NASCAR Cup Series Headed to Mexico City in 2025
Race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez will be first international points event in modern history
Posted On: August 27, 2024 By :The NASCAR Cup Series will host its first points race in Mexico on June 15, 2025, at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez road course in Mexico City.
The historic road course is 2.674 miles long, includes 17 turns and sits at an elevation of 7,342 feet. Built in 1959, the track was named in honor of racing brothers Ricardo Rodríguez and Pedro Rodríguez. The circuit was remodeled in 2015 and has hosted eight Formula 1 Grand Prix’s since.
While the race will be a first in the Cup Series, there is a longstanding relationship between NASCAR and Mexico. Between 2005–2008, the Xfinity Series competed at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, with current Cup Series stars Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex, Jr. all earning a victory there during the four-year stretch. Additionally, the NASCAR Mexico Series has competed for 17 seasons under the NASCAR name. The series was in the United States earlier this year when it joined the Cup Series for the Busch Light Clash at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum event weekend in February.
The new event was announced as part of a press conference at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City with Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovation officer; Federico Alaman, head of commercial partnerships for OCESA; Jimmy Morales, chief executive officer of NASCAR Mexico Series; and Daniel Suárez, driver of No. 99 car 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,” said Kennedy. “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.”
The weekend of racing will begin with the Mexico Series and Xfinity Series as part of the June 14–15 event.
“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 chief executive officer 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 only two points-paying Cup races previously held internationally were in Canada. The first was at Stamford Park in Ontario, Canada, in 1952, then Canadian Exposition Center in Toronto in 1958. NASCAR also held three exhibition races at Suzuka Circuitland in Suzuka City, Japan in 1996-1998.
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