn't have enough laps left. The Wall Ride will forever by NASCAR legend.

[@roverbett3858]

no, its because ppl watch the races on youtube without the delays

[@gamemeister27]

No. People liked the clip. The clip wasn't going to get them to like watching races on TV.

[@tsholts5173]

No because ratings still went down year-to-year like Slap said. It wouldn't have mattered even if Ross won the championship

[@lorddrac_dontaskmetodance]

Another reason why the Hail Melon worked while other wallrides didn't: it was at Martinsville. What you get at Martinsville isn't the same to what would happen at a Kansas or a Darlington, even. The turns around those tracks are so big that if you start the wallride from the entry of turn three, you'll lose momentum out of turn 4. Because the corners at Martinsville is so sharp, and you rarely see cars go north of 125mph at the track because you're supposed to brake hard into the corner, Ross was able to get around the corner in less time by flooring it and swooping around the other cars. When NASCAR and fans kept banging the Hail Melon to the dirt even upon the title race, I just don't see it realistically working at other tracks. Martinsville was really the only track where it could be pulled off as amazingly as it did.

[@FallingPicturesProductions]

Richmond could make it work, partially because the S/F line is way closer to the T4 exit there then nearly any other circuit. I'm like 99% sure that Larson did a move like that earlier this year, but because he was fighting way outside the top ten and it only got one spot no one noticed or cared.

[@stonecoldracing6]

@@FallingPicturesProductionsif it’s of any relevance, Richmond entirely works in nascar heat. 1&2 and 3&4. Not sure how well that translates but the physics seem to give you an extra second at Richmond or so

[@evannuh-koo-la4054]

I was at this race, the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen

[@piedmontrf81]

Same here!

[@GT1646_]

It was my first race attending myself

[@TheNatural502]

I watched this whole race on tv and can confirm

[@piedpiper1172]

The problem is that it happened in the context of racing “playoffs.” Nothing in sports is dumber than the idea of playoffs for racing. The moment anyone seeing the clip understood it was tied to the dumbest idea in sports, it lost its charm.

[@JReaLBiz86]

I can't imagine how insane that was to see in person. Like, literally, I can't mentally put myself there lol

[@rtdreep]

What did we learn? NASCAR's attempt to create storybook final races with these manufactured endings violates its own rules about affecting the outcomes of races. Referring back to your excellent report on the failure of the playoff system to boost ratings, I agree: The playoff system needs to go, and the points system you proposed is a better alternative. As a NASCAR fan, I want to trust that every team out there is giving it everything they've got to try and win the race. I want legitimate competition.

[@merlotpapi4930]

No. Just, no. The playoffs are great and egomaniacal elitist gatekeepers is what destroyed the sport. The way this community actively tried to downplay this summer, as it organically became very noteworthy and popular because of a good string of races, shows that it is the dogshit “fans” that make this sport such a chore to watch. Especially serial, eternal malcontents like the dude that makes a living bitching and crying about NASCAR incessantly like Slapshoes. Now, the delusion is so intense that we have to retroactively declare that Ryan Blaney was a part of some nefarious conspiracy to stop him from winning a championship. Despite that making completely no sense and who’s premise requires one to selectively attribute your favorite driver as somehow going “against the grain” and needing to actively ignore that the most popular driver in the last 20 years of their sport has not even been _close_ to winning a championship. And that it is actually _beneficial_ for NASCAR to have this young new driver with an active fanbase win the title than Logano, whom has an active hater base. But don’t let logic get in the way of this I guess.

[@ToumapassarZEZOCA]

@@merlotpapi4930 why are the playoffs good, in your opinion?

[@merlotpapi4930]

@@ToumapassarZEZOCA The races are exciting because of the stakes, the format encourages each race to matter, it was objectively necessary for the sanctioning body to entice people to keep watching once football season started, and there has not been a single year where the person who won the title didn't have a strong case for winning the title in other formats. Notice that the best guys in the season always manage to be Top 8 or Champ 4 every single year without fail. Just like this year it probably will be the best four guys: Byron, Hamlin, Larson, and Bell.

[@ToumapassarZEZOCA]

@merlotpapi4930 how can you say something like that when Kyle Busch won the championship racing half a season, or when Kevin Harvick didn't win in 2020. And every race matters, because motorsports are unpredictable, and anything can happen

[@ranndomundead9112]

i think points should be strictly based on average position for the entire race. Every lap needs to count so every lap drivers are actually racing. Not parading.

[@gabehowe2778]

16:32 I think this might be the most “done with this sh*t” moment I’ve ever heard out of S1ap, and honestly, I’m with you.

[@dirt8822]

that why i stopped watching nascar. they definitely control the outcome. That why i think that they will NEVER get Ridd of the chase.

[@theoriginalshew]

Y'alls tinfoil is too tight lol.

[@gabehowe2778]

@@dirt8822I have also largely stopped. I do watch the truck series here and there, Stewart Friesen is a local guy so I root for him a bit. Just doesn’t hit the same as it used to. Once all the guys from the gen 4-COT era that I cared about as a kid retired that was kind of it for me. I do hope that they eventually win this war to stay relevant, but I just don’t see it happening. It was once the second most-watched sport in America. Now it’s…this. How the mighty have fallen…

[@ChuckRusty]

that f bomb lol

[@noggin6870]

​@@theoriginalshewat this point it isn't even a conspiracy. The crew chiefs have even said that they get the cars back from pre race inspection for the championship 4 early and get a "we won't look at them again, wink wink nudge nudge" from NASCAR.

[@SiVlog1989]

This one moment made me root for Ross Chastain. It was genius, he wasn't going to get into the final 4 if he followed the standard low line. It was a fantastic example of exploiting the grey area

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

It wasn't even grey area. Just no one had both thought to do it AND gained advantage of doing so.

