WATCH: NASCAR driver Ross Chastain throws watermelons off COTA's 251-foot observation tower

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Ross Chastain won NASCAR's EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix last year at Circuit of the Americas, and as a nod to his family's watermelon-farming roots, he threw a big green melon on the track near the finish line to celebrate his first-ever Cup Series victory.

It's a celebration he's continued whenever he wins, but it started in Austin. On Friday, he took smashing fruit to a new level and threw a few off the 251-foot observation tower at COTA ahead of Sunday's race. There was a tarp on the ground with targets he was aiming at, and the aftermath of the gravity-fueled fruit colliding with the ground caused huge holes in the tarp but brought big cheers from fans and other onlookers.

The Alva, Florida native also signed watermelons he didn't obliterate from the tower's deck and gave them out as souvenirs for fans.

"It's a little higher than I thought it would be," Chastain said of COTA's observation tower. "I was a little off to the right with my first one, with my last one I was about 3/4 of a watermelon off the bullseye."

After his fruit smashing that would make the late prop-comedian Gallagher jealous, Chastain got in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing and finished third in a practice run. He's currently third in the Cup Series standings and finished 13th last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Race qualifying is set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday.