NASCAR is set to venture on its first points-paying international journey in nearly 67 years, heading to Mexico City in two weeks’ time. For all but Daniel Suárez, this will mark the drivers’ first time racing at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez — a 2.42 mile circuit steeped in racing lore. For a series aiming to expand its global reach, no venue could carry greater symbolic weight.
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The word autódromo may translate simply to “racetrack” in Spanish, but Hermanos Rodríguez evokes something far deeper. The circuit is named after brothers Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez, two of Mexico’s most revered motorsport figures.
The track received its name shortly after Ricardo lost his life during practice for Formula 1’s non-Championship 1962 Mexican Grand Prix. Tragically, Pedro met a similar fate behind the wheel nine years later.
Both brothers inherited their racing passion from their father, Pedro Sr., and built dominant reputations as teenage motorcycle champions. Their introduction to NASCAR came in the spring of 1959 when 19-year-old Pedro entered the Trenton Speedway event while 17-year-old Ricardo, too young to compete, served as the team’s makeshift crew chief from pit road.
Even NASCAR royalty took notice. Lee Petty, father of Richard Petty, remarked, “I’m happy to hear the boys will race at Trenton in that 150-miler. The more competition, the better. I don’t reckon they’ll beat me.” But they very nearly did beat him. Pedro finished sixth, just two spots behind Petty and ahead of icons like Junior Johnson and Richard Petty himself.
Though their NASCAR appearances were brief — Pedro made just six Cup Series starts, including a 13th-place finish in the 1971 Daytona 500 — their impact resonated far beyond stat sheets. The Rodríguez brothers were national treasures whose racing brilliance was matched only by the heartbreak of their premature deaths.
Both brothers also left their mark on Formula 1. Ricardo signed with Ferrari in 1962, becoming one of the youngest factory drivers in Grand Prix history. When Ferrari withdrew from that year’s Mexican Grand Prix, Ricardo took the wheel of a Lotus instead. During practice, the car failed in a high-speed section, launched over a barrier, and exploded in flames. Aged 20, Ricardo still remains the youngest fatality in Formula 1 history.
Pedro, devastated by his brother’s death, considered stepping away from racing. But as he later said before his World 600 debut, “Racing is my profession, and I decided to continue.” His resume grew to include two Formula 1 victories, a win at the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ford GT40, and a 24 Hours of Daytona triumph with Porsche in 1971.
Just months after his Daytona victory, Pedro entered a lower-tier sports car race in Nuremberg, Germany, behind the wheel of a Ferrari 512 M. On the 12th lap, his right front tire separated from the rim, sending the car careening into a barrier and erupting in flames. He died at 31.
The Rodríguez siblings’ connection to NASCAR, though brief, ran deep. It was an early cultural bridge between the sport and Mexico. That legacy makes Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez not just a fitting location, but a poignant one, as the Cup Series ventures beyond U.S. borders for the first time in the 21st century.