[@lolimadethisvid]

it takes a very specific set of circumstances to even make this possible. First of all the next gen cars are built like tanks on wheels so it was strong enough to take that punishment. Any of the older cars would have had the right side ripped off and grinded to a halt. Also it needed to be on the last lap AND be at Martinsville because of the 180 degree corner radius and slow speeds.

[@johnh3476]

Stupid, unsafe move made out of desperation. Cool to watch, but stupid. He was lucky wall gate wasn't open or give in to the force.

[@RT-qd8yl]

@@johnh3476 cope more

[@captiannemo1587]

Yah, lucky to not clip the wall at the gate area… very very lucky.

[@emdotrod]

First time I heard about Ross Chastain is because I watched your videos about shady sponsors back when he got screwed by DC Solar and nearly got his career ended there. Now he's a consistent top 10 challenger and his 2022 season wasn't a fluke either.

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

Made a lot of fans very quickly. Heck I found him likable enough that I pull for him as well as the guy I previously supported: Denny Hamlin

[@michaeldevault-edmondson1037]

I'm sorry but Ross Chastain straight up wrecked into the playoffs. He only got that #1 car because of Ganassi shutting down. He wouldnt be that good if Kurt Busch and Ganassi stayed. Chastain's career after 2022 has been a fluke. Come back and tell me otherwise when he earns a win without wrecking someone. Let alone a top 5.

[@jamiethornton6101]

He's also out of the playoffs after only the round of 12. He sure doesn't seem that great this year.

[@evansmootracing.81]

@@michaeldevault-edmondson1037all while you type this from the comfort of your couch or bed. Lmaooo hes obviously a great driver because he’s in the NASCAR Cup series

[@darthhull85]

His 2023 season was hardly a top 10 contender most of the year.

[@JimmyMcBimmy]

That final bit about what we learned reminded me of the end of _Burn After Reading_ .... "What did we learn?" "Don't do it again." 10/10

[@FightingTorque411]

"Whatever the f*** it was we did"

[@Journeyjeffgordonfan24]

Today, he is going to wallride at 99.9% of the speed of the light to advance himself into the Round of 8 around the entirety of the Charlotte oval.

[@ROWDYBatrulha]

Screenshotting this.

[@mondaybear21]

He can’t, the move’s banned sadly

[@moistquasar3572]

he's gonna find a way to jump the wall and take the lead that way

[@rykami14]

nah it wont work at the roval, its too big. what he'll do is just jump the curb on the last chicane, flying over the field and win in midair

[@TheHighRoad1748]

Today, he joins Bubba Wallace, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keslowski as Round of 12 exits

[@TotoDG]

If I didn't already know Ross Chastain was from Florida, the fact that he knew full-well of the physical dangers of pulling such an insane move and still didn't care would've proven it to me.

[@michaelgomez3044]

That doesn't have anything to do with being from FL.

[@TotoDG]

@@michaelgomez3044. I know, but it’s a joke based on the Florida Man trope.

[@masoneveridge4078]

@@TotoDG exactly everything I’ve heard about people from Florida are batshit insane people and batshit insanely careless people who’d risk their own health

[@aesieaiyahcloe]

His reply to you is funny. 🤣

[@michaelgomez3044]

@@TotoDG Well that trope is stupid and I am tired of it.

[@HoltAircraft]

My family used to fly to NASCAR races from England... we lost interest because of the Chase and the massaging of the results. Wish they would have just stuck to a season points championship and let what ever happens happen. Sad to see how expensive racing in general has become.

[@cpdragster420]

Our family remains casual fans, however the playoffs especially the 1 race title, I can't name the last 10 champions, but I can name champions before that, the championship has felt completely pointless since it moved to a 1 race coin flip

[@michaelgomez3044]

Yeah. Playoffs in motorsport are STUPID.

[@StillSwiftAF]

I used to watch every race. I grew up watching with my dad in the '90s. I hated the Chase when it was implemented, but stuck around because at least the races were still fun to watch. They kept adding gimmicks over the years, moving away from the traditional tracks for cookie cutters, and eventually even ruined Bristol. The last straw for me was stage racing. Nowadays the only races I tune in for are the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.

[@DanArnets1492]

Feelings on BSB also having a playoff format? I feel it's almost inevitable with how absurdly long certain racing seasons are

[@mitchell-wallisforce7859]

​@@DanArnets1492Just as fuckinng stupid. For me it's also even more frustrating, not only because, for a while there, I thought NASCAR's management were _uniquely_ dumb, but because NASCAR *proved* how stupid both the Chase and Playoffs are as formats for a motorsports title race. Yet here we are in 2023, where British Superbikes and the NHRA have playoff/chase formats, and there are likely other series out there at least considering the idea. This might seem like a dumb bet to make, but if Red Bull Racing keeps bringing game-breaker cars to F1 grand prix long enough for people to forget about 2021, I wouldn't be shocked if F1 tried the same shit. I will be elated if I forever remain wrong, but motorsport, like all sport, isn't a sport anymore. It's a business, and businessmen are like fucking lemmings.

[@Idiomatick]

It didn't impact NASCAR views because the wall ride was cool, nascar is boring. It went viral because of how UNnascar it was. If wall rides and other crazy shit were implemented in nascar, it would regain viewership. But wall rides weren't the new normal, it was a one off.

[@Chillforev-dd9wr]

NASCAR ain’t boring I will swear on it I will breathe it and it will be my last words if need be.

[@mustachewalrus]

@Chillforev-dd9wr That’s awesome

[@ninetailedfox579121]

​@@Chillforev-dd9wr I mean "car go fast" is never boring, but compared to literally every other car go fast series out there... yeah NASCAR is boring.

[@Chillforev-dd9wr]

@@ninetailedfox579121 No it isn’t so is F1 boring? Or Indy Car? It’s fun because car goes fast there is crashing and explosions it’s a more organized demo derby.

[@ninetailedfox579121]

@@Chillforev-dd9wr So it's just a demolition derby with extra steps, why not just go watch a demolition derby then?

[@mr.smooth7809]

This move got me back into watching NASCAR. I hadn't watched it since my dad passed 10 years ago. I had forgot it even existed. I watch every week now and all three series.

[@zirc_]

this relatable for me. i had stopped watching around ‘17 or ‘18 and decided to start watching races again last season. same as you I now watch all 3 series every race

[@darksu6947]

I loved Nascar when Rusty, Dale, Martin and those other greats were running. It just sucks now. Moto GP or World Super Bikes is where the action is, but maybe that's just a me thing.

[@kasuraga]

I just wanted to say, you're a great story teller. I never find myself wanting to skip ahead in your videos. Watch every one of them start to finish. I appreciate that.

[@coryshannon3815]

To some extent, I feel like the reason the "Hail Melon" worked is the size of the track. A "superspeedway" like Talladega might ge too big to get the physics to do it, but the sharp turns of Martinsville allows for it to happen.

[@Gage_Brumley]

But luckily the turn wasn't too sharp that the car would lose momentum and come to a stop. It was the perfect radius for this to happen.

[@tescoshortage]

It could probably happen at NHMS or through 1-2 at Darlington. That is if NASCAR never banned it.

[@eagleactual321]

thanks einstein

[@stroock6394]

talladega doesn't require you to slow down in the first place lol... the 'corners' have such a large radius and steep banking you don't even need all the available steering angle, so nothing to be gained by trying to use the wall to turn sharper

[@fabiofanf3e813]

Pretty much 3 rules for wallhugs: 1. Rigidness 2. Momentum 3. Size If your car evaporates at the touch of a wall then dont. Try to be smooth with it, hit the ride with the wall then hit it. Too big dont bother, too tight call ER.

[@nascarfanatic2425]

I wanted to add onto your point on how every Cup Series Championship race was won by a final 4 driver. The first 4 years of this format is especially noticable. If you'll notice, in all of the first 4 years of the Playoffs Format, the guy who won the championship race (and the championship) didn't lead the most laps in the race. - 2014: Jeff Gordon led the most laps and was looking good to possibly win, but he surprisingly pitted, and Kevin Harvick won. - 2015: Joey Logano dominated, Kyle Busch won. - 2016: Kyle Larson dominated, Jimmie Johnson won. - 2017: Kyle Larson dominated again, Martin Truex won. Between 2018 and 2021, I could buy that the guy who won the championship race and championship was the best car that day, but besides that, it really seems like NASCAR plays a hand at making sure their Playoff final 4 drivers win the championship race.

[@TTFNG063]

I laughed when I saw that replay of the Hail Melon, and I couldn’t believe what happened. Pretty crazy stuff. And of course, that very line by Rick Allen: “Take a look at what he did!” …it’s engraved into my head for the rest of my life. It’s that memorable.

[@TheeGlocktopus]

Rick Allen is a human trombone. When he speaks, I don't hear words, I hear horn sounds that come straight from broadcasting school.

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

"Happy birthday Trevor Bayne!!!" (Turned out not to be the coming-of-age story of NASCARs next superstar, but that line will always live in my head.)

[@therago1456]

I can't be the only one who sometimes forgets that Joey Logano was the champion last year. Also, there's another theory that NASCAR is loose during inspection for the champ 4 cars to ensure they run away from everyone else.

[@IrishmanGFS]

At this point it isn't a theory. Everyone knows those final 4 cars are cheated up to oblivion and nascar only lets a final 4 driver win the finale

[@xxxYYZxxx]

Nobody cares who won the championship last year because the "playoff" format is a joke.

[@UntitledNerdNetwork]

​@xxxYYZxxx I remember the last half dozen races of the season being snooze fests back in the 90s because the title was already virtually locked up every year. The playoffs are the best thing to ever happen to nascar excitement wise.

[@ricky3698]

“If you aren’t cheating, you aren’t winning”

[@xxxYYZxxx]

@@UntitledNerdNetwork There's a better way but you're not going to figure it out.

[@heiselproductions_01]

If there was going to be ANYONE who broke the trend of champion winning final race, it was going to be Ross. And yeah, NASCAR wasn’t happy that Ross went out there and….. RACED. How dare he not give up and leave it to Blaney. Screw the sanctioning body, man.

[@yakovgolyadkin]

I remember seeing this happen, getting really excited to see the finale race, googling when it was an how to watch it, not getting an immediate clear answer, and then figuring I'd just look at the results later. Part of it is definitely on NASCAR for not doing a hell of a lot more to promote the finale race on the back of that moment.

[@NASCARFAN93100]

I showed Ross Chastain's Bullet Bill move to everybody at my buddy's 30th birthday party and they were all blown away by that move PS: Please do a documentary on Jeff Gordon

[@tangydiesel1886]

And Kyle Petty, so the '92 championship saga is finished.

[@NASCARFAN93100]

@@tangydiesel1886 Yep

[@NASCARFAN93100]

​@@tangydiesel1886 And You can add his father Richard Petty in that conversation as well

[@definitelynotanAIchatbot]

Bubba Wallace ended racism in NASCAR. He deserves a documentary more than anyone.

[@raphaeldagamer]

Of course NASCAR made rules against wall riding. That is just the level of wet-blanketing that I expect from them. I have a theory that after the tiebreaker Piston Cup race in Cars, the rules regarding pit stops were changed to state that pit crews must maintain manual control of tires through physical contact because Guido's move throwing them in the air was too cool to allow.

[@Mulerider4Life]

If there was more of this in NASCAR, more people would watch.

[@mithril1584]

Used to be a lot more aggressive racing. NASCAR should be a contact sport.

