Viva Mexico 250 Preview: NASCAR Goes International

This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series will make a little history and stage the first-ever Cup Series event in Mexico. We travel to Mexico City and the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit. The track is a 17-turn, 2.67-mile long circuit that is laid out on the streets of the public park in Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City in southeast Mexico City. The circuit was designed in 1953 and has evolved over the years into its current form. The track goes through a baseball stadium call the "Foro" and is one of the more recognizable features of the circuit. The track has hosted F1 events for several decades (Mexican Grand Prix) and it even hosted NASCAR's Xfinity Series for four events between 2005 and 2008. The Viva Mexico 250 event is 100 laps around this challenging circuit, divided into three stages of 20 laps, 25 laps and 55 laps. Top speeds will be limited by the highly-technical layout and 17 challenging turns, many include tight corners or chicanes.  The circuit is somewhat reminiscent of the street courses that F1 use in cities like Albert Park, Marina Bay and Baku. While that series has extensive experience racing on city streets, this will be just NASCAR's second go-around at this type of event. NASCAR developed a circuit in Chicago a couple seasons ago with similar characteristics.   

Since this is a completely new race, at a completely new course, we have no historical loop stats to examine this weekend. That does put us at a bit of a disadvantage.  However, we're not completely without some numbers. For much of our analysis this week, we're going to rely on the statistics that our NASCAR Cup Series drivers have accumulated the past two seasons on the various road circuits of the Cup Series. It's the only real measure of which drivers tend to thrive on winding circuits. The data will be over the past two seasons, or 10 races, so it will be fresh statistics. In the table below are the driver's standard stats at Sonoma Raceway, Watkins Glen International, Circuit of the Americas, the Indianapolis Grand Prix circuit and the Charlotte Roval over the past two seasons, sorted by average finish.

This weekend we will witness a little history being made. For the first time ever, NASCAR's top division will compete on the metropolitan street circuit in Mexico. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit is a purpose-built street layout for auto racing. The idea was conceived back in the early 1950's for Formula 1 racing and has hosted those events there since 1962. The NASCAR Mexico Series has also utilized the facility since its inception in 2004 and is a regular part of that racing series' schedule. Due to that fact and the Xfinity Series' brief stint of races here in the early 2000's, its not completely unknown to stock car racing. However, many of the drivers in NASCAR's top division have never competed on this circuit so there will be many unknowns and the learning curve will be steep this Sunday.

The last several Cup Series seasons have had an emphasis on road course racing. There are six events in the calendar this season, up from the typical three we've seen in recent past. This added road course action will favor a number of drivers who thrive at this style of racing. As for this inaugural event at Mexico, the drivers who have exceptional road racing skills will have the best opportunity to succeed, and those who don't will struggle.  We believe the statistical table above will be our greatest aide in evaluating drivers this weekend and projecting potential performance. As with any new race, and certainly on a tight, winding street course, we'll have a few surprises and upsets as well. We'll give you the drivers you need to succeed in your fantasy racing games for the Viva Mexico 250 on the streets of Mexico. 

The Contenders – Drivers in the hunt for the win

William Byron – With very recent wins at COTA and Watkins Glen, Byron has really elevated his game on the road circuits. The Hendrick Motorsports star is coming off a dominant performance but disappointing finish at Michigan this past Sunday. He'll look to rebound in a big way in Mexico City. With more laps led and more Top-5 finishes than anyone else in the Cup Series over the past two seasons on these winding circuits, the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet has to be see as a top favorite entering the inaugural Viva Mexico 250. In Byron's last two road racing starts alone he's nabbed third- and second-place finishes at the ROVAL and COTA.  

Christopher Bell – Already a three-time winner on Cup Series road circuits in his young career in NASCAR's top division, Bell has the obvious gift of road course racing. His 14-career Top 10's in 25 starts on these style tracks also work out to a strong 56-percent Top-10 rate. Bell's last two road racing events have netted a win earlier this season at COTA and an impressive runner-up finish last fall at the Charlotte ROVAL. With a 9.5 average finish over the past two seasons on these style tracks, Bell is second only to Chris Buescher in consistency in this form of racing. We expect the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team to be racing among the leaders at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Sunday afternoon.

Tyler Reddick – The 23XI Racing youngster hasn't added to his three-career road course victories over the past two seasons, but he's been really close to cashing in. Reddick has won a pair of pole positions (ROVAL and COTA) and he's finished inside the Top 5 twice, most recently earlier this season at COTA. Over the past two seasons the driver of the No. 45 Toyota has been second only to William Byron in laps led on these winding circuits. That's a lot of time spent up front in these races. With an eye-popping 64-percent Top-10 rate on road circuits to this point in his career, Reddick is not be underestimated in his first action in Mexico City. He'll be a top contender to win the Viva Mexico 250.

