The 2026 NASCAR México Series season kicked off this Sunday at the Súper Óvalo de Zaragoza with Rubén García Jr. taking the Potosina 200, his 25th victory in the series and his seventh at San Luis Potosí, a record no other driver has in the category's history.

174 laps and too many yellow flags

García Jr. came from a 2025 season where he finished eighth in the overall championship and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, a result not seen from a driver with five titles who had been champion in 2024. "Last year was very tough for everyone, and for me too. When you race for Team GP, you're expected to win every year," said García, who started fifth in qualifying and worked his way up to the front.

Photo By Nascar México Series

Julio Rejón had started from pole with a time of 21.541 seconds but his race fell apart to 18th place, and the yellow flags were so constant throughout the afternoon that officials ended the competition by time with 174 laps completed and García out front with a time of 1:40:14.083.

Eloy passed two on the final lap

Eloy Sebastián López started fourth and ran calmly for almost the entire race until the final lap, when he passed Rodrigo Rejón and Max Gutiérrez to move into second place, 484 thousandths behind García. "I raced with a cool head and at the end, when I saw I could attack, I did," said López, who scores good points with the Chase in mind.

Rodrigo Rejón, who fought for victory for a good portion of the race, ended up yielding to third place on that same final lap: "For a moment I thought I had it." Gutiérrez was fourth, Rubén Rovelo fifth, and Alex de Alba closed out sixth in his first race as defending champion.

Barrales Jr. won the Challenge Series

Víctor Barrales Jr. took the Challenge Series in a race where traffic complicated the final stages and was ultimately decided by minimal differences, with Mateo Girón just 364 thousandths behind in his debut and Regina Sirvent third thanks to a conservative race that paid off when others wore themselves out fighting for positions. "It was a very complicated race, especially at the end where traffic was a very important factor," said Barrales, who hopes this result will open doors for him heading into Chiapas.

The second round of the season will be on March 29th at the Súper Óvalo Chiapas.

Photo By Nascar México Series

Potosina 200 Results