[@justinmillette8737]

That's probably accurate. back in the 90's when i liked nascar they diced it up and tangled a lot more. We still had Earnhardt. Which in my opinion drove like a liability and dirty. But everyone loved him for it. They were much more exciting races with tougher drivers. I quit watching when America's race circuit started racing Toyota's. And with all the stupid rules,stages, and bubba wallace's disgusting fake racism hoax with zero consequences. That just made me sick and I'll watch replays on KZbin but I'll never spend a dime on anything nascar related.

[@juanertizer]

Just get forza drivers on the track. Earnhardt incarnate

[@Mito383]

Unfortunately a lot of NASCAR is just boring now. 40 laps of just drafting in two columns. When drivers start going for position it becomes much more exciting. Unfortunately that’s not even close to the majority of the race.

[@Junieper]

@@Mito383You have never watched a NASCAR race that wasn’t at a superspeedway.

[@JK061996]

The Phoenix finale was my first NASCAR race, I'm surprised that the Hail Melon didn't significantly boost the viewership in the end

[@drillstevejr2290]

Glad to see you join the spot 👍

[@jessicalacasse6205]

fun police stryke back

[@sqweeps.03]

S1apshoes makes some of my fav Nascar content.

[@VladimirBlarp]

A truly iconic and historic move that will be on highlight reels for decades to come

[@gudomana7520]

This move is so popular even my country news media outlet which never care for NASCAR still report about this

[@EmpereurNapoleonex]

it didn't help because it's still NASCAR. it didn't do anything to change people's views of NASCAR

[@OCs_And_Stories]

This is how teachers can get kids into physics. Also, mad respect for using the word “Thrice” in a video.

[@Kurosaka]

Underrated word

[@johnvandeventer8668]

It may sound dumb, but even with the Winston format, I feel like that hail melon move still could’ve happened because he would’ve wanted to come in to Phoenix mathematically alive and that would’ve been his last chance, but it would not have been enough

[@mitchell-wallisforce7859]

That doesn't sound dumb at all. I was thinking the same thing. Imagine Ross makes that play to stay in the title hunt, gains more from it than he needed to and ends up in the catbird seat as all three rival teams have engine failures. It would be a psychotic scenario, but it would've been POSSIBLE. The only 6-way title decider in NASCAR history was the product of the Winston Cup points system, so who the hell knows what would've happened.

[@FordHoard]

Anyone could do that if they were in 2nd and close enough to the lead with no traffic in front of them.

[@ryanwalker1593]

Such a great day when Slap posts. We learned that Chastain will push the boundaries to advance....and the playoffs suck. But we already knew that. I feel like the playoff manufacturer BS like this because none of it really matters till the last race. That being said, I can't wait to watch the roval today. I'm trying to enjoy the playoffs since it's all we've got for major stock car racing.

[@patrickracer43]

1:40 Brad Keselowski is a branch in the Dale Earnhardt Jr driving tree, Chastain, Reddick, Blaney and Cindric are branches off of Brad's branch (and Reddick is a double branch on that tree as he drove for Brad and won a championship for Dale Jr)

[@mitchell-wallisforce7859]

Beautiful way of putting it.

[@PyroBun_2844]

This move managed to catch the attention of F1 Drivers Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly. That alone speaks how *big* that move was, and considering how this move was coming off 8 weeks of non-stop controversy for NASCAR? The sport needed somthing like that, and Ross delivered it.

[@derek112217]

lol, "F1 Drivers saw it!" Sad times for the NASCAR.

[@CYMotorsport]

Ive been wanting you to cover this since it happened. Gnarly little Sunday surprise cheers bruv

[@Diskord1982]

EVERYONE! SLAP POSTED!

[@weylinwest9505]

MAKE SURE TO SLAP ON THAT NOTIFICATION!

[@reedparker5993]

SLAP THAT LIKE BUTTON TOO, BABY!

[@thomasrice9903]

SLAP !!

[@AZtashi]

Slap is fire 🔥🔥🔥

[@Nindorious1]

He did?

[@ahogg5960]

This sums so many of the problems with NASCAR. As an example, I got into following baseball through Jomboy, Foolish Baseball and Secret Base content. Ultimately, the fundamentals of baseball are there and it's entertaining to watch. I love watching your content Slap, but have yet to actually watch any modern NASCAR race flag to flag because of all the stupid gimmicky bullshit they've thrown through it... despite being a diehard motorsport fan in Australia since childhood. V8 Supercars, F1, CART, IRL, MotoGP, drag racing...used to watch it all. So you'd think I'd be in the prime market to get into NASCAR...but nope. That rubbish is also seeping into F1 as well which has just about destroyed my love for that as well.

[@MansakeLabsOfficial]

What's the gimmicky bullshit? I don't have a TV, or watch sports of any kind, but car racing always sounded the most interesting to me.

[@ahogg5960]

@@MansakeLabsOfficial In most forms of motor racing, you accrue points throughout the season and the most points at the end wins. This is still the case in Formula 1 (save for one season where they tried a double points race finale, but that got benched the following year) In NASCAR, they have this playoffs system that makes no sense to me, doesn't reward any of the momentum built up throughout the season and ultimately just produces and rewards chaos rather than rewarding solid consistent driving. In F1, the rubbish seeping in is this same sort of thinking turning F1 into a WWE style spectacle and I hate it.

[@GarrettBuechel]

Nobody is going to watch 3 hours of racing for 10 seconds of potential "viral entertainment". This is a very rare moment that wouldn't be expected to repeat often. The people, who don't normally watch Nascar, will save their time and watch the highlights, or "viral moments", later.

[@LucasOliveira-tt2ll]

the fact that the championship race is always won by one of the 4 contenders makes me wonder if nascar let's them run a bit juiced up so the other drivers don't spoil that cherished game 7 moment

[@PaperBanjo64]

I think a mix of that and the other drivers agree not to mess with the championship.

