By Jerry Jordan, Editor
NASCAR just topped its recent big news of going to Bowman Gray Stadium for the 2025 Clash by announcing on Tuesday it’s taking the NASCAR Cup Series to Mexico City to race at the 4.3-kilometer (2.674-mile) Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez road course. The event will take place on June 14-15 and will include the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Mexico Series.
According to the release from NASCAR, the announcement was made by NASCAR Executive VP & Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer Ben Kennedy during a press conference at the racetrack. Also present were Federico Alaman, Head of Commercial Partnerships for OCESA, Mexico’s leading live entertainment company; Jimmy Morales, CEO of NASCAR Mexico Series and Daniel Suárez, driver of No. 99 for Trackhouse Racing.
“This is a historic moment for our sport, and specifically for the NASCAR Cup Series, in being able to expand our footprint to Mexico,” Kennedy said. “We’ve been bold about our intentions to grow on a global scale, and there isn’t a better place to take the next step in that journey than at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez road course in Mexico City.”
This is the first time the NASCAR Cup Series has competed in Mexico but the Xfinity Series has made trips south of the border with great success and fanfare.
Kennedy said they had nearly 200 different media outlets on-hand but he believes this is just the start of the support as NASCAR has 10 months to “drive the energy to June next year.”
“Mexico City checked all the boxes,” Kennedy said.
The track has a unique history in auto racing, being built in 1959 in honor of two historic Mexican racers Ricardo and Pedro Rodriguez. It has played host to eight F1 events and from 2005 to 2008 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Current NASCAR drivers with past experience at the iconic road course include Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. Suarez has the most experience at the track, racing there before moving to NASCAR and then going on to become an Xfinity Series Champion and a NASCAR Cup Series winner.
“I remember what a dream it would be for me to race in the NASCAR Cup Series here,” said Suarez, during a Zoom interview after the announcement. “I am super-excited to be part of this journey.
“It has been unbelievable. There are a lot of people excited here in Mexico today. We were talking last night at dinner that today, we are making history. It is unbelievable and I am very, very humble and blessed to be part of this announcement today. The energy was unbelievable and we are still a lot of months away from the race.”
Additionally, according to NASCAR’s press release, the NASCAR Mexico Series has been the premier stock-car racing series across Mexico with 17 seasons under the NASCAR name, developing future talent along the way — including current Drive for Diversity rising stars Eloy López, Andres Pérez de Lara and Regina Sirvent.
“At OCESA, we are dedicated to entertaining people, and this has positioned us as the most powerful live events platform in Mexico and Latin America, as well as one of the most important globally,” said Alejandro Soberón, Founder and CEO of OCESA. “The arrival of the NASCAR Cup Series to our country reflects the significant growth that motorsports has experienced in Mexico, an achievement in which Escudería Telmex has played a major role by promoting the NASCAR Mexico Series and supporting drivers like Daniel Suárez.”
The action at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez will begin with the Mexico Series and Xfinity Series as part of the June 14-15 race weekend. The NASCAR Mexico race weekend will culminate with the first international points event in Cup Series modern history on Sunday, June 15. The Cup Series event will air live on Prime Video while Saturday’s Xfinity Series tilt to air live on The CW.