Do These Celebrations Belong in NASCAR?
“Second sucks!” The same could be said for third, fourth, and every spot after that. In NASCAR, no finishing position is celebrated besides first. It’s the nature of the game, and a tradition passed down through generations of racing history. So, when NASCAR announced a podium celebration for the Xfinity Series and NASCAR Cup Series on Amazon Prime at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City this weekend, it took many fans by surprise. The sport has opted for a Formula 1–style, gold, silver, and bronze medal type of closing ceremony — an incredibly uncommon gesture in NASCAR’s world.
Podium celebrations are a fixture in many international motorsports. Formula 1 and IndyCar routinely honor the top three, complete with champagne showers and all the pomp and circumstance that NASCAR reserves solely for the winner. At classic races like Le Mans and Monza, champagne spraying is practically a ritual — dating back to Dan Gurney’s spontaneous cork-pop at Le Mans in 1967. Even the Indianapolis 500 brings its flair, from the milk chug to climbing the catch-fence like Josef Newgarden so gracefully does.
Meanwhile, NASCAR has crafted its celebratory style: the burnout! The winner spins their rear tires in triumph while the runners-up watch from a distance. The tradition dates back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, with legends like Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and even Dale Earnhardt, whose doughnuts in the infield at the 1998 Daytona 500 became an iconic symbol for NASCAR. It’s raw, obnoxious, and incredibly American. It unapologetically focuses on the single race winner. There have been rare exceptions to this winner-only ritual, though. From 2022 to 2024, the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum borrowed Olympic-style podium ceremonies, handing out medals to the top three. This was only an exhibition race though and was done for fun.
This weekend marks a true turning point. NASCAR is staging its first official podium ceremony in a Cup points race since July 18, 1958, when the “Jim Mideon 500” was run at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium. The catch is, that only three drivers finished that NASCAR Grand National race that day, with Lee Petty taking the win, Cotton Owens coming in second, and an unknown driver coming in third. It was the last Cup points race held internationally until this weekend in Mexico City. To honor foreign tradition, NASCAR has framed the podium in Mexico City as a one‑time nod to its global audience, stressing there are “no current plans” to bring podiums beyond this weekend.
Reactions have been mixed. Mexican driver Daniel Suárez embraced it, saying the podium “felt fitting for a different cultural setting.” Online, many fans were blunt with their comments. One wrote, “Everyone gets a participation trophy like little kids? Stupid idea,” while another summed it up perfectly: “Why? second and third are meaningless under this playoff system.” Which brings us to the heart of the matter: do podiums belong in NASCAR? In a sport where “If you ain’t first, you’re last” is gospel, celebrating second and third feels out of character. NASCAR thrives on its gritty intensity and unshakeable focus on being the first to cross the finish line, not participation trophies. It’s like a team losing the Super Bowl and expecting to celebrate with the winners—sure, you had a good season. You made the Super Bowl after all, but you lost!
Podiums may sparkle in F1 and Le Mans, but in NASCAR, they clash with its core identity, where only first truly matters. NASCAR’s Ben Kennedy said when asked about bringing podiums to every NASCAR race, “I like it… but I’m not sure I love it.” This weekend’s podium in Mexico City may be a cultural concession, but NASCAR knows deep down it’s just a special occasion. In NASCAR’s heartland, there just isn’t room at the top for second or third.