[@cadenthompson362]

And who broke the streak of champions winning the final race? Ross Chastain!!!

[@fastydave]

The playoff system is still the dumbest thing ever created. No wait stage racing no wait...it's all shit

[@ahoneybee823]

NASCAR got the game 7 moment they specifically sought to create and almost immediately banned it. I get it- it's dangerous, but NASCAR, you quite literally asked for precisely this.

[@sophia_petrillo]

Your videos got me back into NASCAR after not giving a shit about it for almost twenty years. Thank you for sharing your passion with us and NASCAR needs to get you on the payroll.

[@zachjo1457]

I’ve been watching any and every form of motorsports for nearly two decades. I’d say well over 10,000 hours watched. BY FAR the coolest thing I’ve ever seen on a racetrack. NASCAR definitely squandered an open goal with this moment - but I will say, Ross alone gave me a reason to follow NASCAR again. In that very moment, the Hail Melon made me forget about all of my gripes with the sport and the playoff system as an OG Jeff Gordon fan.

[@tankeater]

6:15 INCORRECT!!! It worked this time, BECAUSE IT WAS ON A SHORT TRACK! Easy as that!

[@Adam-M-]

I've said for years, get rid of stages, eliminate the dumb playoff system, and end the season on a night race in prime time at Daytona.

[@TheFastLanewithIsaiah]

Penske probably told him don't pass. Ross sure didn't listen if nascar said don't pass with what he did to Blaney in 2023.

[@kantina4765]

imagine if they didn't have the play offs so there was an actual point watching the series. would have made this so much cooler.

[@justwiz4879]

being at the track that day i rewatched it 100 times it felt like even once i got back to the hotel ot did feel like that just happened when ross climed out of the car the crowd cheered i miss that day wish i could relive it

[@quincyboyce845]

I will always remember the Chastain moment as it was also my first day with my new USB driving wheel. I started Sim Racing on the exact day that Ross Chastain did his wallride.

[@Romax-pg2is]

Quite poetic how the main subject of this video ends up being the one to break the mono-finale winner streak.

[@Sykeadelick]

The whole Blaney/Logano thing was most likely a team order like in F1, where the team owner specifically tells a driver to either let their teammate pass, or to back off and not pass them.

[@Antifrost]

As far as I've noticed it, it's been pretty common for a long time for viral moments to not translate to long-term success. Pretty much for the reasons you mentioned, but I can remember examples of such going back to over a decade ago. The numbers they pull in end up being irrelevant, since people are only there for the moment itself, not the subject that spawned it. Back in the day, I think it was more common for people and organizations to try and cash in on viral moments only for it to fail.

[@bikerjimbob]

I was there and all of the people there were left with there mouths on the ground. All you could hear was people saying that was the most amazing thing they had ever seen. It was the greatest thing that I have ever seen!!!

[@BiodegradableYTP]

At 12:19 I love how Ross looked completely baked in that image.

[@S1apShoes]

He looks baked or cross-eyed in almost all of his promo photos. That was the least bad one.

[@ChloeArgo]

Monster Jam, is in fact, the WWE of motorsport 😆

[@pro-seriesfabrication3810]

Formula Drift more so

[@Broyourenglishisgood]

this is 100000x cooler with the Hamlin context lol

[@adrianofficialmusick]

"I don't fucking know man" QUOTE OF THE CENTURY 😂💀

[@DonderNashawk]

This move I believe is a great reason why the current playoffs format is terrible. I've been saying for years this format is completely luck based, and this is one of the biggest pieces of evidence along with Hemric winning the 2021 NXS Championship. You can dominate the entire regular season, Round of 16, Round of 12, and Round of 8 only to have one bad race or bad engine at Phoenix and have all that effort for nothing while someone that didn't win ANYTHING all season win that 1 race and take the credit for your hard work. But Hey! At least the fans that have no attention span and think a race is bad unless there are 15 wrecks and 900 lead changes find it fun to watch a driver get screwed out of a championship they fully deserve! The Winston Format of whoever has the most points at season's end is the proper way to crown a champion, and not every single crevasse of the sport needs to be injected with Artificial Entertainment: and the people who like the playoffs only do because their favorite driver benefitted from it. It completely demolished the title of champion all so they can fabricate a cool feel good story.

[@Heretowatchstuff]

9:30 I also think the fact that everyone was saying “I’ve never seen anything like that” won’t get people to tune in to see if it happens again. Cool moment, but if it doesn’t happen again it doesn’t make racing any more interesting for non-race fans.

[@grahamcrackergaming1540]

I mean ig there is one thing to be learned here. That NASCAR’s Playoff format doesn’t matter and doesn’t bring in new fans even when there’s lots of drama and talk of drivers getting eliminated and who moves on into the next round. I remember back in the “Playoff System is Stupid” vid from years back and seeing a lot of those in favor of a NASCAR Playoff defending it and some saying it’s what NASCAR needs, all for the Playoff races to be down on ratings while the regular season rating r stable. Even the most viral moment in NASCAR all it did was just be the almost same exact ratings as a year prior from a combo of the normal fans that watch either daily or every now and then, the peeps curious of the Next Gen car, and then the peeps who saw the Hail Melon. Like it’ll be interesting to see how the ratings will be at the end of this year since the 2023 season has been slightly down from ratings now that the new car hype is gone.

[@fredschriks8554]

I jumped up and down. I lost it. 😂. That was crazy!

[@NoContextVideosChannel]

Great video,as always. Recently went to my first race at my local short track because of your videos :)

[@ihavefallenandicantreachmy2113]

Somebody built a Racing Facility, is why i went.

