NASCAR driver Ross Chastain to visit Mooseheart

MOOSEHEART – NASCAR driver Ross Chastain will stop at Mooseheart near Batavia from noon to 2 p.m. on Oct. 23 while on his way to NASCAR’s Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a news release.

Chastain drove the No. 42 Moose-emblazoned Chevrolet Camaro in four races this year. A member of Tice and the Shores, Florida Lodge 1297, Chastain is also a spokesman for the Moose and its missions.

“We are excited to have Ross make a pit stop at Mooseheart on Saturday, Oct. 23 to visit with the students,” Moose CEO Scott Hart stated in the release. “It will be his second visit to our campus, but his first as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver.”

In addition to Chastain’s visit, Saturday afternoon will be marked by hay rides and Mooseheart students visiting an on-campus haunted house.

During his visit, Chastain will participate with Mooseheart students in various Halloween-themed activities.

All events are free and open to the public. All outdoor events are scheduled weather permitting.

The visit marks a return to Mooseheart for Chastain, who met students and staff in 2020.

“You wouldn’t know that Chastain was a rising star among motorsports elite drivers, because he has the same humble and gracious character he possessed as a child growing up on his family’s watermelon farm in central Florida,” Hart said stated in the release. “Ross has made visits to our Moose lodges during NASCAR race weekends and our members have enjoyed connecting with him as a fellow Moose member.”

Chastain’s 2020 visit to Mooseheart came while he was racing on the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing.

This season, Chastain stepped into a full-time NASCAR Cup Series ride with Chip Ganassi Racing. Next season, Chastain moves to drive the No. 1 Camaro with Trackhouse Racing Team.

Chastain has finished in the top 10 on eight occasions this season, including a runner-up finish in the Ally 400 in Nashville in June. Chastain also finished third on Sept. 5 at iconic Darlington Raceway in the Southern 500.

“We’ve had fun watching the No. 42 Moose Fraternity car race around the track at speeds in excess of 180 mph, but it is even better to know that Ross carries with him the message that Mooseheart is here to help children reach their full potential,” Hart stated in the release. “It may be pumpkin pie season, but I think we’ll see a few watermelon slices shared this weekend. And who knows, the ‘Watermelon Man’ may be smashing one on the start/finish line at the Kansas Speedway on Sunday.”

Chastain’s visit coincides with Founder’s Day, an annual celebration when Mooseheart remembers the 1906 entry into the Fraternity of James J. Davis, who transformed The Moose and made his dream of a campus for children come true.