Menu
Think all wins are celebrated the same in sports? Think again when it comes to NASCAR racing. Just like snow crystals, no two tracks execute a race-win celebration the same way with the same cookie-cutter, carbon-copy trophy.
With this week’s announcement by Texas Motor Speedway not to use the six-shooter celebration (which would have made this list in the past), we decided to take a look at other unique celebrations.
The Daily Downforce takes a look at five celebrations that are looked forward to after the race in much the same way a last-lap pass is during the final moments.
The typical trophy in sports is shiny and golden looking, to be held up easily for all to see. Well, Dover doesn’t roll like that. Meet Miles the Monster, the gray character named after the track’s nickname, which is — you guessed it, Captain Obvious — the Monster Mile.
The track is pretty evil, in much the same way Miles the Monster looks — both at trophy size and jumbo size as the 46-foot high statue fans can visit in Victory Plaza. For all of you older fans, he kind of reminds us of that old game of Rock ‘Em and Sock ‘Em Robots.
Kiss any nasty, rubber-pebble-infested bricks lately? Well, elite drivers in NASCAR and IndyCar get to do it, and they say it’s as sweet as kissing the person they love most.
When the race team lines up on the track at the Indy Brickyard, it is worth hanging around for several minutes after the live race broadcast just to see this celebration, because it’s not your average hat-dance experience in victory lane.
The Bristol Motor Speedway Gladiator Sword made its debut in 2014 and has been a popular addition to the already uber-cool BMS Cup Trophy (which began being given in the early 1980s). The sword is stainless steel and is 30 inches long and is badass.
Clearly, if you can win on this half-mile “bullring”, you are the NASCAR version of a gladiator and are rewarded accordingly.
Jimmie Johnson won eight Martinsville Grandfather Clocks in his NASCAR Cup career, and he displays them all proudly in what he calls his “man cave” at home. The seven-foot-tall timepieces are quite the discussion topic when he has friends over for a cold sasparilla — if you catch our drift.
While some race-win trophies are beautiful but made of plastic, there’s nothing synthetic about this Martinsville trophy.
Nothing says NASCAR race winner like Loudon’s monster crustacean. When held up by its massive claws, the live Lobster shows its disgust as much as the winning driver shows his glee. This is the New Hampshire speedway’s way to display one of its state’s top exports, as well as to show how unique it is when somebody wins at Loudon.
Fans certainly won’t forget where this race was held when they see the photo.
