What is Victory Lane

It has been called Victory Circle and more often Victory Lane, but in reality it is neither. Victory Lane is the spot at a racetrack usually painted like the checkered flag where the winning driver goes to celebrate winning the race.

Over the past several years NASCAR has grown by leaps and bounds in its popularity; so much so that it is the number one spectator sport in the United States with nearly every track selling out its races. As a result, all of the races for the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series are televisied. But what the television viewers see on the television is only a small portion of what actually occurs in Victory Lane.

It used to be that when a driver won a race he would drive into Victory Lane, hop out of his car, and jump up on the roof. But not any more. Now drivers pull into Victory Lane, unhook all of their safety equipment, wait for the television commercials to end, then get out of the car when directed to do so by a network official like a director giving a cue to an actor, and then stand only on the window ledge of the door of his car. Jumping on the roof is no longer allowed since jumping on the roof can alter the car height and the car must pass a post race inspection once all of the celebrating has concluded.

Besides the media people that are congregated in Victory Lane there are the drivers family, car owners, crew members, and sponsors for the car which makes for quite a crowd.

After the initial celebrating, talking to the media, and receiving the trophy is over; then the hat dance commences.. The hat dance is called such since the winning driver has his picture taken wearing the hat of each sponsor who has an investment in the race car.

Winning a race means a trophy, prestige, and prize money but it also means spending another two or three hours - usually long after others have gone - at the track in Victory Lane doing interviews and posing for photographs.

Victory Lane is not a lane at all but a spot for celebrating a win and cooling off after the driver has spent the past several hours in an oven hot car - just another day at the office.