NASCAR Cup Series racing is shifting gears in a bold and exciting new direction, taking its premier event beyond U.S. borders for the first time in its 75-year history. In a groundbreaking move, the Cup Series will host a points race in Mexico City, marking a major milestone for the sport since its inception in 1948. Long in the making, this international event could play a pivotal role in NASCAR’s quest to attract a fresh, global audience.

NASCAR has often been compared to Formula 1, with critics noting F1’s ability to branch out and establish itself as a global sport. With this move, NASCAR aims to follow suit, and the success of the Mexico City race could be the beginning of a new era—one where NASCAR ventures even further into uncharted territories. The prospect of more international events looms large, raising questions about whether some of NASCAR’s iconic domestic races could eventually be replaced by overseas competitions.

However, NASCAR’s Executive Vice President, Ben Kennedy, quickly put those concerns to rest. The great-grandson of NASCAR’s founder, Big Bill France Sr., emphasized that these international races aren’t meant to overshadow NASCAR’s homegrown heritage but are instead designed to expand the sport’s reach. According to Kennedy, events like the Mexico City race open up new doors for stock car racing, creating fresh opportunities to elevate the sport on a global stage without sacrificing its roots. The question isn’t if NASCAR will go global, but how far it’s willing to take the journey.

NASCAR is here to stay

What’s next? This is the first question that would have popped into the minds of the fans after the 2025 schedule announcement. Particularly about the next international venue after Mexico’s addition. The other big option that NASCAR had on its table was Canada, and it wasn’t out of bounds given the history NASCAR shares with the city of Montreal.

As we know, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez won the bid and was chosen as the preferred pick over the Canada race. They had the resources to add two international dates to the schedule, but the governing body is well aware of catering to its traditional markets. An option of moving an exhibition race like Clash or the All-Star was on the table. But marquee races like the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 will remain in the United States.

“I think could be an opportunity as we think about the next few years, and potentially do you take an exhibition race to you know one of those further markets. But we’ve already said, Hey, it’s a huge opportunity to take more of these domestic races International but at the same time, our core product is always going to be our US markets too.” Kennedy said this while speaking on the Happy Hour podcast Episode No. 54.

To be fair NASCAR has 36-point races in a calendar year, which stretch across a year. As exciting as the prospect of more international NASCAR events sounds, it can be extremely burdensome and stretch the resources thin for the company. “We just have so much in our inventory in our schedule right? It makes it more challenging logistically to go from make it up, let’s say, Kansas, to Brazil or Europe or whatever it might be.” Kennedy added.

But does that mean NASCAR won’t look north of the border and consider Canada as a suitable option for the next event?

The Canada Cup Series race is still on the table for NASCAR

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal has previously hosted NASCAR Xfinity Series races from 2007 to 2012. This was followed by Truck Series events from 2013 to 2019, this time at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ontario. The likes of Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, and road racing specialist Marcos Ambrose clinched victories in the Xfinity events.

The purpose of shifting races to a new location is to tap into new markets. NASCAR has been on a mission to find race fans who haven’t experienced stock car racing. Also, there’s the added element of a potential business partnership that can help the sport grow further. Given that Canada is well within NASCAR’s sphere of influence, a Cup Series event might be possible soon.

Sharing his thoughts on the same, Ben Kennedy said, “Should we be racing that event in the States as an example. That opens up a new door for sure, and then you think about other markets internationally; we’ve talked about Canada a lot. That could potentially be an opportunity in the future.”

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule has struck a good balance in taking the sport to new markets. At the same time, paying homage to traditional racing venues like Bowman Gray and North Wilkesboro Speedway. So, this might be the template that they would rely on going forward.