"Should have always celebrated it more": Ross Chastain backs NASCAR's podium celebration for the Xfinity and Cup races in Mexico

NASCAR driver Ross Chastain recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming Cup and Xfinity Series races in Mexico City. With reports confirming that both events will feature a podium celebration for the top three finishers, Chastain expressed his support for the same.

NASCAR's international events will be held at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. The Cup and Xfinity Series will both compete at the 2.67-mile track, as the Truck Series takes a hiatus for the upcoming weekend.

In an interview with NASCAR insider Dustin Long, Ross Chastain shared how second and third-place finishers have never really been celebrated in NASCAR, doing the drivers a disservice for all their hard work.

"I love it. I've always been a little disappointed that we don't celebrate second and third more because it means so much, and when you do it repeatedly, it can feel like it's a letdown but yes, we all want to win," the #1 driver said.

"Running top three in the Cup Series is so challenging that I think we should have always celebrated it more and feel like that we've done a disservice to the second third-place finishers for a long time by not celebrating it," he added.

Ross Chastain drives the #1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Known for his iconic "Martinsville Miracle," Chastain has collected 13 career wins across NASCAR’s top three national divisions. Of those, six have come in the Cup Series, including his most recent victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway earlier this season.

Meanwhile, the Cup and Xfinity Series are scheduled to compete in Mexico City this weekend on Saturday (June 14) and Sunday (June 15), respectively. Catch the action live on Amazon Prime Video and the CW Network.

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Ross Chastain opens up on how Trackhouse team celebrated his Coca-Cola 600 win

Ross Chastain marked his first win in the 2025 Cup Series campaign in dramatic fashion. The Trackhouse Racing driver emerged victorious in the iconic Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a race that every driver dreams of winning.

After the race ended, Chastain and the Trackhouse team had more than just Memorial Day to celebrate. In an interview with WCNC, the Florida native said:

“We stayed up all night. We took full advantage, the Memorial Day for everybody to recover. We're in victory lane for hours after the race.” [0:30]

"This is one of the few races that we call champion. The Daytona 500, the World 600, as I call it, the Coca-Cola 600, is one of those. So we don't give rings out in this sport for everything, but a couple of races we do. It says champion on the side of it, and that makes it even more special.”

As things currently stand, Chastain is the top-ranked driver for Trackhouse, sitting P8 in the driver standings. His teammates Daniel Suarez and Shane van Gisbergen are placed P28 and P33, respectively.