NASCAR Insider delivers his verdict over Mexico race potentially ‘not happening’

NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass addressed the rumors surrounding the potential cancellation of the inaugural Cup Series race in Mexico City. He acknowledged some anxiety within the garage, but confirmed with officials that the event remains on schedule. He also stated that he "fully expects" it to take place as planned.

Rumors circulated that teams might be heading to the Daytona Road Course for the June 13-15 race weekend instead of Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, which is slated to host both the Xfinity and Cup Series. Many speculated that the uncertainty stemmed from ongoing political tensions between the two countries.

Veteran journalist Bob Pockrass addressed the rumors, stating that NASCAR remains fully committed to the Mexico City race weekend. He also highlighted the recent promotional event in Mexico City, where home hero Daniel Suarez joined Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, and NASCAR executive Steve O’Donnell on a press tour.

"There have been rumors for several weeks that the Mexico race won’t happen, even though NASCAR brought drivers to Mexico last week and had Mexican media at COTA this past weekend. I talked to NASCAR this morning. They are adamant that the Mexico race is good to go," Pockrass wrote on X.

"Rumors of Mexico race not happening likely stem from the current state of relations between the two countries. And there are some in the garage who have anxiety about going (just like there was some, maybe not to same extent, about racing in Chicago). I fully expect it to happen." he mentioned.

Another NASCAR journalist, Matt Weaver, also weighed in on the rumors, writing that he first heard about them at Atlanta. After speaking with several team personnel, Weaver acknowledged that such a scenario might not be "impossible"; however, the rumors are "overblown" and "unlikely" to happen.

The 100-lap race Cup Series race in Mexico City is scheduled for June 15 at 3:00 PM ET, with live coverage on Prime, SiriusXM, and MRN. The 65-lap Xfinity Race is scheduled for June 14 at 4:30 PM ET, with coverage on CW, MRN, and SiriusXM.

---

Christopher Bell predicts "banner weekend" for NASCAR at Mexico City

Christopher Bell was among the quartet of drivers and NASCAR executives who visited Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez between his back-to-back victories at Atlanta and COTA. The #20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver likes the diverse schedule and believes the race weekend in Mexico City will be a huge hit.

"I love, love the fact of diversifying the schedule and going to new venues. You just want the crowd to turn out, and you want crowd engagement. Based on what we’ve experienced this week and what we know is to come, I think that’s going to happen here in Mexico. I think it’s going to be a banner weekend, and the crowd seems like it’s going to be very engaged and show up in a big way." he was quoted by NASCAR.com.

The four Cup Series stars toured the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit while sampling local delicacies and attended a Lucha Libre wrestling match. Home hero Daniel Suarez called it a dream come true and expressed his excitement about making the most of the race weekend.