Ever since this year’s schedule was released, the addition of Mexico City to the NASCAR calendar has been the biggest talking point. Now it’s finally here and real.
It was certainly a trek: the haulers set off right after the Michigan race concluded to travel the width of the United States, cross the border, and make the climb up to Mexico City (about 1.4 miles above sea level). Teams and others in the industry followed on planes.
But it’s all worth it for a huge event for NASCAR. Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, airing at 3 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, is the sport’s first race in Mexico and the first time the Cup Series is holding an international points-paying race since the 1950s.
There’s nothing new or untested about the track, though. The race is at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, a track that opened in 1959 and which currently hosts both Formula 1 and Formula E. NASCAR will be racing on a 2.42-mile, 15-turn configuration of the road course; the only difference to the F1 layout comes at Turn 4 where NASCAR will have a sweeping corner instead a chicane and tight bend on the F1 track.
Odds via BetMGM
+350 – Shane van Gisbergen
+575 – Christopher Bell
+650 – William Byron
+750 – Kyle Larson
+750 – Tyler Reddick
+1100 – Chase Elliott
+1200 – AJ Allmendinger
+1200 – Kyle Busch
+1400 – Chris Buescher
+1600 – Daniel Suarez
Whatever the track layout, there’s one driver who’s excited for everything this race has to offer. Daniel Suarez is especially excited. Though he was born in Monterrey, which is geographically closer to Circuit of The Americas in Austin than Mexico City, it’s culturally very significant to race in his home country.
Suarez raced and won in the NASCAR Mexico Series before moving to the United States 13 years ago without speaking English. He learned the language, crediting TV cartoons as helpful, and worked up the ladder through NASCAR national series. Last year, he earned US citizenship, becoming a dual national. Now, for the first time, he can compete in front of fans from his home country in national series competition.
With that in mind, nothing can dampen Suarez’s excitement for the race. He’s spent the week in the country visiting sponsor headquarters, attending football matches, and meeting huge crowds of Mexican fans and media.
“I’m super excited, regardless of what happens on Sunday. I’m super excited for the event,” Suarez said. “I’m super excited to live the moment because the first time is going to only happen once. I’m really trying to be as present as possible; enjoy the moment and try to execute the best possible weekend that we can.”
As for the race itself, Suarez certainly sees Sunday as an opportunity. He picked up his first Cup Series win at Sonoma, another road course. Sitting 28th in the standings coming into the race, a win would be valuable.
“We know that we are capable of winning the race, but that’s not the goal,” Suarez explained. “The goal is the execution of the entire weekend, and hopefully the win is the result of the execution part.”
Understandably, Suarez will be maximizing his track time and will be racing in the Xfinity Series on Saturday as well behind the wheel of the No. 9 for JR Motorsports. That should give him some extra experience, as well as give him extra time before his passionate fans.
He had already been engaging with fans long before the weekend actually arrived, both old fans in Mexico and new ones in the US, through social content for NASCAR, such as teaching some of his fellow drivers Spanish.
“I give a lot of credit to NASCAR for bringing these kinds of ideas,” Suarez said. “When they came to me and they said – hey, are you up to this idea of teaching a few guys Spanish classes, terms and things like that, at first, I thought man, I don’t know if this is going to work out. Like, I don’t think this is going to be funny.
“And honestly, it turned out amazing. I give a lot of credit to NASCAR for trying all these different things. I think people are liking it. Drivers are embracing it. And, obviously, I’m having fun with it. I’m the one teaching the language, so for the first time, I feel like I’m in my zone, so that’s good.”
But while Suarez might be living it up all weekend, the odds-on favorite to win is actually his team. Shane van Gisbergen set the NASCAR world on fire winning in his first-ever Cup Series start at Chicago, the last time the Cup Series did a big ‘first’ like this (that time it was the first street course). With two decades of Australian Supercars experience, he certainly knows how to win on road courses.
“Everyone expects us to perform on road courses,” van Gisbergen acknowledged of his background. “Not that we have been hanging out for it, but the ovals have been a big learning process the last couple of months. It will be nice for sure to have a bit of a break and races on the types of courses I’m used to which means turning right.”
