MANTECA, CA – Van Groningen & Sons geared up for watermelon season this past weekend June 10-11 at the Sonoma Raceway. The company sponsored a hospitality tent for their customers and growers at the two-day NASCAR race event. “Our goal was to bring all of our partners together to kick off our season in a fun and relaxed way while we root on a fellow member of our industry, Ross Chastain!” explained Danielle Ratto, saleswoman for Van Groningen & Sons. Chastain, who drives the #1 car for Trackhouse Racing in the Cup Series and the #91 car for DGM Racing in the Xfinity Series is an 8th generation watermelon farmer from Alva, Florida. Earning himself the nickname “Melon Man”, Chastain is a huge advocate for agriculture and has done a lot for the farming community. Aside from his love of farming, Chastain also is a spokesman for the “Protect Your Melon” campaign promoting safe driving habits.
The two-day event was kicked off on Saturday with the Xfinity Series Doordash 250 and concluded on Sunday with the Nascar Cup Series Toyota/Savemart 350 race. Guests of Van Groningen & Sons were treated to an early morning meet and greet with Ross Chastain on Sunday where he felt right at home with fellow watermelon growers from across the West. “Ross is such a down to earth guy and you can really tell that racing isn’t his only passion, farming also runs deep in his veins” Ratto added. The Van Groningen Family received a pre-race visit from Ross at their farm in Manteca, California last Thursday where they toured him around and showed him their operation. Chastain finished top 10 in the race on Sunday and he definitely had the “sweetest” crowd cheering him on from Turn 3.
To learn more about our company, please visit our website at www.vgandsons.com.
