The Presidents Race is a mascot race that has been run at every Washington Nationals home game since July 21, 2006. It is held in the middle of the fourth inning of every game.
The Presidents Race has featured likenesses of seven former Presidents of the United States, four of whom are found on Mount Rushmore: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt, plus William Howard Taft (introduced in 2013 and retired after the 2016 season), Calvin Coolidge (who raced for a single season in 2015) and Herbert Hoover (who raced for a single season in 2016). Their nicknames are "George," "Abe," "Tom," "Teddy," "Bill," "Calvin," and "Herbie." The Presidents are typically dressed in Nationals jerseys numbered according to their term as president (1 for George, 3 for Tom, 16 for Abe, 26 for Teddy, 27 for Bill, 30 for Cal, and 31 for Herbie) and topped with giant foam caricature heads. On Sundays, they usually wear period costumes, often referred to as their "Sunday Best" outfits.
In 2017, the Presidents Race at Nationals Park returned to its format of 2006 through 2012, with only the original four Racing Presidents (George, Abe, Tom, and Teddy) competing. Prior to the 2017 season, the Nationals announced that Cal, Herbie, and Bill all had retired permanently to Florida in conjunction with the February 2017 opening of the Nationals' new spring training facility at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches – renamed The Fitteam Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in February 2018 – in West Palm Beach, Florida. During spring training in 2017, the three retired Presidents began their own series of Presidents Races in the fourth inning of Nationals spring training games in West Palm Beach.
Famously, Teddy failed to win a single race for almost seven seasons, even when given head starts or other advantages. Teddy won for the first time on Wednesday afternoon game, October 3, 2012, during the first game played after the Nationals reached the postseason for the first time. Fans and bystanders alike were shocked that his first win was during a weekday afternoon game. Several seasons of success followed for Teddy, but he returned to his winless ways during the 2017 season. However, Teddy did win the first and second race of the 2018 season.
Race standings
Presidents Race Results, 2006-2021Season#1GeorgeWashington#3ThomasJefferson#16AbrahamLincoln#26TheodoreRoosevelt#27WilliamHoward Taft#30CalvinCoolidge#31HerbertHooverNotes2006715140———Second year at RFK stadium; race debuts July 2120073326220———Last year at RFK Stadium20081814490———First year at Nationals Park20092221400———20102928300———20112330300———Nationals right fielder Jayson Werth wins one race.20123027294———Nationals' first postseason appearance;Teddy Roosevelt wins race for first time on October 320132513231111——Taft's first season; he debuts on Opening Day on April 120141011252912——Nationals' second postseason appearance.201517521151412—Coolidge's addition announced in mid-season;he debuts July 3 in his only season2016161718239—10Screech the Bald Eagle wins one race;Hoover debuts on April 10 in his only season; Taft's last season;Nationals' third postseason appearance20172929250———Screech the Bald Eagle wins one race;Nationals' fourth postseason appearance;Teddy Roosevelt winless for first time since 2011201831251710———Screech the Bald Eagle wins one race.201918202038———Screech the Bald Eagle and Buster Olney both win one race.2020———————In-stadium races suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic.20211619138———Live races resumed in June, 2021Overall324300376138461210
Origin of the race The predecessor to the Presidents Race was the PNC Dollar Derby, an animated cartoon displayed on the giant video board during the 2005 inaugural season at RFK Stadium. Sponsored by PNC Bank, the Dollar Derby cartoons depicted a car race between three US historical figures whose faces appear on U.S. paper currency: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Alexander Hamilton. Each represented a section in the stadium (orange, red, and yellow seats). During the races, one competitor would generally have some early mishap such as spinning out, leaving the other two competitors to race to the end. Each racer won a fair number of times.
For the 2006 season, the Dollar Derby was replaced by the Presidents Race, a cartoon depicting four presidents racing through Washington, D.C., and avoiding obstacles such as traffic cones, open manholes, and closed streets.
Live-action racing After the team's purchase by Ted Lerner during the 2006 season, the new owner announced changes for the stadium and a "grand re-opening" of RFK Stadium after the All-Star Break. Among the changes: the Presidents' Race became a live event first held on July 21, 2006.
The race still began with an animation on the video board: the four cartoon presidents dashed through Washington, D.C., and headed towards RFK Stadium. Immediately after disappearing from the screen, the costumed live-action presidents emerged from the right field corner as 10-foot-tall (3-meter-tall) men with large caricature foam heads. The presidents bolted out from right field and down the first base line, past the visitors' dugout, and to the finish line by home plate.
Beginning in the 2007 season, the animated lead-in was replaced with a taped video of the caricature-headed presidents running from the White House, around various Washington landmarks, and heading towards RFK Stadium. The 2007 season's promotions included giveaways of 7.5-inch (19-centimeter) bobbleheads of the four Racing Presidents.
