Quiroga comes from last place to advance to the NASCAR Mexico final

Germán Quiroga needed a miracle in Aguascalientes. With 21 points below the qualification line and forced to start from the last position due to a penalty for an illegal component, the chances of the three-time NASCAR Mexico champion seemed over before Sunday's race even began.

After 177 laps, Quiroga crossed the finish line in first place and qualified for the championship final.

Quiroga's downfall had begun on Saturday. His lap of 23.942 seconds earned him pole position, but the celebration was short-lived. During the subsequent technical inspection, officials made two discoveries that altered his plans: they found an unauthorized component called "Ultra Brake cool fan" installed inside the wheels, and they caught a team member working under the vehicle without official authorization while it was impounded for technical review.

The Ultra Cool Brake Fan is a specialized fan installed inside the wheel, designed to flow more air more efficiently towards the braking components. Its main function is to prevent "brake fade" - the loss of braking effectiveness caused by overheating brake fluid - by keeping the rotors, pads, and calipers cooler.

NASCAR México Penalizes Quiroga for Illegal Ultra Brake Cool Fan

The double infraction cost Quiroga not only the pole but also a $15,000 peso fine. More critically: NASCAR México annulled all his qualifying times, sending him to the last place on the starting grid for Sunday's elimination race.

For someone already 21 points below the line separating the four finalists, starting last meant his season depended on an almost impossible comeback in the 177 laps of the Óvalo Aguascalientes México.

Photo By Nascar México Series

Rejón, de Alba, Gutiérrez and Sebastian in Qualification Zone

The numbers were ruthless for Quiroga before the "Aguascalientes el Gigante de México 170". Julio Rejón led the playoffs with 1096 points, followed by Alex de Alba (1091), Max Gutiérrez (1087), and Eloy Sebastian (1080). Only these four would advance to the final on November 9th in Puebla.

Quiroga occupied fifth place with enough points deficit to need not only to win, but also for his rivals to have problems. The penalty turned that difficult equation into almost impossible.

Abraham Calderón inherited the pole position that Quiroga had lost. With a 32.5-point deficit, Calderón also needed an extraordinary result to advance.

Quiroga Advances Positions from Last Place in Aguascalientes

What followed defied all logic. Quiroga consistently advanced positions in a race that had few interruptions - no yellow flags in the first half and only five in the second, allowing pure pace to determine the outcome.

"Within a few laps of starting, I was already fighting for the top spots, and except for two or three occasions when I lost the lead, the rest of the competition was mine," explained Quiroga from the Prime Spots-Car Motion team.

Max Gutiérrez finished second, just 0.293 seconds behind, but enough to secure his own pass to the final. Gutiérrez had arrived in Aguascalientes needing to recover from the disaster in San Luis Potosí, where he fell from third to eighth place after starting from pole.

Falcón, Calderón and Razo Out of NASCAR México Final

Eloy Sebastián Falcón finished third, but it wasn't enough. Despite starting within the four qualifiers, Falcón was eliminated by a narrow margin. Abraham Calderón, who had inherited the pole, finished fifth and also saw his season end.

Xavi Razo, second in Saturday's qualifying with 24.021, suffered mechanical problems and finished in 24th place, sealing his definitive elimination.

Alex de Alba, winner of the previous race in San Luis Potosí, finished seventh but had already secured his qualification. Julio Rejón finished fourth and maintained his playoff lead.

Diego Ortíz took advantage of the opportunity in the NASCAR Challenge Series, winning his category by finishing eighth in the overall classification. Ortíz joined Helio Meza, Giancarlo Vecchi, and Víctor Barrales Jr. as the four finalists of the NASCAR Challenge Series.

Photo By Nascar México Series

De Alba, Gutiérrez, Rejón and Quiroga Qualify for Puebla Final

The final on November 9th at the Autódromo Miguel E. Abed in Puebla will have a unique format: only Alex de Alba, Max Gutiérrez, Julio Rejón, and Germán Quiroga will compete for the 2025 championship. The rest of the field will be irrelevant - only which of these four crosses the finish line first will matter.

For Quiroga, returning to Puebla has special significance. It was precisely at the Autódromo Miguel E. Abed where he obtained his first victory of the season, rescuing his playoff spot from a complicated position. "I wasn't resigned, I thought the race wasn't lost, and when everything compacted, the heroic move came out," Quiroga had explained after that victory which secured him a place in the playoffs.

Now, the three-time champion of 2009, 2010, and 2011 returns to the same stage where he saved his season, seeking to crown the comeback with his fourth title after 14 years since his last championship.

RESULTS TABLE - Aguascalientes el Gigante de México 170: