Ross Chastain talks 'personal' partnership, compares NASCAR approach to growing season

Prior to the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at the beginning of October, Suburban Propane President and CEO Michael Stivala joined NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain, an eighth-generation watermelon farmer, for a conversation moderated by PRN’s Andrew Kurland on the intersection of NASCAR, agriculture and energy.

It was all a part of an interactive fan experience during race weekend at the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) oval in Las Vegas, Nevada which showcased how propane supports NASCAR while also highlighting emerging energy applications, including propane-powered mobile EV charging through Pioneer eMobility and ABB’s NASCAR EV Prototype.

After Ross shared his perspective as a Cup driver and lifelong farmer, and Michael discussed Suburban Propane’s agricultural roots, the company's NASCAR partnership, which dates back to 2025, and its reliable, lower-carbon energy solutions, we had a chance to catch up with both about the experience and about what makes Suburban Propane so key when it comes to the crossover between racing and farming.

Ross Chastain, driver of the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

1. How did you first become involved with Suburban Propane, and what is it about the  partnership that makes it a perfect pairing with you specifically? 

"Before I was a race car driver, I grew up on my family’s watermelon farm in Florida. My family has been farming for eight generations, and I remain closely connected to our operations today.  Agriculture shaped who I am, teaching me the value of hard work, resilience, and perseverance.

"That’s what makes Suburban Propane such a natural fit. With a longstanding commitment to American agriculture, Suburban Propane serves approximately one million residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers across 42 states, including many of the same hardworking people I grew up around. This partnership is personal, rooted in the industry, values, and way of life that have been part of my family for generations."

2. We’ve spoken before at length about your watermelon farming background and your desire to use your platform to promote agriculture. How have you and Suburban Propane worked together to do that on and off the track? 

"Suburban Propane is the Official Propane of NASCAR, helping power race weekends across the country. That creates a great platform to connect with NASCAR fans, many of whom come from rural and farming communities, and highlight the strong connection between racing and agriculture. Both industries depend on hard work, reliable equipment, fuel, and the people behind the scenes who keep everything moving. It’s a natural way to raise awareness of the important role propane plays in supporting American agriculture and rural communities. 

"Beyond the track, we work together through agricultural events, fan engagement and community programs that celebrate farming and rural America. The partnership is personal for me, too. As involved as I am in my family’s watermelon farm in Florida, I understand firsthand what it takes to keep an operation running, and I even have Suburban Propane installed at my own home, which brings that connection beyond the track and into my everyday life. 

"Growing up, I saw how much it takes to make a season successful. It’s the growers, suppliers, truck drivers, equipment operators, and fuel providers working behind the scenes every day.  Whether it’s on the farm or at the race track, those people share the same values of hard work, resilience, and perseverance. This partnership gives us an opportunity to recognize them, tell their stories, and celebrate the vital role they play in keeping our communities and our country moving."

3. As a watermelon farmer, can you explain the importance of propane in what you and your  family do on a day-to-day basis? 

"There’s no pause button on the farm. When it’s time to plant, irrigate or harvest, the work has to happen, and you need energy you can count on. For farms across the country, propane runs irrigation engines and generators, fuels crop drying, powers frost prevention systems that protect crops when the weather turns, and provides heating and backup power.  

"One of the biggest advantages is that propane is portable and reliable. Farms are often in places where access to the grid may be limited, and having fuel on-site means you’re not at the mercy of an outage or a supply delay during the most important weeks and months of the year. 

"When you grow up on a farm, you learn quickly that success comes from preparation and control. Reliable energy is a big part of that."

4. Tell me about the experience with Suburban Propane from Las Vegas (interactive fan experience, conversation with President and CEO Michael Stivala, etc.) 

"Las Vegas was a great example of what this partnership is all about. I sat down for a conversation with Suburban Propane’s President and CEO Michael Stivala about the intersection of NASCAR, agriculture and energy. I got to bring both my racing and farming perspectives, and Michael discussed Suburban Propane’s commitment to serving agricultural and rural communities, its partnership with NASCAR, and the future of energy. This partnership is a lot more connected than most fans realize."

5. What makes it important to have a partner like Suburban Propane, which is pushing toward  energy innovation, involved in and exposed to NASCAR? 

