NASCAR is heading back to Mexico and taking the Cup Series for the first time.
The top series will compete in Mexico City on Sunday, June 15, in its first international points race since Toronto in 1958. The top drivers will compete at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez road course in Mexico City. This is a track that hosts Formula One annually.
The Cup Series teams will not be the only ones heading south of the United States border. The Xfinity Series will make the trip as well for a race on Saturday, June 14. The NASCAR Mexico Series will also hold a race during the festive weekend.
Amazon Prime Video will provide coverage for the Cup Series race. CW will provide coverage for the Xfinity race.
The announcement unexpectedly took place. The NASCAR Mexico website went live before the sanctioning body made its official announcement. Daniel Suarez then helped make the official announcement in Mexico City.
This announcement confirms a report from The Athletic writer Jordan Bianchi.
The Xfinity Series teams have previously competed at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The second-tier series traveled to the road course four times between 2005-08. Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Kyle Busch won the four races.
The push toward an international market is nothing new for NASCAR or Ben Kennedy, the executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovation officer. Montreal was potentially set to make a return for this season, but the deal did not reach completion.
This season, rumors have persisted regarding a race in Mexico City, something Kennedy acknowledged during a July 6 appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
"I don't think we're gonna have a plethora of new venues (in 2025); we're probably gonna have one big new venue," Kennedy told Danielle Trotta, Larry McReynolds, and Pete Pistone ahead of the Chicago race.
"Obviously, we've talked -- I think (it's) no secret -- about trying to get a race internationally, whether that's north of the border, south of the border. Think we're confident that we could deliver that next year and then you'll see a handful of other changes."
Suarez also discussed the potential race in Mexico City before the official announcement. AltDriver showed the Trackhouse Racing driver a leaked version of the schedule, which showed NASCAR's Cup Series heading to Mexico City in June.
"I mean, it's not official until it's official," Suarez said. "So if it's real official, honestly, it will be like a dream to me. I've been in the Cup Series already for several years and to go back to race in my native country, it will be like a dream.
"Since I moved out of my country in 2011 it's been a dream to come back as a Cup Series driver, and if that's real, it will be amazing. And winning that race, for me, it will be as big as winning a championship."