How to pick the perfect watermelon? Let NASCAR’s ‘Melon Man’ offer a couple pointers

What should a grocery shopper look for in buying a ripe, juicy watermelon?

Let NASCAR driver Ross Chastain, an eighth-generation watermelon farmer from Florida, explain.

“Look, lift and turn,” said Chastain, known for smashing a watermelon in Victory Lane to celebrate wins. “Look for symmetrical stripes. “The rind pattern should be symmetrical left to right all the way down. Lift it up. It should be heavy for its size They’re 92% water. They’re going to feel heavy.

“Turn it over. The bottom should be yellow, not white. So the yellower, in my opinion, the better.”

But don’t waste your time thumping the melons.

“I can’t thump them,” Chastain said. “I’ve thumped thousands of watermelons, and I cannot figure out what the thumping does.”