Race winning traditions come about at very random times. The Indianapolis 500 winner drinks milk because Louis Meyer preferred to drink milk after winning the 1936 race. Winners kiss the bricks at the start/finish line at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway because Dale Jarrett spontaneously went out to kiss them after winning the 1996 Brickyard 400.
I’m not sure urinating on a track will be a weekly NASCAR tradition but if it does, we can thank Martin Truex Jr’s crew chief Cole Pearn for starting that.
After winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Pearn relieved himself on the high groove entering one of the turns. Thankfully, Pearn censored the pic but posted the pic of him peeing on the track.
https://twitter.com/colepearn/status/933349680934559744
This may seem incredibly strange to do and I joked about this being a future tradition. But in all actuality, this is a tradition amongst racers in Canada. Apparently in Canada, a winner pees on the track to show that they have conquered the track. Kind of like planting your flag on a place but for bodily functions.
it’s a little-known Canadian racing tradition to pee on the track after you’ve conquered it
— Steve Luvender (@steveluvender) November 22, 2017
though I do question performing from the top of the banking, seems like a good way for gravity to get the last laugh
— Steve Luvender (@steveluvender) November 22, 2017
Pearn is from Ontario and was a race car driver himself, racing in the Canadian NASCAR series and then moved to the United States to get a position with a team working behind the scenes. That journey led Pearn to Martin Truex Jr. and the two of them have enjoyed success since.
While Pearn apologized to Larson for messing up his notoriously high groove he usually races on, Larson took it in stride and had a good comeback.
[Photo: @colepearn]
