NASCAR's most anticipated weekend in Mexico

NASCAR Cup Series will race in Mexico for the first time this Sunday with the Viva Mexico 250 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez . The race will start at 2 p.m. local time.

This marks the first points race for Cup Series outside the continental United States since Toronto in July 1958, when Lee Petty won and Richard Petty made his debut. Mexico becomes the 16th different circuit to host a Cup Series race.

Daniel Suárez arrives with three previous wins at the track

Suárez has three victories on the oval configuration of Hermanos Rodríguez during his time in NASCAR Mexico Series. The driver pilots the Chevrolet No. 99 for Trackhouse Racing and currently sits 28th in the championship with 11 races remaining in the regular season.

I'm super excited about the event. I want to live in the moment because the first time will only happen once

The track measures 2.42 miles with 15 turns in its road course configuration. The circuit sits at 2,285 meters above sea level, reducing engine power by up to 15% due to lower air density.

William Byron leads points with 41-point advantage over Larson

The Hendrick Motorsports driver tops the standings before traveling to Mexico. His teammate Kyle Larson sits in second position, with both appearing as favorites for Sunday's race.

Hendrick Motorsports leads statistics with historic record

Hendrick Motorsports has won five of the last eight road course races with three different drivers: Byron (two), Larson (two) and Alex Bowman (one). The team leads all statistics on this type of track during the Next Gen era and has won at eight different circuits, more than any other team in Cup Series history.

The team has led 1,824 laps in 2025, the third-highest mark in team history through the first 15 races of a season. It's Hendrick's highest total since 1996 and the most for any Cup team since 2016.

Statistics reveal opportunities for winless drivers

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. Winless drivers above the cutoff line after race 15 have made the playoffs without winning only 50% of the time.

The last six road course poles were won by six different drivers, with five different teams taking the pole in the last five races. The driver who leads the most laps has failed to win four of the last five road course races.

Chase Elliott chases Tony Stewart's record

Chase Elliott seeks his eighth road course victory to tie Tony Stewart for second on the all-time list. The driver of the No. 9 has seven wins, leading all active competitors.

Five of the last 10 road course races were won by drivers getting their first victory on this type of track. A stage winner hasn't won in the last seven road course races.

Three veterans with previous experience at the Mexican track

Kyle Busch , Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski are the only active drivers with previous experience at the Mexican circuit. All three competed in NASCAR Xfinity Series between 2005-2008, with Busch (2008) and Hamlin (2006) scoring victories.

Chris Buescher of RFK Racing has the best average finish (8.7) on road courses during the Next Gen era, but ranks 21st in stage points earned. William Byron will make his 268th start with Hendrick Motorsports, passing Ken Schrader for seventh in team history.

Shane van Gisbergen seeks first 2025 victory

Van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing debuted in NASCAR with a win in Chicago two years ago. He hopes road courses will allow him to show his true level after months of learning on ovals.

"Everyone expects us to perform on road courses," said van Gisbergen. "The ovals have been a big learning process these last few months. It will be good to have a break and race on the type of tracks I know."

Xfinity Series returns to Mexican track

The support series will run The Chilango 150 on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. local time). Justin Allgaier leads the championship by 92 points over Austin Hill after winning at Nashville Superspeedway.

Allgaier seeks his 300th career top-10 finish, a mark never reached in series history. He has 10 top-fives in 2025, his best start after 14 races. He's won the fastest lap award five times this season, more than any other driver.

JR Motorsports placed all five of its cars in the top-10 at Nashville and is six wins away from reaching 100 victories. Only three teams have won at least 100 Xfinity races: Joe Gibbs Racing (217), Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (138) and Richard Childress Racing (100).

Chevrolet has won 12 of the first 14 races, the most by any manufacturer in series history through 14 races. The brand has led 2,061 of the 2,636 laps run this season.

Daniel Suárez (#9), Ty Gibbs (#19) and Christopher Bell (#24) will compete as Cup Series guests. Truck Series rookie Andrés Pérez de Lara will make his Xfinity debut in the #91 DGM car.

Historical facts about Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez

The circuit was designed in 1955 by engineer Oscar Fernández Gómez Daza as a thesis project. The facility opened in 1959 and received its current name in 1973 honoring brothers Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez , considered Mexico's best Formula 1 drivers in the 1960s.

Formula 1 raced here between 1962-1970, 1986-1992 and from 2015 to present. Felipe Massa reached 364 km/h at the 2015 Mexican Grand Prix, making it the fastest circuit on the F1 calendar. The track is known for its bumpy surface due to Mexico City being in a geologically active region.

NASCAR will use the National Circuit that includes the Foro Sol stadium section. The main straight measures 1,200 meters between turns 15 and 1, being one of the longest on the series calendar. For NASCAR Xfinity races between 2005-2008, a temporary chicane was built on the main straight and a new "stadium" turn replaced the lake esses.