Why did IndyCar stop racing in Mexico?

IndyCar only races on the North American continent in the USA and Canada. However, the absence of Mexico from the calendar doesn't make sense as the Mexicans are very passionate about Motorsports, and there is a huge potential for IndyCar in the market.

IndyCar used to race in Mexico back in the day, but it all changed after IRL and Champ Car came together at the end of the 2007 season. IndyCar raced at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in the 2000s, but stopped at the end of the 2007 season.

The American open wheel racing series also raced at the temporarily set up street circuit in Fundidora Park, Monterrey, Mexico, from 2001-06. But why were both of these races skipped from the IndyCar calendar? Did it have anything to do with the merger of the IRL and Champ Car series?

Mexico City E-Prix Round 2 - Source: Getty

It wasn't because of the merger, but because of the situation that led to the merger of the two series. Both Indy Racing League and Champ Car continued to struggle with their financial situation in the mid-2000s, which eventually led to IRL absorbing the other American open-wheel racing series in an attempt to stop the division of the audience between the two.

Despite the merger, the near bankruptcy caused IndyCar to drop the International races as part of their plan to stabilize the series. As a result, the races in Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, and Mexico were dropped from the calendar.

Nonetheless, IndyCar is reportedly in talks for Mexico to return to the American open-wheel racing series calendar. According to the latest report, the race might feature on the calendar as early as 2026, as the Penske Entertainment officials have made advancements in finalizing a deal.

IndyCar inches closer to finalizing a deal for the Mexico City race

NASCAR beat IndyCar to sign a deal with the race promoters in 2024, which added the Mexico City race to the stock car calendar. Pato O'Ward, the Mexico native Arrow McLaren driver, was furious with IndyCar for letting the deal get away from them and slammed the American open-wheel racing series.

However, since then, IndyCar and Penske Entertainment officials have made advancements, and according to the recent report by ESPN, the series is close to finalizing a deal to race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit for the 2026 season.

Pato O'Ward on the Pit Pass Indy podcast also revealed the advanced talks between the race promoters and IndyCar officials, as he said:

“I think we can see it as soon as 2026. That's definitely what I've been pushing for and what I know IndyCar is pushing for. It might be pretty close to the Arlington Grand Prix. You never know if they might be back-to-back because it is gonna be the closest one to Mexico, in terms of logistics travel-wise.”

The Mexican GP already features on the F1 calendar and most recently joined the NASCAR calendar. With IndyCar planning to expand its calendar and incorporating international races, the Mexico City GP move makes complete sense.