NASCAR drivers hail first Mexico Cup race as a success

NASCAR Cup Series drivers have hailed the championship’s first visit to Mexico City as a resounding success, praising both the crowd turnout and the atmosphere at the track.

Sunday’s race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez marked the first time NASCAR held a round of the Cup Series outside the United States since 1958.

Trackhouse driver Shane van Gisbergen converted pole position to a dominant victory in the No. 88 Chevrolet, beating the No. 22 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Christopher Bell by a massive margin of 16 seconds.

The weekend also saw home favourite Daniel Suarez triumphing in the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, sending the Mexican crowd into raptures, although the 33-year-old could only muster 19th in the Cup Series event.

Van Gisbergen was full of praise for the atmosphere in Mexico, remarking that the local fans seemed deeply invested in NASCAR.

“It was amazing,” he said. “Yesterday I had goose bumps watching Daniel win at the hotel/

“I’ve won at home before when Supercars went to New Zealand, and New Zealanders are a bit more reserved than Mexicans, and it was amazing, the reception, the crowd.

“Even today [in the Cup race] when he was on wets and he’s got no chance, I got to the lead and you just see the crowd erupt. It’s amazing the support that he had and how much this race meant to everyone, and you see people so stoked to meet you for the first time. Like they’ve been NASCAR fans for years but never been able to see the race in person.

“I thought it was a really cool weekend, and I’d love to come back here.”

Hendrick Motorsport’s Chase Elliott, who finished third behind van Gisbergen and Bell, also gave a positive verdict to the Mexico event.

“I felt like everything, the reception, all the people….just first off, thank you to everyone that’s from here or had anything to do with the race weekend.

“I thought it was a really special thing for us to be able to come down here and do this.

“I thought it was really well done. I haven’t had any bad experiences throughout either one of my trips to Mexico City. I thought the weekend was overall a success. I hope you guys enjoyed the race.”

Bell added: Yeah, for me it was definitely a ton of fun to come down here, experience a new culture, new racetrack. The venue is a world class facility, and thank you for the hospitality. It’s been a great time, and I look forward to what’s next.”

Bell likened the Mexico F1 GP venue to the Indianapolis Road Course, which hosted Cup races between 2021-23 before NASCAR reverted to the oval last year.

“It really reminds myself of Indianapolis, the Indy Road Course,” he said. “It has a lot of similarities. I feel like the grip level and honestly the track layout is very similar. That’s what comes to my mind would be Indianapolis.”