[@aiwash2766]

I was utterly speechless when this happened, later that day I also knew that people would lose their minds over this and would forget by tomorrow, people’s attention spans are ass nowadays

[@4Flavien4]

Why would it be related to attention span? You need more reliable material than a one-time highlight to retain viewership, no matter how crazy it is

[@4Flavien4]

In my case - a european - I already spent enough time watching F1 and WEC

[@kray3883]

Eh. I bet you would watch a video of a plane making a crazy landing, but it probably wouldn't inspire you to start showing up outside your local airport to spend a few hours watching planes land. Or you would watch a video of a Tesla jumping a roundabout and not be inspired to take your camp chair and binoculars out to a local intersection. If anything this video confirmed for me that nothing interesting is going to happen in most of these races and on the odd occasion when it does I can get the video online.

[@aaronmachado13]

Ross remind me of a grey area driver. Look at his shortcut at Indy RC. You give Ross an idea and tell him “ you’ll get 2 better spots” he’ll do it. I heard somewhere that Ross actually lost his vision temporarily during the hail melon.

[@DepravedCoTApologist]

I believe he said he "grayed out", which is like blacking out while still conscious. It happened to me on a rollercoaster once. It happens with excessive g-forces at high speed

[@sawt1981]

my son showed me the viral hail melon moment. i started playing nascar heat 4 and 5 that were on ps plus. began watching races this year as a brand new fan

[@Radioactive661]

Hey slap, i just wanted to thank you for convincing me how great nascar is, i was once of those dickheads who thought it was a stupid sport who's drivers only went around in circles but watching your videos and learning about the history made me love it, i can honestly say im a big fan now even if i can't watch the races

[@nascarsteve]

The only thing I can think of is: "how badly do you want it?" And Ross wanted it pretty bad.

[@grahamcrackergaming1540]

I already commented before but I want to point this out too. IMSA ended their 2023 season with a pretty close finish in the GTP and even the LMP2 classes. the GTD Pro and GTD classes were already wrapped up by the start of the Road Atlanta race the Vasser Sullivan Lexus team won a few races and were wicked consistent all year in GTD Pro, and the Paul Miller Racing team absolutely dominated the GTD class. And LMP3 is just…well LMP3. But anyway, GTP in its first year of competition was a hellava year for its debut. Lots of drama all in just about every race, some great racing and awesome moments leading up to a 4-5 car battle with 7 out of the 8 full time cars being mathematically eligible for the GTP championship. With a crazy race coming down to a crazy finish with both 1st and 2nd in points getting into each other in turn 1 taking out the Wayne Taylor Acura as a result. Was absolutely surprised it wasn’t a penalty to the eventual champion. After a short 2 lap green flag run and the caution coming out to finish the race, Meyer Shank Racing would get their last victory in IMSA before their 1 year break with the championship going to the Whelen Engineering Cadillac from Action Express Racing. It’s ironic that a series owned by NASCAR had the most most must watch year and championship battle without any stage cautions or elimination style bracket playoff formats, just a season long points system and pure racing with the Multiclass racing aspect giving pure chaos.

[@tiger78e]

While it may not have had long term implications for nascar i will say with true racers and eace fans Ross earned our respect it shows he has the true heart of a racer. FULL SEND!!!!

[@jonmancill6824]

It was an amazing last lap, all or nothing, go or go home, and brass balls move that amazingly actually worked just like the way it looked when we all tried it while playing the game a decade ago aa kids. Now, as far as the popularity it received and massive amounts of people who have never even watched an entire race that loved what they saw as it went viral, it just was nothing more than when people only ever become interested for a very brief moment in something like baseball and the world series because the team from their town or state had a rare year of winning everything. After the big match our game is over for the year, you'll never hear them talk about or so any interest in that sport unless it becomes the popular thing to do again. As far what you said about logano and Chase Elliott, I used to feel the same way about Joey and couldn't stand the guy for the longest amount of time until very recently when it hit me that he's actually a veteran now and older wiser man. So sometime in 2022 I completely changed my mind and started to actually pull for Joey to win races and be up front as the opposite happened with Chase Elliott. When he hit the scene and was driving for Dale Jr in the Xfinity series, I immediately started to light and pull for him mainly because I'm a fan of Bill Elliott. Then sometime around the year Chase went on to win the championship in cup, it's like I just started to see his attitude change where he acted like he was just the hot shot coolest guy in town and I really can't stand it when people change and become that way, therefore I actively root against Chase and thats sad to me

[@Rusty_Nickle]

They used to do that kind of stuff all the time. Back before they had these fancy cars that stuck to the road real good in the turns. During the real stock car racing days They would get real high on the track and they would use that wall to stabilize their back end. Just like he did. It looks worse than it is because of the material they use on the wall but he was just barely scuffing his back end

[@gforcefilms97]

I feel like there is an element on the Blaney at Phoenix thing that wasn't mentioned. You did mention that they're teammates so, rather than Nascar rigging it, there is also the possibility that Penske had told Blaney to not pass if this situation arose during the closing stages of the race. They couldn't know ahead of time if someone would be able to make a late charge but having that car in between Logano and his challenger would be valuable for the team

[@FantasySportsZen]

Yup

[@kailahmann1823]

There is another thing that feels "fishy" and that's the pole for the Daytona 500. In way to many years it was just the driver, everybody already just talks about - especially several rookies, who may be "the next super star". And this is probably way easier to rig than a full race and also has zero relevance even for this race: just give the car way more power just for this lap.

[@buckstop]

I wasn't expect Va-11 Hall-A music in a NASCAR vid

[@JBeebeGaming]

NASCAR has plenty of rigging. There was a lot of suspect debris cautions back in the Jimmie Johnson 5 straight area where Jimmie was running well but not realistically in contention to win a race. Then a caution comes out just time for a green white checker which bunched up the field and gave Jimmie a better shot at winning. Jimmie often won in this scenario but not every time

[@BigBones2109]

I haven't had a favorite driver since Ernie Irvan retired, but since the hail melon, Ross Chastain is my new favorite driver!

