“All of my efforts have been shut down,” IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward lamented after NASCAR recently announced its trip to Mexico for 2025. As the stock car racing series takes strides in his home country, O’Ward’s own series is not showing any hopes of the same. However, in an unusual twist of events, motorsport fans are demanding that NASCAR accommodate O’Ward’s wishes instead.

Being a stellar open-wheel racer, O’Ward has proved his mettle multiple times this year. Most recently, he clinched his third IndyCar victory at the Milwaukee Mile, overturning doubts about his star power. His ardent desire to race in Mexico may soon be achieved, especially with NASCAR support.

NASCAR is taking notice of IndyCar

Well, it all started last week on Tuesday. Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s executive vice president, announced that the Cup Series will conduct a points-paying event at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in June 2025. This marks the first time in 67 years that a Cup race has crossed US borders. But it also marked the beginning of an uproar in IndyCar – Pato O’Ward and other drivers clamored for an IndyCar race in Mexico. However, Mike Miles, IndyCar CEO, shut down these demands by claiming O’Ward has less star value.

A comparison sprouted between O’Ward and Adrian Fernandez, a Mexican CART Series driver from the 1990s and 2000s. Yet, O’Ward had an apt response to this. “That’s not the point, saying that I’m not famous enough to pack up a whole place. That’s just throwing your series under the bus because you should want to go to Mexico, you should want to go international because you believe in your series, not because you believe just in one of your 27 drivers. And I’m just trying to do my part in the best that I can.”

But now, NASCAR is coming up with a possible solution to help Pato O’Ward achieve his wish. The sport’s Instagram page posted a photo of the driver with a question for its fans. “With NASCAR heading to Mexico in 2025, could McLaren’s Pato O’Ward give stock car racing a try someday? Note: NASCAR’s Mexico race and an INDYCAR race are both scheduled for June 15 next year.” Indeed, a different race sport taking note makes sense – as O’Ward added another trophy recently.

Pato O’Ward dazzled his fans in the first half of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s doubleheader weekend. He led a race-high 133 laps and finished 1.8215 seconds ahead of 2014 Milwaukee winner Will Power. This marked his seventh career IndyCar victory and cemented his solid reputation as a race car driver. So even Alex Palou, the current IndyCar points leader, rooted for O’Ward leading IndyCar into Mexico. “For Pato, he’s been growing, so I think we’re like five years too late, and now NASCAR overtakes us.”

But in a strange turn of events, even NASCAR fans also want Pato O’Ward to fulfill his wish. For that, an IndyCar-NASCAR crossover is in demand.

Fans root for a unique mash-up

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Right after clinching his Milwaukee victory, Pato O’Ward bashed his doubters with a savaged response. He even joined Will Power to claim that IndyCar deserves a Mexico race more than NASCAR. Yet ironically, now fans responded positively to NASCAR’s question. They are rooting for O’Ward to race with their icons, as one fan commented: “Absolutely. If the opportunity presents itself.” Then another fan crossed their fingers for this possibility. “Let’s see it happen 🤞 pls.” Another fan went the extra mile and demanded O’Ward get a ride in a NASCAR car soon. “Need him in a cup car immediately, at LEAST xfinity that weekend.”

This year in May, Kyle Larson ran the Indy 500 race in his ‘Double’ attempt, with help from Arrow McLaren. Since O’Ward drives the No. 5 Chevy for Arrow McLaren, some fans asked Hendrick Motorsports to do something about roping in the driver for the Mexico race. One fan concurred with NASCAR’s idea and tagged HMS: “That will be awesome, hey @teamhendrick this is a good idea.” Another fan also believed that HMS may just pave the way to Mexico for O’Ward. “Yes I can see @teamhendrick making that happen for @patriciooward @arrowmclaren 🔥”

Evidently, Pato O’Ward is getting all the fan support he needs – not just from IndyCar, but from NASCAR as well. We should see the Mexican driver wheeling a car into his home country soon.