Everyone has a core memory from their childhood of a parent driving around the family car, tapping the steering wheel to their favorite band.
NASCAR driver Ross Chastain was certainly playing the part of classic dad/mom driver, but instead of driving his kids to school, he was in the middle of a high speed race. A video of Ross driving along at New Hampshire Motor Speedway playfully tapping on the steering wheel has made its way around social media and gotten the attention of NASCAR fans.
A fan sent out a tweet making fun of the stock car driver, saying:
And to be honest, I’ve never seen a more accurate tweet.
Just imagine one of Steely Dan’s great songs like “Reelin’ In The Years,” or “Deacon Blues” and the thumb dancing lines up perfectly.
I’ve always just assumed that NASCAR drivers ride in silence unless they are communicating with their pit crew, and while that’s probably true, I imagine some might be able to turn some tunes on during practice.
Think about it… if you are driving over 160 miles per hour, you would want to limit distractions and stay focused on the road ahead (and the plethora of left turns). However, it is funny to think about professional race car drivers catching up on the latest podcast, or even listening to their favorite artist playlist.
Turns out, that’s exactly what Ross Chastain was doing, or at least what he says he was doing. The 30-year-old NASCAR driver sent out a tweet in response to the initial meme, saying:
“I was listening to Cody Johnson actually.”
Great choice by Ross Chastain, and I do wonder what song was exactly playing (in his head) in that moment where the camera caught him steering wheel dancing. Could it have been “Dear Rodeo,” or maybe a deep cut from his latest album like “Cowboy Scale of 1 to 10”?
We’ll have to see if Chastain ever comes out and clarifies, but for now we can confirm that he is a certified country music fan.
Makes a lot of sense too. Nothing goes together better than NASCAR and country music.