[@DepravedCoTApologist]

That's funny, because Ross gets compared to Irvan a lot

[@randomhero123]

A lot of tv ratings compared to previous years are going to be rekt to begin with. 10-20 years ago everyone had cable or satellite, now I only know a handful of older family members or in-laws that have it. Yeah, some people use Hulu or official apps to stream races/games but it's not like it was growing up where everyone had the same options for every time slot.

[@evannuh-koo-la4054]

One thing you didn't talk about was that Chastain initially finished fifth, but then Brad Keselowski got disqualified from the race afterword, and with Keselowski being disqualified; Chastain would've gained two stage points and knock Hamlin out of the final four if he stayed in tenth place, making the Hail Melon completely pointless at the end of the day

[@craigcampbell8560]

That may be true, but your point is pointless because that was NOT the case when Ross did the wall ride because there was no way for him to know it was unnecessary when he did it. Because he DID do it, whether it was ultimately pointless in the end or not doesn't really matter. It's still the coolest and most hilarious move I've ever seen a race car driver make.

[@Nascarfan1896]

Stage points aren't affected by DQs though so no it wouldn't have had an effect

[@StevenCityChevy-Fusion]

​@@Nascarfan1896Wrong. It was reported by NASCAR media (I think it was Packrass.) that Chastain would've advanced anyway due to the penalty. When a driver/car is D.Q.'d they are put in last place as if they didn't complete a lap.

[@Nascarfan1896]

@fortnite-fusion11 Yeah I know how DQs work. The stage points however are locked in. The points for the finishing position are affected, But the stage points earned earlier are not(It's what happened with Harvick's dq at dega and Busch who finished 11th in stage 2 specifically that I know.) Unless they changed it before this season, Brad's dq only would have got Ross a max of 1 more point

[@StevenCityChevy-Fusion]

@@Nascarfan1896 There's no need in debating it when it's a clear cut answer and can be found in a Google search. Just search "kevin harvick talladega disqualification stage points" and one of the first things that should come up is the paragraph from several articles, including an Associated Press article, that says what the penalty was and how he was also stripped of all of his stage points earned.

[@Z0RDR4CK]

You mentioned it; We go through things way too quickly, we suck them up in a very short time, overfeed ourselves with all sorts of material in a very short time, until we get tired of it and look for something new - there is no longer lasting effect in it in the end. We chase after one trend after another and don't allow ourselves to rest anymore - we live on adrenaline. We pour out adrenaline while we sit on the couch and watch some hot scene over and over again until the body says; _I get it now, no more adrenaline for this kind of $hit!_ This is not healthy at all and our body is there first to tell us. We need more breaks, we need to allow ourselves some rest. Maybe do some sport without paying attention to any numbers, weights or times, but simply because it gives us energy and is fun. So that we have a fully charged battery again for new exciting stuff, like the Yankees throwing In 'n' Out's at the Orioles' batters'.

[@mitchell-wallisforce7859]

I don't even think the Hail Melon would've worked at Phoenix. It worked at Martinsville because of the long straights and short-duration, tight corners. In order to make the Hail Melon work at Phoenix, he'd have to carry way more speed and lose very little of it over a far larger outline of a turn than is present at Martinsville. This is made worse by how wide Phoenix's turns are, meaning a vast difference in distance between the optimal racing line and the wallride strat. As for what there is to learn from all this, I have some kind of an idea, but if I speak I am in big trouble, so I'll leave it there.

[@Thee_Sinner]

Here’s why it didn’t change anything for TV ratings: no one that isn’t already watching NASCAR regularly knows where to watch. The only racing series I still watch is Australian Supercars because they play their races live right here on KZbin for “members.”

[@15DEAN1995]

The playoff system is still a dumb championship system. Hypothetically if the top 4 were separated by 4 points and 5th is one point behind 5th then 5th has almost the same chance to win as the others right? Nope it's impossible because they weren't selected...

[@Rogue_FiveR5]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@canuckster24]

The whole thing is D-U-M-B, no other sport lets other teams compete once eliminated. European Football has no playoffs to crown it's league champion, except in the good ol USA of course, and it's the most popular sport in the world.

[@YOUTY209]

Thoughts from a non-nascar fan: I don’t think the problem is with virality in modern culture. I think the problem is that the media around nascar doesn’t know how to present itself in a modern context. If it was about virality, I don’t think there would be much difference in it now and then. I’m sure a lot of people can relate to being a kid and watching NASCAR because you *wanted* to see a crash. That’s the same reason I watched hockey, I wanted to see a fight. I think where those 2 sports deviate though is that the strategy in hockey is a lot more obvious. I started watching for fights as a kid, and I still watch now because through those early games I learned enough to be deeply intrigued by the game now. Nascar has that depth too, I know it does even not being a fan because of videos like this. It seems that the media around Nascar though doesn’t understand that its depth is less readily apparent. Again, to use hockey as an example, when they expand to a new market the commentary for that market is drastically and noticeably different because they know it’s still more complicated than a sport like baseball or basketball. Nascar on the other hand never seems to talk about the intricate details and dynamics of passing, for instance, in mainstream media. It has gone full on into the trope of car go fast, and that’s fucking fun but it’s also not enough to hold the engagement of people if they don’t already know about what’s going on under the surface. I can tell you that if Nascar as a whole was able to present itself better, I do genuinely think I would be a fan - but until Nascar is able to blend its current commentary and presentation with the style of videos that you or emp Leon (or, not technically nascar but Motorsports still; chain bear)’s videos, where both the dedicated fan and casual newcomer can enjoy the experience, I don’t think their ratings will improve.

