Ross Chastain promotes safe driving while meeting with racing fans ahead of the Food City 500

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — NASCAR Cup Series Driver Ross Chastain visited the Food City in Blountville Saturday morning to greet fans and promote the importance of driving with safety in mind.

The event was hosted by the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) in partnership with Food City, and aimed to remind the community to “use your melons” when driving. This includes simple things to make a car ride safer, like wearing your seat belt, driving sober, and keeping your hands free.

Food City 500 Race Weekend: Schedule, TV coverage and more

Chastain said he and his family traveled to Blountville from his home in North Carolina Saturday morning and he enjoys practicing safety on and off the track every day.

“It’s something I’ve been promoting, safe driving, for several years across several different teams,” he said. “And as I moved from team to team and series to series, the message remained the same. This is truly one of the longest programs I have been a part of. So (I’m) doing it here in Bristol, a place where I’ve ridden like everyone else.

Along with the meeting with Chastain, a character named Ollie Otter greeted the children while Ballad Health conducted car seat checks for families with young children. The THSO also brought its seat belt system, a device that allows participants to feel the impact of wearing a seat belt during an accident.

As for the concrete race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Chastain said he is excited to take to the track.

“I’ve done a lot of dirt racing outside of NASCAR, but I love ripping up concrete. I mean, so fast, so much grip, so much throttle time.

More information on this weekend’s racing events can be found here.

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