Chase Elliott – Elliott has not won on a road course in some time, but he's a career seven-time winner in this style of racing. 37-percent of his career Cup Series wins have come on road circuits. That's an incredible percentage and a real testament to Elliott's skill in road racing. Despite being winless of late, the Hendrick Motorsports star has been really close with three Top-5 finishes in his last four starts (Sonoma, ROVAL and COTA) on road courses. Elliott's most recent outing at Circuit of the Americas netted a third-place qualifying spot and strong fourth-place finish in the Echopark Automotive Grand Prix. Elliott has the skills and experience to pull off a dominant performance and win this inaugural Viva Mexico 250.

Solid Plays – Near locks for a Top 10 with an outside shot to win

Chris Buescher – The Roush Fenway Keselowski veteran has been one of the most consistent drivers in this form of racing for the past two seasons. Buescher piloted the No. 17 Ford to strong seventh-place finish at COTA earlier this season. He's also stacked up one victory (Watkins Glen) and six Top-10 finishes in his last seven road racing starts. That's boosted his career Top-10 rate on these tracks to a reasonable 42-percent. While Buescher is not a major threat to win, we expect he'll be one of the faces battling hard just outside the top contenders. He should be a near lock to grab a Top-10 finish in this inaugural Viva Mexico 250.

Shane van Gisbergen – The Trackhouse Racing driver earned his first attention in NASCAR by becoming a shock winner in the first-ever street course race at Chicago a couple seasons ago. Van Gisbergen is still adapting to the Cup Series car, but he's amassed some respectable road racing totals in a very short time. With two Top-5 and five Top-10 finishes over the past two seasons in this style of racing, the driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet is earning some quick respect. Just earlier this season van Gisbergen led a whopping 23 laps and dominated a good portion of the race at COTA before finishing a strong sixth-place in the Echopark Automotive Grand Prix. He'll be a top performer in this first-ever Cup Series race in Mexico City.   

Kyle Busch – Busch has been a hit-or-miss driver over his career on the road courses, but he seems to have swung to the better extreme most recently. The Richard Childress Racing star has earned three Top-10 finishes in his last seven road course events, including a very strong performance at COTA earlier this season. Busch would qualify eighth in that event, lead a race-high 42 laps and finish a strong fifth-place in the Echopark Automotive Grand Prix. While his career numbers in this form of racing are much greater than others in this ranking, he still boasts four-career wins and 30 Top 10's (53-percent) on the winding circuits.

Ross Chastain – Coming off the big win at Charlotte a few weeks ago and a strong sixth-place finish at Michigan this past Sunday, Chastain gets a promotion to the solid plays list this week. He seems to be heating up, and this Mexico street race is just unique enough to keep this unique driver on a roll. In the last seven road course events the Trackhouse Racing star has a pole position, two Top-5 and four Top-10 finishes. Most recently, Chastain collected a respectable 12th-place finish at COTA earlier this season. The veteran driver does carry a bit of a caution tag due to his aggressive driving style, but we really feel he's heating up right now and has undeniable high-ceiling potential in the Viva Mexico 250.

Sleepers – Drivers with good history of road course racing & solid upside

AJ Allmendinger – Allmendinger has had a fairly good season to this point, but it's turned quite positive of late. Very recently he grabbed a Top-5 finish at Charlotte and boosted himself to 17th-place in the point standings. Allmendinger's prowess in road racing precedes him. The driver of the No. 16 Chevrolet has three-career wins on Cup Series road circuits and a 52-percent Top-10 rate in this form of competition. The winding tracks are by far his best facilities on the Cup Series circuit. Over the last two seasons the Kaulig Racing driver has nabbed one win, two Top-5 and five Top-10 finishes on these tough circuits. He brings tremendous potential to Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.   

Alex Bowman – While he's trying to shake off a slump and some recent bad luck, we believe Bowman will be a high-ceiling driver in the inaugural Viva Mexico 250. The Hendrick Motorsports veteran has finished third- and ninth-place in his last two COTA starts and he has compiled a 50-percent Top-10 rate on the road circuits the last two seasons. The average finish over the span checks in at a respectable 13.8 for the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet. Bowman owns just a 41-percent career Top-10 rate on road circuits, but that number has been gradually improving as he's picked up his performance over the past few seasons.  

Daniel Suarez – The Trackhouse Racing veteran will be racing on his home turf as it were this weekend. Due to Suarez's background and history of racing in Mexico, he has extensive experience with this circuit. Perhaps more than any other driver in the field. He's won three times at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez due to his background racing in the NASCAR Mexico Series and made 13 starts there with a robust 10.5 average finish in that racing series. Suarez is not typically who we think of when it comes to road racing success, but he does own one Cup Series win at Sonoma and six Top 10's on these style tracks in NASCAR's top division. 

