For a certain period last year, there were constant rumors that NASCAR was close to finalizing a Cup Series race in Canada. Montreal was spoken of as the decided venue but the talks never materialized into anything of concrete value. The promotion unveiled its schedule for 2025 a few days back and it was rather Mexico City that found its place on the calendar. So, what happened to the Great White North?
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The Craftsman Truck Series traveled to the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Ontario for a race up until a few years back. Ben Kennedy, the Executive VP of NASCAR, has confirmed now that he intends for the sport to return to the country in the future. He told the press recently, “It’s an important market for us. We’d love to have an opportunity to be up north of the border at some point, as well as abroad.”
If NASCAR does return to Canada they have to go to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/ENH9Uf7wFf
— Daniel Kriete (@DanielKriete4) February 13, 2023
The response that the truck series got in their time there is what fueled Kennedy’s interest to fly north. He continued to reveal that the governing body is in good relations with the venue and has been in talks with the team in Montreal as well. “We obviously have a lot of planning to do,” he added. “We want to make sure that we’re smart and calculated about each step that we take.”
In addition to trucks, the Xfinity Series has been to Canada previously as well. It took to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal between 2007 and 2012. Should a deal with the Cup Series be finalized in the future, it will be the first time the top-level stock car series travels there. The logistics and planning that such moves entail are gargantuan and require that moves be made steadily.
How NASCAR made history by scheduling a race in Mexico
The promotion announced recently that it would be holding a points-paying Cup Series race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 15, 2025. It will be the first international Cup Series race since 1958.
Stock car racing as a sport has very limited exposure to traveling beyond American borders. A few exhibition races were run in Japan and Australia in the late 90s but that was it.
The move to Mexico breaks a lot of traditions and stands tall as a giant step towards popularizing NASCAR. “This is a historic moment for our sport, and specifically for the NASCAR Cup Series, in being able to expand our footprint to Mexico,” Kennedy said, during the announcement.
He continued to express his happiness about going south of the border for the first time. As the 2024 Cup Series season tails towards its end and the 2025 campaign begins rearing its head, he hasn’t lost sight of the cruciality of traveling to Canada.
