While Daniel Suárez holds the distinction of being more familiar with Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez than most of his Cup Series peers, a handful of NASCAR drivers have logged laps there from an earlier era. This is when the Xfinity Series — then known as the Busch Series — briefly planted its flag in Mexico City. Between 2005 and 2008, the track hosted just four races, but those events left a mark and produced notable winners, including Denny Hamlin.
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Hamlin, now a cornerstone of Joe Gibbs Racing, collected his maiden Xfinity win at the track in 2006. Piloting the No. 20 Chevrolet, he rolled off second and fought past pole winner Boris Said over 80 laps, edging him by 1.820 seconds at the checkered flag. That performance remains a footnote in Hamlin’s rise through the NASCAR ranks.
Now, as NASCAR prepares to return to the famed Mexico City layout, anticipation brews around veterans like Hamlin and Kyle Busch, both past winners at the track. Yet Hamlin, fresh off his milestone 57th Cup Series victory at Michigan, downplayed the notion of being the favorite when speaking on NASCAR’s The Day After podcast.
Reflecting on his 2006 triumph, Hamlin admitted the simulator offered a harsh reality check: “When I go in the simulator last week and drive around the racetrack, it was like I was never there. I was running all, I was in the grass, running into walls. It’s like past success… doesn’t mean for future success for sure.”
Genuine question, do you even like NASCAR?
I see negative tweets more than positive ones from this account.
Xfinity raced in Mexico before.. here’s some pictures from Denny Hamlin’s first career Xfinity win which happened at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. https://t.co/37ZD36LoES pic.twitter.com/C8HNIJ8EQI
— Inane ✞ (@Inane1113) February 2, 2024
The inaugural 2005 Telcel-Motorola 200 saw Martin Truex Jr. dominate the day, leading 45 laps en route to victory from the third starting spot in the No. 8 Chance 2 Motorsports entry. Juan Pablo Montoya captured the 2007 edition, while Busch added his name to the list of victors in 2008. Driving the No. 20 JGR Toyota, sponsored by Doosan Infracore, Busch stormed from sixth on the grid to the front, leading 22 laps to seal the win.
Even so, with Hamlin now part of the rarefied group to win a race beyond their 700th start, another victory wouldn’t raise eyebrows. But considering his self-professed discomfort on road courses, the door may swing open for Kyle Busch, who’s been searching for a spark, to climb back on the podium at a track where he’s already written his name in the record books.
