A Polish Victory Lap is a cooldown lap by the winner of the race where the driver turns the car around (U turn) and drives forward in the opposite direction. The driver's side window faces the fans. The first Polish Victory lap was first done by NASCAR great Alan Kulwicki after his first career Winston Cup victory at the Checker 500 (Phoenix International Raceway) in 1988. He celebrated his victory by driving a clockwise victory lap. A Ford engineer slapped him on the back and asked if that was a “Polish” victory lap.