‘Protect Your Melon’; NASCAR driver Ross Chastain promotes driver safety

CORDELE, Ga. – The great Lightning McQueen once said “I am speed” but with excessive speed comes danger and that’s why NASCAR driver Ross Chastain came to Cordele… to teach road safety.

“We were looking years ago at something we could do more than just chase checker flags and we came up with ‘Protect Your Melon’ and ‘Use Your Melon’,” said Ross Chastain, NASCAR driver.

‘Protect Your Melon’ is an organization joined by the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

“We met ross several years ago and we like to emulate making sure that, that seatbelt holds you inside of that car,” said Allen Poole, Director of Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

NASCAR driver Ross Chastain tells me safety precautions in NASCAR are just as significant as safety on the highway.

“We don’t have airbags, we don’t have a lot of the safety features that your accustomed to in your car. But, I’ve got nine seatbelts, a custom molded seat, I’ve got a hands device,” said Ross Chastain, NASCAR driver.

The ‘Protect Your Melon’ campaign was built to have a safer road in the future.

“If we can teach them and train them at an early age, they’ll learn to not only, emulate their parents but they’ll follow the lead of Ross,” said Poole.

‘Protect Your Melon’ campaign has spread to multiple states.

“We’ve just not looked back, it started humbly with one state and now we’re up to seven states across the country, and I’m proud that states keep coming back,” said Chastain.

Ross Chastain will compete in the Quaker State 400 race this Sunday at 7 p.m.

And according to a post on the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Facebook page, Ross Chastain will be signing autographs at the GOHS booth on Sunday July 9th from 4-4:30 p.m. at the Atlanta Motor Speedway!

Cameron Sanders reporting.

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