Watch Ross Chastain's Team Celebrate His Viral 'Video Game' Move At Martinsville

If you’re like us, you’ve been rewatching and rewatching Ross Chastain’s now-famous video game maneuver that earned him a place in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4. If you can't get enough of the spectacular maneuver, the latest episode of the USA Network original series “Race For The Championship” offered viewers an angle of the moment they may not have seen before. 

The cameras on the track were rolling when the Watermelon Man made his last-ditch, wall-hugging play, but “Race For The Championship” cameras caught the elation of his pit crew as well as Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks.

As soon as it’s clear that Chastain defied all odds and vaulted into the Championship 4, everyone starts hugging each other and celebrating. Marks, at one point, literally jumps on the barrier at pit road and throws his hands up in victory. It's the kind of celebratory moment that makes NASCAR history.

Just before the cheers, Chastain was sitting in 10th position and knew he had to catch up to Denny Hamlin, sitting in 5th, to qualify for the Championship 4 after the duo had been dueling for points all day. With the opportunity quickly slipping away, Chastain's only hope was to attempt a move he first came up with when he was 8 years old playing a NASCAR video game. 

RELATED: Overcoming The Odds: Ross Chastain’s Ready To Make You A Believer

Chastain hit the throttle and rode the wall, giving him an amazing burst of speed which catapulted his Chevy Camaro several positions forward and allowed him to overtake Hamlin just before they crossed the finish line. Just like that, the wild gambit put Chastain in place to win the whole NASCAR Cup Series in 2022.

“Played a lot of NASCAR 2005 on the GameCube," Chastain said on PRN radio (via Autoweek). "I never knew if it actually worked. I did that when I was 8. I grabbed fifth gear down the back and full committed." 

The latest episode also picked up this exchange between Chastain and his crew chief after the big fourth-place finish.

“I don’t know how long you’ve been sitting on that move but that was f--king incredible,” says Phil Surgen, Crew Chief for Trackhouse Racing.

“A long time,” an overjoyed Chastain responds. 

The moment from the episode ended with Chastain hugging Marks and saying how shocked he was that the bold move actually worked in real life before turning and getting a big hug from his proud father. 

Although the NASCAR community enjoyed the high-stakes move, some of Chastain's fellow drivers were critical.

Meanwhile, NASCAR’s Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell said this week that the maneuver was clearly within the rules, but didn't rule out revisiting the issue in the offseason.

Catch up on past episodes of “Race For The Championship” on Peacock right now.