The ovals have indeed been something of a struggle: van Gisbergen enters Mexico 33rd in the standings with just one top ten in 15 starts, and that came at a road course. However, it’s his first-ever full-time season in the Cup Series and just his second full-time season in any NASCAR series, so every race remains a learning experience.
And there’s no better place to learn what NASCAR is all about than the pressure of the Playoffs. A win would give him a guaranteed ticket in. He’s been working hard to get to grips with the track to secure that win.
“I’ve been doing a lot of SIM lately and it’s pretty cool, a challenging and big track,” van Gisbergen described. “There are lots of technical sections and it’s going to be very difficult. Turn 1 is going to be carnage I think with how NASCAR restarts are. It’s going to be nuts but I’m looking forward to some right handers this weekend.”
However, van Gisbergen doesn’t feel like he has any advantage over the competition at a road course like this, despite his experience and success in NASCAR (a win at Chicago in the Cup Series and three road course wins in the Xfinity Series).
“Well, you’d hope so. I know I’ll be good at them, but having an advantage, no. Other people have been there before and the unknowns, the air and how different the cars will feel with no downforce and stuff, are big. I don’t think it’s an advantage, but I certainly know I’ll be okay there,” van Gisbergen said.
If there’s one driver to keep an eye on whenever there’s a road course, though, Chris Buescher is fast becoming that driver. He has the best average finish (8.7) of anyone in the field on road courses in the Next Gen car, even if he was only able to get his first road-course win last year at Watkins Glen (by beating out Shane van Gisbergen, no less, in a last-lap dogfight).
The odds may not be as high, but expect Buescher to contend for the win or at least deliver a very solid finish, if the pattern holds.
There will be two practices on Friday at 2:05 p.m. ET and 3:30 p.m. ET. Qualifying will take place at 12:05 p.m. ET on Saturday. Both will air on Amazon Prime, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. (Those times have been shifted due to an issue with chartered aircraft taking teams to the circuit.)
Xfinity Series Is Returning to Mexico
While Mexico is something entirely new for the Cup Series, for the Xfinity Series it’s just an end to the hiatus. Saturday The Chilango 150, which airs at 4:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, will be the fifth series race held at the Autodrome Hermanos Rodriquez.
The last race, in 2008, was won by Kyle Busch. Interestingly, that means the last Mexico race was held the year before defending series champion Justin Allgaier’s first full-time season in 2009, and he has not raced at the track.
Allgaier is also the series’ defending winner, having taken the win at Nashville, his third of the season. That cements a 92-point lead over Austin Hill in the standings.
The last time the series visited a road course, at Circuit of The Americas, it was series rookie Connor Zilisch. It might be his first Xfinity Series season, but he’s already won his class in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and two Xfinity Series races at just 18 and sits fifth in the standings despite missing a race compared to his competitors (because of a back injury sustained at Talladega). Expect Zilisch to contend for the win.
A road course presents an entirely new challenge, particularly one that the full-time field is entirely unfamiliar with. That’s an opportunity for another driver to win and punch their ticket to the Playoffs. There will be some extra faces besides the full-timers, though.
From the Cup Series, Ty Gibbs will be driving the No. 19 for Joe Gibbs Racing and Christopher Bell will be driving the No. 24 for Sam Hunt Racing, hoping to gain some additional insight into the track.
Also, there will be some Mexican drivers in the field to compete in front of their home fans. First, Mexican Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez will drive the No. 9 for JR Motorsports. Second, Mexican Truck Series driver Andrez Perez will drive the No. 91 for DGM Racing in his first Xfinity Series start. Third, 2020 Mexico Series champion Rubén Rovelo will make his first Xfinity Series start behind the wheel of the No. 35 for Joey Gase Motorsports.
Practice will be on Saturday at 9:05 p.m. ET followed by qualifying at 10:10 a.m. ET. Both of those will air on The CW App. (Those times have been shifted due to an issue with chartered aircraft taking teams to the circuit.)
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