"Racing is about preparation, reliability and a constant drive to improve, and that’s exactly how Suburban Propane approaches energy. They’ve invested more than $300 million over the last five years in renewable propane, renewable natural gas and clean hydrogen, and they’re putting that to work in practical ways that people can actually see. 

"Their fan experience in Las Vegas is a good example. Showing fans propane-powered mobile EV charging next to an EV prototype makes the idea of energy innovation real, instead of something you just read about. This lines up with what farmers care about. Whatever comes next has to work in the real world, be reliable, and be affordable for the people who depend on it."

6. What do you hope to take away from the final five races of the 2026 season as you strive to  bounce back in 2027 and make another push for the Chase postseason? 

"Something farming taught me early is that you can’t control the weather, but you can control how prepared you are and how hard you work. That’s my mindset for these last few races – looking at what worked and what didn’t to set myself up for a better year, which is a lot like the end of the growing season."

Michael Stivala, Suburban Propane President and CEO

1. What makes Ross the ideal ambassador for Suburban Propane? 

"Ross isn’t talking about agriculture from the outside looking in. He comes from a farming family who has been growing watermelons for eight generations, so when he talks about what growers go through during planting and harvest, he speaks from real experience. That credibility matters to the farming communities who depend on our propane. 

"At the same time, he has a national platform in NASCAR. That combination lets us connect the worlds of racing and agriculture in a way no one else can and bring greater visibility to the people and industries that help fuel America. 

"Above all, Ross reflects the values we care about as a company: hard work, integrity, resilience and a real commitment to rural communities."

2. What was the company’s involvement in NASCAR (if any) prior to the current partnership? 

"Suburban Propane is the Official Propane of NASCAR, and through that relationship we help power race weekends across the country. We fuel track dryers, concessions and campgrounds on race weekends, and this year we expanded to 21 tracks nationwide. That gives us a strong foundation to engage fans. 

"Bringing Ross on board was a natural next step. It lets us expand our NASCAR platform beyond the track and tell a bigger story about the role propane plays in agriculture and in communities across America."

3. How did the partnership come about initially? 

"Agriculture has always been a core part of our business at Suburban Propane. For decades, farmers have trusted propane to power equipment, properties, and livestock operations. We wanted a way to tell that story to a broader audience, and to celebrate the growers and rural communities we serve.

"Ross stood out immediately. His farming roots, combined with his visibility and our existing partnership with NASCAR, made him a natural fit. We announced the partnership with a clear purpose: to highlight the essential role propane plays in agriculture and the communities that help feed America. That has been brought to life through promotional campaigns, fan engagement, agricultural events, and community programs.

"Beyond that, Ross is a customer of Suburban Propane, both at his home and on many of the farms under the Melon1 platform, so he has firsthand experience with our brand."

4. Tell me about the experience from Las Vegas (interactive fan experience, conversation with Ross, etc.)

"Ross and I had a great conversation about the intersection of NASCAR, agriculture, and energy. Ross shared his insights as a driver with farming heritage, and I talked about our agricultural roots, our NASCAR partnership and the reliable, lower-carbon energy solutions we’re investing in. 

"All weekend long, fans could visit our interactive fan experience to see how propane supports the sport and where new energy applications are headed. It was a great way to meet fans and give them a closer look at the work happening behind the scenes during race weekend."

5. How do you envision NASCAR and Suburban Propane working together moving forward to build reliable, lower-carbon energy solutions in the racing world? 

"The energy transition won’t be defined by a single technology or fuel. It will be defined by our ability to give people practical choices and multiple pathways forward. NASCAR is an ideal place to show that because it is a real-world environment where reliability and performance are non-negotiable. 

"Working with ABB, Kempower and NASCAR at the June race in San Diego, for example, we supplied renewable propane to power EV charging throughout the weekend. Renewable propane generators charged battery storage systems, which then powered mobile fast chargers. It showed how renewable propane can deliver reliable, lower-carbon power wherever grid access is limited.  

"And just recently in Las Vegas, we demonstrated emerging applications, including propane powered mobile EV charging through Pioneer eMobility and ABB’s NASCAR EV prototype. These activations show how propane can complement electrification, and it's always great to give fans a chance to see that technology in action."

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow