Adrian Fernandez will drive the No. 5 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports this weekend in Mexico City. Credit: Special to NASCAR.COM

Q&A: Adrian Fernandez

Mexican race fans will welcome their favorite son home this weekend when Adrian Fernandez competes in the Telcel Motorola Mexico 200 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.

Fernandez, a native of Mexico City, will drive Hendrick Motorsports' No. 5 in the race and will undoubtedly have the biggest fan following. A successful driver and owner in open-wheel, Fernandez boasts a level of popularity akin to Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- or perhaps bigger.

Fernandez recently spoke with members of the racing media about the upcoming race.

Q: For people who don't have a handle on your popularity in Mexico, is it a Dale Jr.-type popularity?

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Fernandez: It's pretty big. But it's something that didn't happen from one day to another. I remember I used to race and think, "Yeah, people know me more and more." And then I started winning races and fighting for the championship. I remember at Fontana they got 30-40 percent more sales after I won Australia in 2000. That was pretty big.

It's something that I'm very proud of because it's helping the young generation. I'm not taking it personally. You never look at it. It's something that has been built up for 12-13 years, but it is big.

They're very passionate, so passionate that they want me to consult with them, sometimes, with what I do.

Q: It's almost like Michael Jordan.

Probably, because we don't have many athletes like you do here. You have many sports, many top athletes, many heroes. It's just different. We don't have that many in Mexico.

Q: You've seen NASCAR races on TV, right?

Oh, yeah. I'm good friends with Jimmie (Johnson) and Jeff (Gordon) -- I did IROC. I do watch them. I love racing. That's the only thing I watch on TV. I'm always watching. I've been there, I met Dale Earnhardt. He was fantastic when I did my IROC season. He helped us.

Q: How many times have you been in a stock car?

Just IROC.

Q: Are you going to go to a school?

I don't think I'm going to go to school, but I'm going to have a test. Jimmie's going to help me. I've been hearing a lot, and at the end of the day, you cannot drive them like a single-seater car, so I have to slow down myself inside there. Maybe I'll bring my fiancé for a ride.

Q: A lot of people want to know the secret of Mexico and the track.

I'm not going to tell them.

Q: Being realistic, what do you expect out of this race?

I expect to win. I'm in a top-class car, and I know the circuit. To me, I expect to win. Those are my expectations.

Q: Are there safety issues for guys coming down there?

No. There are safety issues everywhere. You can go to the wrong place in Daytona, the wrong place in New York, the wrong place in L.A., Chicago. You just have to know where you are going to be, and it's the same in Mexico. Mexico has been having international races for the last few years, and everybody has had a good time. It's a great place to be. We have the best food, and people are very happy to see something new. We have great fans.

I'm marrying a Colombian girl. Juan Pablo Montoya was inviting me to a race at the end of last year, and I said, "I don't want to go. It's too dangerous." Well, I have been there 10 times, and nothing has ever happened.

Q: There are a lot of guys who don't want to go to Mexico for security reasons. They're worried about kidnappings and stuff. Is that insulting?

It's not insulting. It's just unfortunate. It's like me, saying that I was not going to Columbia. Sometimes we judge without knowing what is happening. Have we had bad things happen? Yes. But also look at the news in America. You have to feel afraid in some situations.

Q: Can you talk about some of the (Mexican drivers) people don't know about, like Jorge Goeters, Rafael Martinez. Are those guys going to be contenders?

I think they will. They've been driving a lot of those type of cars, so they're more used to those cars than myself, in that respect. I expect them to be very competitive. They are drivers who haven't competed internationally that much. But they are the heroes of Mexican local racing. We have very good drivers that will competing. A lot of Busch Series drivers will be surprised at how good the drivers are.

Q: Can you think of the last time you had an event of this magnitude in Mexico?

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez Credit: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

The most important one was Monterey the first year. ... It was unbelievable. It was so big. The grandstands, the people, it was crazy. We couldn't control the crowd, there were so many people.

I expect this to be big -- and something new for them. They're going to be discovering the cars. It may be as big as that first race.

Q: Do you see young Mexican drivers looking to NASCAR instead of CART or the IRL?

I think they will, just because I think there will be more opportunities for them. But at least they have other opportunities, and that's what I like. They will have an opportunity to participate in Champ Cars or IndyCars or NASCAR. To me, that's what I'm most proud of in what has happened in racing the last few years in my country.

When I went to Europe, there was nobody to help you, absolutely no one. Everybody said when I went to Europe that I was crazy. I was fighting for my dream. Now, there are opportunities and openings.

Q: What can Adrian Fernandez the businessman bring to Mexican companies and NASCAR?

What this is going to open is new opportunities for new companies because this is something totally different. We already help in that respect just by participating. (The Mexico race) is going bring a lot.

Q: You're getting married, and you've got the race in Mexico City. What is the rest of your year going to look like?

Right now, I'm just taking it day-by-day. I'm excited to be able to participate in the race with such a great company like Lowe's. You've seen my car red, white and green -- that's synonymous with Adrian Fernandez for 12-13 years. This is different, so I'm excited.

This is a new company, this is a company interested in the Latin market. You can never predict what can happen, but if it goes well, I'm sure there are other opportunities that can come.

Q: Is the interest in the Latin market the driving force behind interest from the sponsors?

Yes. It's a market they need to expand. The Latin market is huge in America. It's not being touched, so it's a great opportunity for them to start doing this. It's a win-win situation.