It’s been 67 years since the NASCAR Cup Series last held a points-paying race outside the United States. Sure, the 1996 to 1998 Suzuka and 1998 Motegi races in Japan and an Australian exhibition in 1988 turned heads, but they didn’t count towards the championship. Meanwhile, NASCAR’s second-tier series raced in Canada and Mexico for years, leaving the top dogs on US ovals.
In 1958, Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium, Canada, was the only international destination where Cup points were contested until now, in Mexico. The sport’s golden generation in the 90s and 2000s of Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, and Tony Stewart had incredible momentum, but NASCAR never seized the chance to go global with its biggest stars when it mattered the most. And Jeff Gordon couldn’t help but wonder why.
Jeff Gordon feels that the cars weren’t ready
When NASCAR rolled into Mexico City in 2025, one question echoed across the paddock and press rooms: Why did it take so long? The Xfinity Series had already proven there was a demand. Mexico City and Montréal had both lobbied for updates in the 2000s. The fan base was ready. The City was ready. And the drivers? According to Jeff Gordon, some of the biggest names in the sport’s history were at their peak. NASCAR journalist Matt Weaver decided to get answers and, in the pre-race interview with Jeff Gordon, revealed a lot that’s worth talking about.
Gordon didn’t have the boardroom receipts, but he had a candid take: “I don’t remember why we didn’t. I wasn’t a part of those discussions. This car (Gen 7) offers a lot more opportunity. That’s why we’re going to street courses now, or have been going to Chicago. The brakes on this car, the aero package, the transmission—everything allows you to do more road racing.”
In typical Gordon fashion, it wasn’t finger-pointing, just a quietly frustrated acknowledgement of a missed opportunity. But he didn’t stop there. Jeff Gordon believes the cars themselves were a limiting factor. “I just don’t know that road racing at that time was as popular as it is today, especially in the Cup Series. And we didn’t have a car that I think could be as adaptable.”
It’s a compelling argument. The older Gen 4 and Gen 5 Cup cars were rigid, tuned for ovals, and lacked the versatility needed for tight corners, hard braking zones, or International Road courses. Series back then weren’t exactly built for the global stage—they were built for Daytona and Talladega. For nearly 30 years, NASCAR had just two road courses on its schedule, Sonoma and Watkins Glen; however, the current schedule boasts six road courses, showing NASCAR’s willingness to experiment.
That doesn’t change the reality that NASCAR had an opportunity to take its hottest product global during its hottest era. Gordon added, “I don’t know the other reasons why, but yes, of course. You wish that we had come here sooner and that some of the stars that are known names and faces that helped really make the sport popular, whether it be late 90s, like some of us older guys or the mid-2000s—I think it would have been great for the fans here in Mexico to have been able to experience that. But we’re here now, and I think we still have a lot of young, great stars and should put on a good race.”
Fort Worth, TX – APR 13, 2012: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (88) and Jeff Gordon (24) get ready to qualify for the Samsung Mobile 500 race at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, TX. NASCAR Motorsport USA 2012: Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 APR 13 – ZUMAa55
This hit harder when you think of who he’s talking about: 4x Cup Champion Gordon himself, Xfinity Champion Carl Edwards, 3x Cup Champion Tony Stewart, and 15x Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. They weren’t just talented; they were magnetic, marketable, and had real crossover appeal. Imagine Dale Jr. rolling through Mexico City with his No. 8 Budweiser Chevy or Stewart and Edwards trading paint through the turns of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. These were the kinds of moments that could have etched NASCAR deeper into the global motorsport consciousness if the series had made the move.
Instead, NASCAR waited. The golden generation stayed home, and international fans missed out on seeing them compete in their prime. That’s not just a missed race date; that’s a missed cultural moment, too. Still, Gordon remains optimistic about NASCAR’s future in Mexico City. But as Gordon made clear, the Cup Series is finally going global because the cars evolved, as did the vision. That makes this return feel less like a bold new frontier and more like a long overdue course correction.
As Gordon showed optimism for the future of NASCAR’s global expansion, his team, Hendrick Motorsports, had a mixed bag of results at Mexico City.
Hendrick’s Mexico madness
Hendrick Motorsports came into Mexico City with high hopes and road course experience to back them up, but not everyone made it out unscathed. While Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott kept Hendrick in the spotlight with top-5 finishes, it was a rollercoaster day for their teammates.
Kyle Larson’s weekend went south in a hurry. Early on, in just lap 7 of the Viva Mexico 250, Larson got caught up in a chain reaction wreck triggered by Kyle Busch losing traction into turn one. The result? Significant right-side damage and an early trip to the garage. Under the NASCAR damaged vehicle policy, the No. 5 team scrambled to make repairs, but Larson’s day never recovered. He finished 36th, a disappointing result for one of the sport’s fastest drivers, especially after showing strong pace in practice.
As for William Byron, he quietly had one of the most consistent days of any driver. Starting outside the top-20 while navigating slippery conditions and a wreck-heavy middle portion of the race, Byron stayed out of trouble and brought home a ninth-place finish. While not grabbing headlines, it was a smart, clean day that netted points and playoff security.
Meanwhile, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott once again prove that they rule road courses for HMS. Despite chaotic restarts and treacherous mixed conditions because of rain, Bowman and Elliot kept their nose clean and worked their way into twin top-5 finishes. Elliott’s third place and Bowman’s fourth were bright spots for Hendrick Motorsports, as the battle of who the ‘fourth car’ is rages on.
In the end, the Hendricks quartet walked away with two cars in the top five, one in the top 10, and one in the garage. It was the day that tested skill, survival, and adaptability, and only Bowman and Elliott emerged superior. However, it is still Byron and Larson who rule the standings.
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