St Louis, Mo.-based Vegetables by Bayer and its Seminis seed brand are sponsoring watermelon grower and NASCAR driver Ross Chastain.
The sponsorship was officially kicked off at the June 5 NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis, according to a news release.
The partnership between Seminis and the NASCAR driver is ideal, the release said. Chastain is an eighth-generation watermelon grower, who’s also known as The Melon Man on the circuit.
“Ross is an excellent driver, who uses his experience growing up, and working in, those watermelon fields to keep pushing to provide his best,” Miriam Paris, head of Americas’ Customer Engagement and Marketing Excellence for Vegetables by Bayer, said in the release.
“We’re proud of what he’s achieved on the track, but even more proud of the work he does on behalf of agriculture. Fruits and vegetables are an essential cornerstone for everyone’s health, but it takes a lot of hard work to ensure that they look good, taste great and that everyone has access to them. Ross is passionate about educating consumers about where their food comes from and in sharing the stories about the families who grow it.”
The sponsorship support from Seminis is valued, the driver said.
“Farming is hard work and a 24/7 job where we have to navigate a lot of variables,” Chastain said in the release. “The innovative, quality seeds from Seminis and other tools they provide help farms like ours so we can continue to grow great-tasting fruits and vegetables. Bayer and Seminis drive for high performance, too, so I appreciate their support on the track and in our fields as well.”
