(AP Photo/Matt York, FILE)

(AP) -- NASCAR has essentially banned the "Hail Melon" video-game move driver Ross Chastain used at Martinsville Speedway to race his way into the championship finale.

Chastain last year mashed the gas and deliberately smashed into the wall so that the energy would speed his car past his rivals. The move advanced him into NASCAR's title-deciding final race on the final of the four spots, and was lauded by motorsports figures globally.

But his fellow NASCAR competitors thought Chastain's trick was both dangerous and not in the spirit of fair competition. NASCAR on Tuesday said the wall-hugging, jaw-dropping pass Chastain made on the final lap will be a penalty in 2023.

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