NASCAR’s connections to Mexico through the years

NASCAR will make history on an international level this week with the Cup Series racing in Mexico City. It will mark the first time since 1958 that NASCAR's top division will hold a points-paying race in another country. NASCAR and Mexico have had multiple connections through the years -- including this dual-flagged entry from 2005 for Mexico City native Adrián Fernández. Here's a look at the history, with the drivers, tracks and events that have shaped that relationship.

Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suárez is the most recognizable current connection between NASCAR and his home country. The Monterrey, Mexico, native is in his ninth season in the Cup Series and is the only Mexican-born driver to win races at NASCAR's top level. His 302 career Cup Series starts are the most of any foreign-born driver.

Before we get to more current-day drivers, a history lesson about the Mexico City track's namesake. Brothers Pedro, left, and Ricardo Rodríguez were noted racers with international success, but both died in racing crashes nine years apart. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit that will host the Cup and Xfinity Series was named in their memory shortly after it opened.

Pedro Rodríguez made six Cup Series starts from 1959-71, including a Daytona 500 effort in the final year of his life. His best NASCAR finish was fifth place in the 1965 Coca-Cola 600. He also won two Grands Prix in Formula One and was accomplished in sports-car competition -- twice a winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona (1970-71) and once in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1968).

The Autródromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit has hosted four events in what is now called the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2005-08. All four of the race winners also notched victories in the Cup Series, including Martin Truex Jr., who drove the No. 8 Chevrolet to a triumph in the inaugural Mexico City event. That win was the first of six that season for Truex, who went on to post his second consecutive series championship.

Denny Hamlin was a Cup Series rookie in 2006, but he ventured south to score his first-ever NASCAR national series win that year at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Juan Pablo Montoya also celebrated his first NASCAR national series triumph at the Mexico City road course, breaking through in 2007. Almost three-and-a-half months later, his first Cup Series win arrived at Sonoma Raceway.

Kyle Busch won NASCAR's last national-series race in Mexico City, prevailing in 2008 -- his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing. The Xfinity Series will be back at the Hermanos Rodríguez circuit on Saturday -- the day before the Cup Series' debut.

Several drivers hailing from Mexico have also made an impact in NASCAR national series competition. One of the most well-tenured was Mexico City's Carlos Contreras, who became the first full-time driver in a NASCAR national tour when he joined the Craftsman Truck Series from 2000-02. Contreras made 75 Truck Series starts and 35 Xfinity Series starts in his career.

Adrián Fernández was already an 11-time winner in the IndyCar circuits when he explored NASCAR in 2005. The Mexico City product made 10 Xfinity Series starts in a four-year stretch, including all of the events at his hometown track while driving for Hall of Famer Rick Hendrick.

Michel Jourdain Jr. was a two-time IndyCar winner when he gave NASCAR a try in 2005. A full-time effort in the Xfinity Series was cut short that season, but his career record shows 33 national-series starts.

Rubén Pardo made seven Xfinity Series starts from 2007-15 but made a breakthrough in the '06 season when he became the first Mexican winner in the NASCAR Busch East Series -- now the ARCA Menards Series East -- at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.

Rogelio López joined Pardo on the list of ARCA East winners the following year, when he prevailed at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway -- edging current Cup star Joey Logano for the win. Lopez also entered two of the Xfinity Series events in his hometown of Mexico City, finishing 29th in both.

Germán Quiroga reached the Craftsman Truck Series full-time in 2013, joining team owner Tom DeLoach for two seasons. Quiroga, who won three straight titles in NASCAR's Mexico-based circuit, was twice a Truck Series runner-up.

Rubén Garcia Jr., a four-time champion in Mexico, also participated in four seasons of ARCA Menards Series East competition. He won twice in the 2018 campaign, finishing a career-best third in the overall standings.

The NASCAR Mexico Series has held championship events in the country since 2004. The circuit began with a 14-race schedule and has run on ovals and road courses in Mexico -- twice venturing north to the USA for events at Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Daniel Suárez was the NASCAR Mexico Series Rookie of the Year in 2010. He returned back to his roots in February 2024, winning the series opener at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.