Latest news with #Mexico-native
TimesLIVE
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
NASCAR Cup Series set to dish out points in Mexico for first time
Amid much anticipation from fans and teams, the NASCAR Cup Series has arrived in Mexico City for the series' first points-paying international race in seven decades. Sunday's race is aptly named Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The industry has long been preparing for the inaugural visit to the renowned 3.894km, 15-turn road course in the middle of bustling Mexico City. Perhaps no one is more eager for NASCAR's Mexican arrival than Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suarez, who has made many visits to his home country in support of the event. "I'm super excited, regardless of what happens on Sunday," said the Monterrey, Mexico-native, who has competed, and won, three times on the track's oval-configuration while racing in the NASCAR Mexico Series, which will also compete this weekend. "I'm super excited for the event. I'm super excited to live in the moment because the first time is going to only happen once. I'm trying to be as present as possible, enjoy the moment and try to execute the best possible weekend we can. We know we are capable of winning the race, but that's not the goal. The goal is the execution of the entire weekend, and hopefully the win is the result of the execution part." Suarez, who scored his first NASCAR Cup Series win on a road course at Sonoma, California, in 2022, has been a vital supporter of the initiative. For months, the popular driver has starred in NASCAR commercials promoting the Mexico race, the script depicting him trying to teach fellow racers how to speak in Spanish. "At first, I thought I don't know if this is going to work out, like, I don't think this is going to be funny," Suarez said. "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. 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." Suarez is among the group of drivers hoping a new venue may produce different results. The driver of the No 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet is ranked 28th in the championship with 11 regular season races remaining to set the 16-driver playoff field. Others who traditionally considered road course aces similarly see this as a big opportunity to punch a playoff ticket. Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, Kaulig Racing's AJ Allmendinger, Spire Motorsports' Michael McDowell and Suarez' Trackhouse teammate Shane Van Gisbergen are some of the most talented road racers in the sport and all are looking to earn a victory this season. Many sit well below the 16th-place playoff cut line. Six of the 14 regular-season races in the Next Gen Era have been won by drivers ranked 16th or worse in the standings at the time of their victory. "Everyone expects us to perform on road courses," said New Zealand's Van Gisbergen, who made the ultimate NASCAR debut winning at the Chicago street race two years ago in his very first start. "Not that we have been hanging out for (road courses), but the ovals have been a big learning process the past few months. It will be nice to have a bit of a break and races on the types of courses I'm used to, which means turning right." Hendrick Motorsports has won at eight different road courses, the most in NASCAR history. Four of the remaining 11 races will be on road courses. Hendrick's William Byron continues to lead the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings - up by 41 points on teammate Kyle Larson - and they are considered favourites this weekend. Hendrick drivers - Byron (two), Larson (two) and Bowman (one) - have won five of the last eight road course races. If Elliott wins this weekend, he would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart for second most road course wins all-time (eight). Last week's race winner Denny Hamlin claimed his first career Xfinity Series win at the Mexico road course in 2006. Hamlin, Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing's Brad Keselowski are the only drivers to have raced at the circuit, competing in the Xfinity Series there. Busch won the 2008 Xfinity Series race there.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR Cup stars take in the sights and sounds of Mexico City
MEXICO CITY — This is not the pina colada Cancun of your cruise ships, but a vibrant, sprawling, city center full of busy international vibes; welcoming and interesting. Smiling friendly people with places to be. Beautiful snow-covered mountain peaks loom over Mexico City. Small, colorful taco stands decorate every corner, busy with lunch regulars. The sidewalks are filled with people and the traffic lanes are filled with mopeds and cars, door-to-door, bumper-to-bumper. Car horns and dog barks fill the air. It is a full sensory experience. And the first big billboard rising out of the Mexico City airport? It advertises Chevrolets. RELATED: | It all speaks to the warm reception NASCAR has already received and is sure to get again for the June Cup Series race in Mexico. The warm-hearted locals cannot wait for stock car's summer arrival. Race organizers expect three days of sell-out crowds, eager to see this brand of racing at one of the world's great road course venues: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. 'I feel like you are coming to my house for the very first time,' a smiling Mexico-native Daniel Suarez said Tuesday as he joined three other NASCAR Cup Series stars — Sunday's Atlanta race winner, Christopher Bell, and series champions Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott for a tour of the course and the city and its offerings. 'I love racing in the United States and it feels like home to me now, but there is no one race track I can call home — Texas, Miami, Phoenix, California are all like home because there are a lot of my fans – but it is not home. I grew up racing here. I have won races here. 'For me, this is a very special place. My very first win in the NASCAR Mexico [Series] came here at this track on the oval [configuration]. 'It's fun having people here,' the Trackhouse Racing driver added. 'It's a different culture but they are very excited for the race track and for NASCAR.' Each of the four drivers joined track management and other local dignitaries for a golf cart ride around the course, stopping at various points to look specifically at the layout. They saw the slight variations NASCAR will use in its races, eliminating a series of turns that Formula One uses — one of several changes to the course since the last time NASCAR was here in 2005-08 for Xfinity Series races. Kyle Busch (2008) and Denny Hamlin (2006) are the only current drivers to have hoisted trophies here — each with a win on the former circuit configuration. On Tuesday, the drivers were noticeably impressed by the paddock and famous massive grandstands that border Turns 11-14 — just a single portion of the track where 30,000 fans will sit. The facility expects upwards of 80,000 people a day in full, for the three-day event. The track is in a green space in the middle of the busy city but inside the gates sit those massive permanent grandstands, a huge staging area used for concerts — Paul McCartney just last week — that will serve as Victory Lane. There's even a baseball stadium adjacent to the actual track. 'Honestly, I've been really impressed,' said 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. 'My initial thoughts are that is a pretty incredible property as a whole for the way they are able to rotate through events.' MORE: 'There's the stadium section hosting concerts in an intimate way and the park section for bike riders. It's really unique and the track I think is a pretty cool layout too. I feel like it's got a little bit of everything and it's been a fun experience so far. I'd never been to Mexico City and this is pretty neat.' The response and embrace since NASCAR announced its return to the city has been nothing short of overwhelming. Nearly 200 of the country's media outlets are expected for a press conference with the four drivers and track officials on Wednesday. After a day of karting around the track, topped by a special taco stop at one of the city's most renowned eateries, Atarantados, the four drivers were headed to a Luche Libre show after dinner. The city, the venue and the people all seem enthusiastic to welcome NASCAR. And judging by the smiles and energy from this visit, the feel-good attitude is reciprocated. 'First time at the track, first time in Mexico City,' said Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion and driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford. 'I had super high hopes before we even got here and being here and seeing it all and hearing the plan got me even more excited to come here [and race]. I think they are going to do a great job and I hope everyone's going to really enjoy it from a fan perspective. 'I know all the teams are excited to come down and it was a nice little treat today to be able to come and see the plan. I'm definitely looking forward to coming back here in the summer to race.'