Kyle Larson – Larson has been bit off a boom or bust driver on road circuits in recent seasons, but he's still managed a reasonable 40-percent Top-10 rate in his last 10 starts on the winding circuits. In addition to those Top 10's the Hendrick Motorsports star has also grabbed a victories at the Charlotte Roval and Sonoma during that span. As prone as he is to surprise and dominate, Larson can also have a tendency to disappear when it comes to road course events. His two finishes outside the Top 25 in the last 10 events of this style dampen our expectations a bit, but Larson still manages a strong 13.2 average finish. The fact that he carries Top-5 and wining potential in these races should put him solidly on your fantasy racing radar screen and well within sleeper potential in Mexico.

Joey Logano – Logano is looking to rebound from a subpar outing at Michigan International Superspeedway this past Sunday, and the road race in Mexico should be just the ticket to get him back on a roll. The Penske Racing star grabbed an impressive eighth-place finish at the ROVAL last fall and that's one of four Top 10's he grabbed on road circuits the last two seasons (40-percent). Much like Kyle Larson, Logano can have his power outages in this style of racing. The driver of the No. 22 Ford can be spectacular or a flame out on road tracks. That's a very good reason to watch closely how Logano performs in practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday. Good practice laps and good starting track position will be a good indicator of his potential on the Viva Mexico 250.

Michael McDowell – A surprise win at the Indy Grand Prix circuit two seasons ago grabbed some attention, but then McDowell's runner-up finish at Sonoma last summer cemented his recent reputation on these style tracks. His last four road racing efforts have netted second-, seventh-, 15th- and 11th-place finishes with the most recent coming at COTA earlier this season. The Spire Motorsports veteran is a wheel man and he has the gift of road racing in his skill set. McDowell's career-long numbers on these style tracks is far from impressive. He's only begun carving out a serious reputation on these circuits since the 2022 season.     

Slow Down – Drivers to avoid this week

Denny Hamlin – Despite his big victory at Michigan this past week, we're sliding Hamlin into the slow down list this week in Mexico. He is a one-time winner on road circuits, but he's never been consistent with only a 36-percent career Top 10 rate on these style tracks. He's had some really tough struggles the past couple seasons despite qualifying well at the road circuits. Hamlin has just one Top-10 finish in his last 10 road racing starts and an inflated average finish of 22.0. Earlier this season at COTA is a prime example for the No. 11 Toyota team. Hamlin labored to a subpar 21st-place finish in the Echopark Automotive Grand Prix. Add to these facts that Hamlin is on "baby watch" this weekend and may potentially miss the race, and it's clear he's a bench driver this week.   

Erik Jones – The Legacy Motor Club driver has been a pretty good performer over the past month or so. Jones has nabbed one Top-5, two Top-10 and four Top-15 finishes in his last five starts. However, road racing is simply not this driver's cup of tea. With just a 27-percent career Top-10 rate on these tracks in 33 starts, Jones has his struggles in this style of racing. The driver of the No. 43 Toyota has failed to crack the Top 10 in his last 10 road racing starts and has a disappointing 29.9 average finish over that most recent span. Earlier this season Jones labored to a 27th-place finish at Circuit of the Americas which has been our only other road racing action to this point in the 2025 calendar.  

Austin Dillon –  The 2025 season has been a pretty lean one for Dillon and the No. 3 Chevrolet team. Dillon has just three Top 10's to this point and is a distant 25th-place in the driver point standings. Coming to Mexico, the veteran driver has to be somewhat anxious. Road racing has never been Dillon's best trade. The Richard Childress Racing driver has just two-career Top-10 finishes in 38 road course starts (5-percent) and a disappointing 22.9 average finish on these circuits. Earlier this season at COTA, Dillon qualified poorly and crashed in the late stages to finish 35th-place in the Echopark Automotive Grand Prix. He's a solid fantasy bench candidate for the Viva Mexico 250. 

Brad Keselowski – Keselowski's best tracks are short tracks and intermediate ovals. By contrast, his worst tracks are easily road courses. The owner/driver of the No. 6 Ford owns just 11 Top 10's in 47 road racing starts (23-percent) and the 17.1 average finish is the highest of the different array of NASCAR tracks in his resume. The past two seasons have been particularly difficult for the veteran driver. Keselowski has an average start of just 25.3 which really puts him behind the eightball out the gate starting so far back in the field of these events. He also has no Top 10's in those last 10 road racing starts and an inflated 21.4 average finish. Coming to a new circuit that Keselowski has never raced on before seems to be a bridge too far for fantasy racing expectations this Sunday.