A bustling Pentagon briefing room took on the hum of Charlotte Motor Speedway today as NASCAR driver Ross Chastain rolled in with his family — and the Coca‑Cola 600 trophy.
For service members in the auditorium, the visit was a chance to meet the man who jolted the Memorial Day classic from "worst to first," winning after starting 40th, the deepest anyone has ever come to take the 600‑mile marathon.
For Chastain, it was a chance to thank the uniformed community that has quietly shaped his life and career and expand on the parallels between racing and uniformed service.
'Just Do It' — and Keep Doing It
Asked how an eighth‑generation farmer with no racing pedigree forged a path to NASCAR's premier series, Chastain pointed to a three‑letter motto painted on the side of the family farm: JDI — Just Do It.
"It starts for me with my dad," Chastain said. "You show up to the farm every day, and there's going to be something wrong — weather, plants, harvest, you name it. When we'd say, 'We can't do this,' he'd say, 'Just do it,' then leave us to figure it out or give us guidance. That's what motivates me: get up and do the job, whether that's finding sponsorship, training, mentally preparing or the actual driving."
Winning When Losing Is the Norm
With more than 200 national series starts, Chastain has earned a reputation as "NASCAR's busiest driver." The grind, he said, demands relentless teamwork and perspective.
"My whole body of work revolves around Trackhouse and the Cup team, but I also run Xfinity races and truck races," he explained. "Everybody in the industry has a desire to compete. We do more losing in NASCAR than most sports — 38 races a year, and it's a great season if you win one."
That mindset made last month's Coca‑Cola 600 triumph all the sweeter. The 600‑mile race — NASCAR's longest — doubled as a Memorial Day weekend tribute to military service. Chastain started 40th, wrecked his primary car in practice and climbed through the field in a rebuilt stock car to take the checkered flag.
"My whole career has been underdog‑esque," he said. "Saturday, we were the best car on the long run, then a left‑rear tire blew at 187‑and‑a‑half miles an hour. We took that car back, disassembled it, built a new one and had to start in the back. There are 400 laps, and every lap is a new chance. If I mess up the last one, I've learned to let it go, plan for the next and execute a little better. I didn't do all 400 perfect, but we did it right when it counted."
Chastain's victory serves as an example of resilience, a theme familiar to service members who often overcome obstacles in the path of mission success.
Service in the Rearview Mirror — and on the Dash
Chastain's visit came with personal ties to the military. He recounted stories from his grandfather, Carlee "Dick" Chastain, and great‑uncle, both artillerymen in the 1950s, along with a great‑grandfather on his mother's side who wore Army green during World War II.
"They looked at service as an honor and a way forward for the family," he said. "You can see the pride when they talk about it, and that's inspired a lot of us."
He also credited Marine veteran Al Niece, owner of the Truck Series team that gave Chastain early opportunities.
"He's like a third grandfather to me," Chastain said. "We sit at his house in Texas, drink coffee and he talks. He's up at 3:30 a.m. watching the news, running a successful business and proudly displaying that 'veteran‑owned' [decal] on the haulers. Hearing his stories molded me into a lot of what we do."
Those influences surfaced after the Coca‑Cola 600, when Chastain dedicated his win to Army Spc. Kevin McCrea, a paratrooper who was injured in 1983 and died in 2020. The driver held McCrea's photo aloft for cameras in victory lane, underscoring what the moment meant beyond points and prize money.
'It's Ok to Win'
Throughout his visit, Chastain returned to one theme: winning, and why unapologetically chasing it resonates with troops.
"At our core, everybody that works for Trackhouse is in NASCAR because they have a burning desire to compete and win," he said. "And it's ok to win. In a world where we are motivated by winning, that's what makes the Coca‑Cola 600 so special."
A Winning Tradition With Secretary Hegseth
To cap the visit, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth joined the driver on the parade field outside the Pentagon's River Entrance and lined up with his wife Jenny and their seven children, who stood shoulder to shoulder with Chastain. Each family member gripped a watermelon from the driver's Alva, Florida, farm, to re-create a Trackhouse celebration familiar to NASCAR fans, where Chastain shatters a watermelon in Victory Lane after every win to honor his humble roots.
"The guy who started in last in that race ended first," said Hegseth, who attended the race and to whom Chastain credited his good fortune.
"It was an awesome … Memorial Day weekend — honoring the troops, remembering those who'd given it all," the secretary continued. "And as Ross Chastain won the race, I thought, 'we've got to win [at the Pentagon.]'"
Chastain hoisted his own melon and reminded the group why the gesture matters.
"We only do this for wins," he said. "Throw [these melons] with everything you've got [because] the coolest part is eating it right off the ground."
For Chastain, the finale was one more lap in a victory tour that began on Charlotte's front stretch and finished steps away from the Pentagon.