Chase Elliott Cautiously Optimistic of NASCAR’s International Plans After Mexico City; Michael McDowell Shares His Dream

This time, the rumor mills appear to have got it wrong. The garage area was abuzz with chatter that NASCAR may end up nixing one of the planned highlights of the 2025 seasonally committed. And ticket sales for the double header weekend have gone live. Come June, Mexico City will witness the top tier of the sport in action.

Of course, NASCAR already has a Mexico regional race, which has produced many stars. But this will be the first time that a part of the championship races will actually be held outside the borders of the United States.

Which is a good thing, says Daniel Suarez. Trackhouse Racing’s Mexican-American star said this will build on the appeal the sport already has in that country, and expand its fanbase further.

Ahead of this historic foray into the unknown, fan-favorite driver Chase Elliott gave his thoughts on what he expects from the event, which is being touted as a stepping stone to NASCAR’s global ambitions.

While the event promises a lot, Elliott did make a point to temper his expectations, even as he was cautiously optimistic about the upcoming race. “I think it takes a lot of courage and I think anytime you come into a new area, a new part of the world, even a new part of the United States you haven’t been in yet, I think there’s always a concern of how will we be received?” he questioned.

Elliott touched on how the Mexico City race will reveal whether NASCAR is ready to go further into the international market or not and elaborated, “Seeing how this goes, going through the motions can answer the question of, ‘Hey, can we take that to the next level?’ Or maybe this might be the end of the expansion, but regardless, I think it’s a good opportunity.”

“We should be going to Interlagos”: Michael McDowell

On the other hand, fellow NASCAR Cup Series regular McDowell has a much more confident take on the topic of stock car racing’s top tier going outside the United States. The #71 Chevrolet driver for Spire Motorsports voiced his enthusiasm during a recent interview with journalist Jeff Gluck.

“Our racing is so, so good and so captivating. What we do on the racetrack is awesome, and we need to bring that to more people, more eyeballs. Mexico City is a great start, but we should be going to Interlagos (in Brazil), we should be going to Spa (Belgium), we should be going to Monza (Italy),” he asserted.

An expansion into Europe appears somewhat far-fetched as of now. However, if McDowell’s enthusiasm for trying out newer markets outside the US is shared by NASCAR, and more importantly, its fanbase, pushing further into the Americas might become a reality sooner rather than later. But it all hinges on how the Mexico City event ultimately fares.