NASCAR has taken a giant leap in promoting its stock car racing series for the next year. For the first time in 67 years, NASCAR’s premier offering, the Cup Series, will feature at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City. It’s not an exhibition event like the Clash or the All-Star race, but rather a points race. Therefore, its addition to the schedule next year is a big step in attracting more eyeballs toward the sport.

Interestingly, only three active drivers from the Cup garage have previously raced in New Mexico. Yes, you heard that right. The Xfinity Series raced south of the border from 2005 to 2008. Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. are the ones who know what it feels like to compete in Mexico City.

As we know, NASCAR has one of the most unpredictable fan bases, and some of them have expressed concerns over these ambitious plans. But Denny Hamlin, who himself isn’t a big road course racing advocate, believes a race in Mexico will help the sport in the long run.

Denny Hamlin to relive memories of his first NASCAR win

Back in 2006, drivers were allowed to run full-time in the Cup and the Xfinity Series simultaneously. This is when a young Denny Hamlin kick-started his rookie season with Joe Gibbs Racing. His first-ever national series win came at a road course race in Mexico City. Although he only has blurry images of what it felt like to win his first race, he backs NASCAR’s initiative to attract more race fans.

“Yeah, the atmosphere was great when we went there. It’s been such a long time ago. I went there twice, but I remember it being tons of fans, and a lot of that played into kind of the local heroes that were racing in the event in the Xfinity Series at the time. So I’m sure they’ll do it right, and we’ll see what happens.” Hamlin said this in a press conference ahead of the Southern 500 race at Darlington Raceway.

The veteran driver was also asked if his team 23XI Racing had seen more sponsorship offers because of the release of the new schedule. “I think it’s, you know, great for NASCAR and hopefully it can help grow the sport. I mean we all kinda knew what was going on, but no, we haven’t had those talks,” he added. The NASCAR will race on the same racing surface that hosts Formula 1 events every year.

However, the 2025 NASCAR schedule wasn’t all about making ambitious moves. This schedule perhaps strikes a good balance between pushing the boundaries and paying homage to the traditional roots.

NASCAR finally delivering on the fans’ demand

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One of the big complaints on the back of such enterprising ideas was the neglect of some of the historical tracks. Auto Club’s renovation is up in the air, and Chicagoland hasn’t seen Cup racing action since 2019. But, this time around, NASCAR has devised a plan that will cater to its cultural roots and historic heritage.

It all starts with the first event, the Clash, which has found its new home in Bowman Gray. After a two-year stint at L.A. Coliseum, NASCAR will add the flat short-track oval to its schedule, and this move has been well received by the community. But the big surprise came from the Xfinity and Truck Series schedule, which marks the return of Rockingham Speedway.

The historic track hosted NASCAR events, and legendary drivers like Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and Darrell Waltrip had all clinched victory at the mile-long oval. It will be the first time since 2004 that the racetrack will host a NASCAR event. Again, this move was made possible after the revival of the North Wilkesboro Speedway.

So it’s fair to say that NASCAR has started taking note of the historic venues along with its new-age approach.