mobile app bar

NASCAR’s New Tradition to Take After F1, IndyCar, IMSA as Mexico City Debut Inches Closer: But Does It Belong?

Jerry Bonkowski
Published

NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones (43) drives next to Denny Hamlin (11) during the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., Sunday, June 1, 2025.

In the movie Talladega Nights, the star Ricky Bobby (played by Will Ferrell) likes to say that “Second (place) is the first loser.” Well, NASCAR feels otherwise, as at the upcoming June 15 race in Mexico City, and for the first time in the sport’s history, there will be Olympic-style podium stands to honor the race winner, runner-up, and third-place finisher.

The move will be similar to how Formula One, IndyCar, and IMSA also have podiums to honor the 1-2-3 finishers in their races.

NASCAR has historically only emphasized the winner, essentially ignoring whoever finished second or third. But now that the sanctioning body is moving to an international stage, it would appear that it’s better to join other racing series and the way they honor their top three finishers, rather than to continue focusing solely on the race winner.

Is that a good or bad move?

I think it’s a good move and also brings NASCAR more in alignment with other racing series and how they celebrate the top three finishers of their events.

But the question arises — and it’s one NASCAR has yet to address — whether the inaugural podium showing at Mexico City will be a permanent addition at all other NASCAR tracks, from Richmond to Sonoma, Talladega to Daytona, and all other tracks on the Cup schedule.

Or, if NASCAR only does the podium showing at Mexico City and then reverts back to its winner-take-all celebrations after the rest of the wins, the Mexico City podium finish will appear somewhat hollow and thin.

I’ve always felt that second-and third-place finishers in NASCAR just don’t get the respect they deserve. They endured a tight finish and sometimes even a photo finish to determine who won a race. So why not honor them?

There is no shame or dishonor in finishing second or third. Rather, that’s an accomplishment that more than 30 other drivers who finished lower in the race results would love to have themselves.

I don’t know if NASCAR will present each of the top three finishers with a gold, silver, or bronze ceremonial medal that will go around each driver’s neck. In a way, it would be a nice touch.

Will NASCAR Fans Accept the New Podium Celebration?

But on the other hand, critics will likely be quick to jump to the fore and say, “What took you so long?” Or they might consider NASCAR as a copycat, following the lead of the other race series that have post-race podium celebrations.

It will be a refreshing change of pace to see Cup drivers honored on podiums. But it also raises another question: will the U.S. national anthem be played — much like we see it played for event winners in the Olympics?

Or what if, say, Mexican native Daniel Suarez wins in Mexico City? Will the Mexican national anthem be played and will the Mexican flag be raised in celebration of Suarez’ accomplishment?

No matter what, having podium celebrations at Mexico City will hopefully become a new tradition that goes forward at all NASCAR events.

Post Edited By:Srijan Mandal

About the author

Jerry Bonkowski

Jerry Bonkowski

x-icon

Jerry Bonkowski is a veteran sportswriter who has worked full-time for many of the top media outlets in the world, including USA Today (15 years), ESPN.com (4+ years), Yahoo Sports (4 1/2 years), NBCSports.com (8 years) and others. He has covered virtually every major professional and collegiate sport there is, including the Chicago Bulls' six NBA championships (including heavy focus on Michael Jordan), the Chicago Bears Super Bowl XX-winning season, the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs World Series championships, two of the Chicago Blackhawks' NHL titles, Tiger Woods' PGA Tour debut, as well as many years of beat coverage of the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA for USA Today. But Jerry's most notable achievement has been covering motorsports, most notably NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA drag racing and Formula One. He has had a passion for racing since he started going to watch drag races at the old U.S. 30 Dragstrip (otherwise known as "Where the Great Ones Run!") in Hobart, Indiana. Jerry has covered countless NASCAR, IndyCar and NHRA races and championship battles over the years. He's also the author of a book, "Trading Paint: 101 Great NASCAR Debates", published in 2010 (and he's hoping to soon get started on another book). Away from sports, Jerry was a fully sworn part-time police officer for 20 years, enjoys reading and music (especially "hair bands" from the 1980s and 1990s), as well as playing music on his electric keyboard, driving (fast, of course!), spending time with Cyndee his wife of nearly 40 years, the couple's three adult children and three grandchildren (with more to come!), and his three dogs -- including two German Shepherds and an Olde English Bulldog who thinks he's a German Shepherd.. Jerry still gets the same excitement of seeing his byline today as he did when he started in journalism as a 15-year-old high school student. He is looking forward to writing hundreds, if not thousands, of stories in the future for TheSportsRush.com, as well as interacting with readers.

Share this article