NASCAR will bring its top Cup Series to an international location for the first points race outside the United States with a June event in Mexico City.
The Cup Series will race at the famous Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. NASCAR and track officials will hold a news conference on Tuesday morning to announce the June 15 race, according to track officials speaking to The Associated Press.
The weekend will also feature NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series and NASCAR Mexico Series.
The Xfinity Series raced in Mexico City from 2005 to 2008, and current Cup Series drivers Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr. were winners during that time.
However, the Cup Series has not had any international points races in the modern era, only holding exhibition races. The Cup Series had exhibitions in Japan from 1996 to 1998 and once in Australia in 1988.
The only two points-paying Cup races held internationally before were in Canada. The first was at Stamford Park in Ontario in 1952, and the second was at the Canadian Exposition Center in Toronto in 1958.
Now, NASCAR will bring its drivers, including Mexican driver Daniel Suarez, to the same track loved by Formula 1 fans. The Mexico City Grand Prix was voted the best F1 event until the fan voting stopped during the pandemic.
The 17-turn road course is 2.674 miles long and sits at an elevation of 7,342 feet. Built in 1959 and named after racing brothers Pedro and Ricardo Rodríguez, the circuit has hosted eight F1 races since it was remodeled in 2015.
