As Venturini Motorsports handed over its reins to Nitro Motorsports, it closed a defining chapter in ARCA this year, leaving behind a 43-year legacy that was built on grit, loyalty, and love of the sport. And that kind of love for the sport makes even a small victory-lane ritual more than a ritual; it becomes part of the team\u2019s DNA and a signal of what the program stands for.<\/p>\n
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Among those rituals is a simple, repeatable gesture that Bill Venturini has been using as a tradition since 2006. And that is a kiss to the driver in victory lane, which carried meaning inside a family team and beyond. What looks small on the surface is threaded through family, respect, and racing lore, and the origin behind it is worth unpacking.<\/p>\n
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Unpacking the victory lane embrace<\/p>\n
On a recent episode of the Victory Lane podcast with Davey Segal, Bill Venturini Sr. peeled back layers on one of ARCA<\/a>\u2018s most wholesome traditions: his signature post-win kiss for drivers in the victory lane. \u201cFirst of all, my grandfather, a strong Italian from Italy, made it a point growing up that for a man to kiss a man, it\u2019s very proper to show respect,\u201d Bill explained.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8 Victory Lane, Episode 289 \ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf1f Guest: Bill Venturini \ud83c\udf1f<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfc1 End of an era after 4+ decades \ud83c\udfa7 \u2192 https:\/\/t.co\/UxXWaSZXje<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/9VnfzzUBVF<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Davey Segal (@DaveyCenter) October 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI hate to say that, but so that was first bred into me when I was growing up.\u201d Rooted in deep respect, this ritual echoes his upbringing, flipping a cultural norm into a badge of triumph that turned victory lanes into a wholesome moment into a true sense.<\/p>\n The tradition kicked off in 2006 when Billy notched his lone ARCA win at Salem Speedway. \u201cWell, Billy wins his first race in Salem. Well, Dad kisses his son, right? Not thinking anything of it. Well, somebody makes the comment about, oh, look at the veterinary Italian kiss, the Andy Granatelli kiss,\u201d Bill recalled.<\/p>\n From there, it snowballed; Billy started practicing this ritual with the winning teams, a simple act that bonded crews and racers. Drivers like Jesse Love<\/a> now lean in eagerly, yelling, \u201cLay one on me, Pops!\u201d It wasn\u2019t forced; it just fit a family outfit that treated wins like shared feasts, not solo glory. Even as the team sells out to Nitro Motorsports, this touch lingers as a testament to their nurturing style, one that honed nine wins for Corey Heim and a championship for Love.<\/p>\n Reflecting after the last race at Toledo, where ARCA honored Bill and Cathy with lifetime Gold Cards, Venturini Sr. summed up his era<\/a>: \u201cI never thought this day would come, but\u2026 it\u2019s time. I\u2019m okay.\u201d He and Cathy, who innovated racing\u2019s first all-female pit crew named \u201cThe Ultra Blue Crew\u201d in 1987, leave a legacy of perseverance<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfc6 Why @ARCA_Racing<\/a> all these years?
\ud83d\ude18 Origin of his patented smooch
\ud83d\udcc8 Confident in the state of ARCA
\ud83e\udd79 At peace with moving on
\u2764\ufe0f Family pride<\/p>\n