Daniel Suarez expects the NASCAR Cup race in Mexico on June 15, 2025 to be a historic moment for the category as the first points-paying Cup race on international soil since 1958. However, for Suarez, personally, it's a chance to do something he's always wanted to do — bring his beloved sport to his home country and race on that same soil.
“Honestly, it's like literally a dream for me. As I mentioned a little while ago, since I left my country in 2011 and obviously went to the U.S. in 2015, I had the opportunity to race full time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In that year, I really dreamed and thought about one day racing in the top category of NASCAR in my (home) country. And to be here today is something incredible.”
Now slated on the calendar, Suarez said that the timing couldn't be more perfect. "NASCAR is obviously growing a lot internationally with drivers in the U.S. and well, coming to race in Mexico City is something that has been planned for a long time," he said.
It should also be an enlightening experience for fans as the last time Mexico City saw NASCAR in the mid-2000s, the cars were very different from the Next Gen machinery of today.
“The race is going to be sincerely a show that I hope my Mexican people are prepared (for), because the Next Gen car is a car that really has a lot to give in the circuits, as much as it does in the ovals”, expressed Suarez in a round table at the presentation in Mexico.
When the Xfinity Series last visited the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in 2005, the stock cars were designed for ovals, even those in the Cup category. But today's Next Gen car has been configured to be suited to road racing.
“The car looks very nice, the car is very, very attractive. It has the essence of NASCAR, but at the same time [it's] very modern. Obviously the car has a lot of power, the sound of the engine is something that is going to drive them crazy, but to be seeing 25 cars on track or more will be something very impressive.”
Double duty in Mexico?
When NASCAR Cup arrives in Mexico in 2025 , it will be accompanied by the Xfinity series. Suarez was asked if many Cup drivers would invade the Xfinity event on June 14 to acquire more knowledge of the circuit, but the Mexican highlighted that the rules are not yet clear. The sanctioning body could elect to apply the same format that was carried out in the first year in the Chicago Street Circuit, which forbid Cup drivers from running both races.
“We have talked a lot about that topic, because whenever there is a new track, all Cup drivers want to race and that is something normal, we all want to. I've won here at the Hermanos Rodriguez, but I've never raced on the F1 circuit. I've never raced it. So all the Cup drivers are going to want to do the invasion.
“However, there are still a lot of things we have to talk about with the NASCAR people to see if that's really a good thing for the event or not. We want to see eight, 10 Cup drivers in Xfinity, maybe even in Nascar Mexico it will be something positive. So there are really a lot of things that have to be fine-tuned. If the possibility opens up, I will be racing, but [they're still deciding] if they will authorize the drivers of the [Cup] category to race in Xfinity and NASCAR Mexico. Something very similar happened in Chicago [...]. So let's see what happens."
