NASCAR's Cup and Xfinity Series drivers are in line for a new experience this weekend. They will race through the grandstands while bringing the action closer than ever for the fans in Mexico City.
Yes, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a road course. Not every fan in the grandstands will see every move made on the track, as they would at Bristol Motor Speedway or another oval. However, some will have a totally unique perspective as they sit in the stadium section of the track.
As NBC Sports' Dustin Long showed on Thursday, the track goes directly between two sections of grandstands. The drivers will head through this section to reach the final turn and then head onto the frontstretch.
"Yeah, that's going to be really cool," Christopher Bell said in response to a question from AltDriver. "So I was fortunate enough to go down there a couple of months ago for a little media tour and got to see the venue, and that stadium section is going to be unlike anything we've ever done. And the whole venue is really a world-class place.
"It's a beautiful facility, and then that stadium section where it's going to be sold out is going to be pretty, pretty wild."
#NASCAR … Cars will drive between grandstands to get to the final corner before the frontstretch at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez pic.twitter.com/5nyhdhpzg8
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 12, 2025
Yes, Dover Motor Speedway has a special view for a select group of fans. Drivers race directly underneath it while trying to make moves on the 1-mile oval. However, one delivers a significantly different experience than the other.
First, a limited number of fans can be on this pedestrian bridge at Dover. Far more can sit in the grandstands in Mexico City. Second, the drivers don't have the best view of these fans considering the bridge has a cover for safety purposes. They will have a much clearer view as they race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Having the track run right through the middle of the grandstands is already an exciting prospect for the fans in Mexico City, who the Cup drivers expect to deliver an memorable atmosphere. As an added bonus for these fans, the stadium section includes some tight turns, which drivers will likely use as passing zones.
Ryan Blaney joked to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that he will not do anything that leads to a Daniel Suarez wreck, but other drivers will inevitably use the bumper to move each other out of the way in this stadium section.
"There's like a flowy esses section that I don't know if you'll see a lot of passing there, just as a normal ess carrying speed, but then there's another braking zone into the stadium, that right-hander that I think you're gonna see some moves," Blaney said. "And then in the stadium there's a really, really tight left-hander.
"It's super tight and it requires a big arc to run it properly, but you're gonna have guys kind of short cut it and dive in there, almost like the new Roval turn. It's kind of set up like that with that angle to me, where you saw a lot of guys short it and send it in there."
The fans -- and drivers -- will first take part in this unique experience on Friday as both Cup and Xfinity Series teams take on practice. Cup teams will hit the track first for an extended session at 1:05 p.m. ET (Prime Video). Xfinity teams will follow at 2:05 p.m. ET (CW app). Both series will then return to the track for shorter sessions.