NASCAR driver recreates wall ride from 2005 GameCube game to qualify for championship
"I never knew if it would actually work."
A NASCAR driver pulled off a wall ride stunt on the final lap of the Xfinity 500 race at Martinsville Speedway yesterday.
The inspiration for the move came from NASCAR 2005, according to driver Ross Chastain.
"I played a lot of NASCAR 2005 on the GameCube which I had growing up," Chastain explained in his post-race interview. "You could get away with it," he continued, referring to using the move in-game, "and I never knew if it would actually work [in real life]."
The move was a tactic which Chastain said he had only planned to use if needed. Coming in to that final bend, Chastain was in 10th position but needed to finish higher to have a chance of qualifying for the Championship 4 playoffs at Phoenix Raceway this weekend.
"I have never seen anything like that before in my life," one of the commentators said. There's a good reason why. The move is extremely dangerous, as the driver accelerates the car into the bend of the wall and lets go of the wheel whilst keeping the gas on. "I grabbed fifth gear down the back and full committed," Chastain said. "I just hoped I didn't catch the turn four access gate or something crazy but I was willing to do it."
The right side of Chastian's car finished the race quite damaged. NASCAR shared footage from inside Chastain's car as he drove against the wall, and it's not pretty to watch.
Fellow NASCAR driver Chase Briscoe shared his attempt at pulling off the move in-game, which did not see the same success as Chastain.
Other NASCAR drivers have also attempted the same trick in races, but this is the first time the move has been successful. Needless to say, please don't try this in real life.