HARRINGTON, Del. — The Delaware Office of Highway Safety has tapped NASCAR driver Ross Chastain to help carry a simple but urgent message to drivers across the state: plan your ride home and don’t get behind the wheel impaired.
Celebrity outreach at the state fair
Chastain, a national-level driver who races in NASCAR events that include stops in Delaware, met with officials at the Delaware State Fair this week to promote the office’s “Use Your Melon” campaign, which aims to discourage dangerous decisions behind the wheel. The campaign pairs public-education messaging with enforcement efforts by state and local law-enforcement agencies.
Delaware’s outreach comes as authorities reported significant enforcement activity in 2025. Law enforcement efforts across the state resulted in more than 4,400 arrests and citations, figures that state officials point to when encouraging drivers to make safer choices at events and on routine nights out.
What Chastain is telling Delaware drivers
At the fair, Chastain emphasized responsibility and the role of planning when alcohol will be involved. His appeal was practical, urging people to consider how they will get home from an event or a race.
“There’s just plans you can make. And I want to get home from the state fair. I’m going to get home from Dover Motor Speedway whenever we race there. Again next year and the Cup Series or the triple like I ran this year and all the NASCAR series, we just want people to make decisions. If they’re going to be drinking alcohol, they’re going to be, partaking in any of that.”
The message intentionally blends personal accountability with the celebrity cachet of a national sports figure, a tactic public-safety officials have used repeatedly to raise awareness, particularly among younger or harder-to-reach drivers.
Enforcement and education working together
Delaware’s highway-safety approach pairs educational campaigns such as “Use Your Melon” with visible law-enforcement activity. Officials have used checkpoints, saturation patrols and targeted enforcement during holidays and big events. The 4,400 enforcement actions recorded in 2025 are the most recent statewide figure cited during outreach.
| 2025 Delaware enforcement | Figure |
|---|---|
| Arrests and citations | 4,400+ |
Why the timing matters
Summer in Delaware brings fairs, concerts and NASCAR race weekends — all occasions when alcohol use and large crowds increase the chances that impaired drivers will take to highways and local streets. By bringing a recognizable racing figure to a public event, the highway-safety office hopes to translate a national sports profile into local behavior changes.
Public-safety messaging tends to be more effective when it is frequent, visible and paired with reminders about practical steps people can take to avoid driving impaired. Those steps include designating a sober driver, using rideshare or public transit where available, or arranging accommodations nearby.
- Plan a sober ride home before attending events where alcohol may be served.
- Designate a non-drinking driver or use a rideshare service.
- Know that state enforcement is active — thousands of arrests and citations were recorded in 2025.
Local impact, national resonance
Delaware is a small state, but the collaboration illustrates a broader national trend: traffic-safety officials increasingly partner with celebrities and athletes to reach wider audiences. NASCAR in particular has a history of road-safety initiatives, and drivers who race on local tracks can lend credibility when they emphasize that everyone wants to get home safely.
For Delaware officials, the partnership is also an attempt to break through the noise of public-safety campaigns by delivering a concise directive — plan ahead — at venues where drivers make choices in real time.
As Delaware heads into the busy summer schedule of fairs, racetracks and festivals, the highway-safety office is reinforcing a single line of advice: think ahead, arrange a safe way home and avoid driving impaired.
Coverage of these outreach efforts will continue as the state monitors enforcement results and public response during peak event weeks.
