The 2024 Cup Series season might be heading into the playoffs, but the excitement for next year is unreal. Last Tuesday, NASCAR announced a race in Mexico in 2025, adding the first international points event in the division’s modern history. While these are interesting times, the good news has come up with several rumors. The latest one involves Kyle Larson and his IndyCar venture.

This year Larson attempted The Double and made the headlines for plenty of reasons. While his wish for a historic win couldn’t be completed, his association with IndyCar remains a special one. On the other hand, drivers from the open-wheel racing arena remain keen to race in NASCAR someday. One of them includes an allegedly ‘unpopular’ driver.

The Mexico City dream could see Kyle Larson make way for IndyCar’s unpopular driver

It is no secret how the comparisons between IndyCar and NASCAR have always been a constant. While both competitions provide an entertaining watch, NASCAR took the lead by confirming a race in Mexico City. Naturally, this didn’t bode well for many of the IndyCar drivers. As reported by The Associated Press, six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon criticized the failure.

He said, “I think that’s a massive miss. I don’t know how that happens.” Unsurprisingly, Dixon wasn’t the only one to raise his voice. Monterrey native Pato O’Ward believed NASCAR took a massive leap ahead of IndyCar. He said, “They beat us to the cake. I strongly believe that we’re not only late, but I strongly believe that there isn’t more room in Mexico City. Like, not only did they beat us there, but now that is not an option for IndyCar. You need to understand that these people save up their money to go to these events.”

While even others raised their concerns with NASCAR racing in Mexico City, Pato O’Ward received the most severe criticism. IndyCar and Penske Entertainment’s CEO made a controversial statement following O’Ward’s comments. Miles didn’t hesitate when he indirectly called the Mexican an unpopular driver as compared to Adrian Fernandez.

He said, “I will say that it’s clear that Pato isn’t as famous as the last previously famous Mexican driver–Adrian Fernandez–but he’s really gaining ground, and he’s actually on some billboards now. He’ll probably complain that I haven’t dragged him in and that he should be the guy to go in and make the deal.” While it did not go down well with O’Ward, it doesn’t stop the possibility of him participating in NASCAR in Mexico next year.

As reported by Jenna Fryer, NASCAR has inquired about O’Ward’s availability for the race in Mexico. Now, the twist is when NASCAR races in Mexico, IndyCar races at Gateway on the same day. As per Fryer, this situation could see Kyle Larson race in IndyCar and Pato O’Ward in the Cup Series next June. While the possibility of this happening remains slim given the dynamics involved, it would mean waivers to be issued for both drivers in the first place.

There’s no denying that the prospect is tempting. However, the NASCAR fandom doesn’t seem to be in support of this idea.

The NASCAR community struggles to envision a Pato O’Ward-Kyle Larson swap for the race in Mexico

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Let’s not forget how big a superstar Kyle Larson is for NASCAR. Not having a driver of his stature for a historic race in Mexico doesn’t fit the script well. At the same time, Pato O’Ward has his loyalty towards IndyCar, which makes the possibility of this rumor coming true very difficult. Regardless, the NASCAR fans predicted different reasons why it is a difficult swap to take place.

One fan on Twitter explained why Pato O’Ward won’t be in favor of this move. He said, “No way Pato will be missing a points-paying round in IndyCar. Every point counts! It’s not like NASCAR where Kyle could miss the Coke 600 with minimal impact on the championship.” On the other hand, one fan on Reddit couldn’t fathom why O’Ward has been receiving the hype he’s getting.

He said, “I don’t mean this as negative but I really don’t understand the Pato hype train and I watch indycar. I just don’t get it. He’s an excellent dude and very humble but I just don’t see the difference between the other Indy superstars.” At the same time, one fan highlighted how it didn’t make sense for Kyle Larson to miss the race in Mexico. He said, “Why TF would Larson want to miss a historic weekend in Mexico for Indy in Gateway?”

While fans didn’t seem to be in favor of this swap, some united when it came to mocking Mark Miles and IndyCar. One fan slamming Miles said, “Weird for such an unpopular driver.” Another fan added, “Why is NASCAR focusing on Pato when they should be focusing on the real popular Mexican driver, Adrian Fernandez. We were told Pato is nothing compared to him over the weekend.”

Well, anything can happen until next June. The temptation for Pate O’Ward to race in Mexico could do unexpected things. More importantly, NASCAR’s desire to bring the IndyCar racer to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez could shake things up drastically. Will O’Ward end up in Mexico with NASCAR next year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.