[@dirtystockcardriver]

This was the 1st viral moment since the jet drier incident. For me, anyway

[@tsholts5173]

And if anyone now saw this out of context, they might think it's for the race win and that's it's the very first time a wall ride video game move had been done. I feel you at the end man. Just tiring endless arguments on why post-season racing doesn't work, but no one listens despite saying that TV viewership matters most. They singlehandedly made it so pretty much every race doesn't really matter, and then wonder why viewership goes down

[@AndrewBarsky]

“Everyone there just stood in disbelief.” “George, his sister Emma, and their three kids couldn’t believe it.”

[@LousyCreepers]

HUH

[@charlafrederick1245]

The reality is if Blaney had raced Logano at the end, Chastain would have had a chance to catch up, use hail melon, etc. I agree with the others, this was a team decision to ensure the team one the championship. The last race playoff sucks

[@zlinedavid]

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 1000 times: NASCAR has been burning countless bridges with fans for over 20 years trying to artificially replicate 1992 every year.

[@danieljackett4193]

THIS 1992 will ALWAYS be the best Cup Series season

[@zlinedavid]

@@danieljackett4193 What NASCAR can’t seem to get is that you can’t plan things like that. They just happen. That’s what makes them special. Some years the Super Bowl is competitive. Some years it’s a blowout. You can’t artificially create “the best event ever” every single year.

[@MrLeftTurn]

BINGO

[@myblacklab7]

Drivers letting other drivers win the race on purpose defeats the whole purpose of racing. Imagine if in baseball a batter struck out on purpose, because the pitcher had the same sponsor as the batter, and was in a tight race for the Cy Young Award.

[@ThePurpleAndRed]

Uhhhh…. Ryan wasn’t eliminated from the playoffs? He was eliminated at Martinsville when Bell won. MTJ was the driver that didnt make it.

[@bobanator1161]

Hey Slap, your video about Buschwacking was amazing and I love rewatching it. However there is a second reason why Buschwacking became such an issue for 5 or so years. In the early 2000’s NASCAR teams bought their tires and if they didn’t use a set they would sell the to lower teams for half price. This way backmarkers were getting cheap tires and big teams were making some sort of return on them. Then NASCAR changed the rules to where you “lease tires”. Part of this rule change banned teams from testing unless you were lucky enough to be picked by Goodyear to test. They implemented this rule change late in the season to where teams already had their budget set for next year. So the money that would have spent testing teams spent racing Busch cars and collecting their tire data that way.

[@tangydiesel1886]

Slap, emperor of nascar got them to change the script.

[@chromediesel444]

Every Cup Championship race since 2014 looked suspicious. Always a championship 4 driver won the championship race. It looks like NASCAR told non playoff to lay back and let the final 4 drivers win. I personally don't even buy into playoffs anymore because all it does is handicap the best all year, let the lesser driver/team beat the best all year, and win the title. It's all about Cinderella storylines but manufactured.

[@jrsmith5080]

1:40 blud snuck Cindric in 💀💀💀💀

[@NotSteveCook]

We know why he has that ride

[@sunshinez-2017]

I remember this race, it was the last 2 months of my senior year he beat my favorite driver Denny Hamlin, Only to have it rubbed in my face by everyone showing me this at school on Monday not knowing that this huge moment was to the turmoil of Denny Hamlin

[@Motorsport-club]

People who dislike nascar never try to at least tune in for a race to see what's up but no it's f1 fans and the non casual that's always shitting on nascar for going left, but in reality they turn a blind eye to the 7 roadcources that nascar has but hey it's mostly the old people that want the old nascar back with majority of the schedule being ovels, but they don't know that times has changed and every motersport is gunning for "entertainment" (especially F1) which they are ignorant to those facts. Hey I get that DALE died but get over it it's been 20+ years since that man has died. So saying nascar is dead because of him is hilarious because I red nascar was at it's peak in 2006 . And for the people saying nascar going woke is mostly because they don't like change. heck I am a gen z got in the sport In 2016 and saw the downfall of the sport first hand in 2017 to 2021 but ever since the next gen debut it's bring back viewership and exciting racing in the ovels and sellout attendance on tracks that don't even have good turnouts ( except for Texas terrible track) but hey hating on a sport and saying it's woke and don't like nascar and never watching it says alot about people. And how people are.

[@Noman1010-nh6uh]

​​@@alexmaccain2362the hell when I translate ur comment it's goes from sensible comment to sensitive how 😂😂😂

[@Motorsport-club]

@@Noman1010-nh6uh lol

[@Motorsport-club]

Wow in 29 min I got 8 likes lol

[@FRLN500]

Not really correct. I was a fan since the '50's. I quit watching when restrictor plates were mandated. I've never watched a complete race since.

[@Azeria]

Saying even Chase Elliott haters ‘don’t hate that much’ is just a lie. He may be the most popular driver, but that means he’s among the most popular to hate as well. This whole video feels pretty inobjective compared to your normal content. 17 minutes with the only evidence in your favour being “NASCAR ratings suck during the playoffs”, which is far more about it clashing with the NFL season than anything NASCAR does. F1 isn’t popular because it has a full season points format, it’s because the broadcast in America doesn’t have an ads and it’s on one channel every race, a channel that people know how to find. Next year the top three series will be split across FS1, FS2, FOX, NBC, USA, Peacock, and the CW. They don’t have a ten buck a month subscription to get around it either like F1 does. The broadcast is also ran by the sport, not FOX. That’s what NASCAR needs. It’s putting it where people are.

[@eliaspolychronopoulos4333]

What did we learn? The playoffs are still bad. That's what we learned.

[@kingofthetrill752]

"I don't fucking know man." Same way I've felt about NASCAR since the Next Gen debuted 😂 I don't know who to put in my fantasy line up, short tracks are ass now, and who knows what fuckery is going to happen between mechanical failures and NASCAR officiating. Oh and weather.