In 2008, the Presidents Race became a highlighted attraction of the team's new stadium, Nationals Park. Images of George, Tom, Abe, and Teddy are featured on stadium signage and at the team store/gift shop, which is now named "Rushmores." The racing presidents themselves began greeting visitors before games at the main entrance, and posing for photos in a "Kids Zone" after the Presidents Race and through the end of each game. The race itself was also lengthened, with an extended introduction and a longer distance, usually running from center field clockwise by the first base foul pole and down the foul line towards a finish line near the Nationals' dugout.
In 2009, a new food concession was opened at Nationals Park called Teddy's Barbeque, featuring images of Theodore Roosevelt and a signature food item—a 13-inch (33-centimeter) beef short rib called the "Rough Rider".
Teddy's losing streak and the Let Teddy Win movement The running joke of the Presidents Race had been Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt's inability to win a race. The reasons for Teddy's failures had consistently varied, ranging from tripping, confusion, being attacked by a man dressed as a shark, attempting to tweet while racing and subsequently falling over, to striking up conversations with fans and forgetting to run. In 2006, he was also disqualified for cheating when he drove a golf cart past his competitors, and for emerging from the visitors' dugout instead of running the length of the first base line.
Teddy's shutout—and his antics—continued through the 2007 season as he was disqualified on Opening Day for zip-lining into the infield from the top of the stadium. He was also disqualified in September for riding in a rickshaw pulled by a bicycle. The 2007 season's promotional Presidential bobbleheads generated anticipation that Teddy would see his first victory. George, Tom, and Abe each won the race on their respective days, and they were escorted by the "Secret Service" to guarantee the runaway victories. Teddy's bobblehead giveaway was September 1, and 42,000 fans showed up to watch as Teddy was carried in on a throne while the "Secret Service" held back the other three racers. Halfway home, Teddy asked to be lowered and was dropped; while his escort was helping him to his feet, the other racers got around the blockade and George won the race by a couple of feet. Soon after, a "Let Teddy Win" website and social media campaign was launched by Nationals fan Scott Ableman, tied to the upcoming presidential election.
On September 23, 2007, in the final game at RFK Stadium, Teddy was heavily anticipated to finally win. When the race started, the Nationals bullpen held George, Tom, and Abe back to help Teddy to victory. But Teddy never showed up; the video board showed him at the unfinished Nationals Park, apparently confused to find no one else there.
With the opening of Nationals Park in 2008 came increased fanfare for the Presidents Race and a growing fan fervor for Teddy. Teddy's losing streak was extended with the stadium's inaugural game, as he ran off-course across the outfield and was distracted by members of the opposing team. In subsequent races, Teddy was disqualified for cutting the outfield corner and for riding a motor scooter. The theme of sabotage was also introduced in 2008 as Teddy was tackled or tripped just short of the finish line on several occasions by visitors from the stands, including costumed bananas, panthers, and mascots from other teams.
Teddy mania reached a fever pitch during a June 2008 series against the Baltimore Orioles, part of the annual Beltway Series between the teams, when Teddy was tripped short of the finish line by the Orioles mascot "The Bird." On June 28, 2008, the Presidents Race was suspended for a day as Teddy won a one-on-one "grudge match" race against The Bird, giving Teddy his first victory. However, it was announced that the "unsanctioned" race would not be recognized in the standings by "The Presidents Racing Association of America." The next day, Teddy refused to race with the other presidents, choosing to help the Nationals grounds crew instead. The interleague rivalry between Teddy and the Orioles Bird extended into 2009, when the mascots tackled each other in back-to-back games at Nationals Park.
On Sunday, July 26, 2009, during a game against the San Diego Padres, Teddy used a motor scooter to pass the field and cross the finish line first. However, after the judges' consideration, Teddy was disqualified from the race, and remained winless.
From July 31 to August 3, 2009, the Racing Presidents appeared at PNC Park in Pittsburgh in the Great Pierogi Race. During the first night's relay race, Potato Pete TKO-ed Teddy with a flying tackle. The following night Teddy ran into the wall after leading the race and lost.
On September 8, 2009, Teddy appeared to have won his first race, but was disqualified for recruiting an extra mascot onto the field to interfere with the other presidents.
On April 23, 2011, Teddy and Abe both raced two Racing Pierogis (Jalapeño Hannah and Cheese Chester) in the Great Pierogi Race at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, during a Pirates-Nationals game. Despite an early head start before the race officially began, Teddy lost to Hannah.
During a game against the Atlanta Braves on September 24, 2011, Nationals right fielder Jayson Werth and relief pitchers in the Nationals' bullpen interfered with the Presidents Race in attempt to block the other Presidents and allow Teddy to win. Teddy failed to take advantage of their efforts, falling down repeatedly instead of heading for the finish line, and Werth finally broke the tape at the finish line himself to become the only player ever to win a Presidents Race. After the game, Werth expressed frustration with Teddy's losing streak, saying, "What’s the poor guy got to do to get a win?...A great American president. Just a great American, period." He explained his and the bullpen's interference in the race by saying, "To me, the Presidents Race and Teddy Roosevelt are very symbolic of where this [the Nationals] organization goes...It needs to be addressed. It needs to be answered."