When NASCAR visited Le Mans in 2023, with Hendrick Motorsports and the Chevy ZL1, most fans thought, well, that’s as international as NASCAR could go. After all, despite visiting Canada and Japan, things fell through. But there was a twist in the tale. What happens when an all-American sport dares to step outside its borders—again? In 2025, NASCAR will make its first overseas Cup Series race since 1958 in Mexico. The location? Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a circuit with a long history in international motorsports. The time? A full-circle reckoning for a sport that was once satisfied with its local roots but is now desperate for global recognition. And one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers has given his verdict. 

With an increasingly diverse ownership class, a burgeoning Latin American fan base, and Daniel Suárez’s quick ascent, NASCAR’s entry into Mexico is more than just a race; it’s a test. How far the stock car spectacle can go before the identity falters, as well as culture and strategy. Beneath the headlines, however, is a more profound tale of ambition clashing with history and the genuine risk NASCAR is taking to expand internationally without losing its identity.’

NASCAR has previously crossed the boundary. From 2005 to 2008, NASCAR Xfinity Series events were held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez track in Mexico City. However, the Cup Series, the top division of the sport, will be holding a championship points race outside of the US for the first time. The stakes are higher on and off the track because of that divide. Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time Cup Series winner and team co-owner, provides his perspective on the significance of this historic event.

Speaking about it, Johnson said, “Logistics has certainly been a challenge and it’s just trying to collectively work through the garage area and through NASCAR to make the most efficient and safest decisions that we can for everyone. I’m really excited for us to have an international points race. I’ve been there a handful of times for vacation and truly enjoy it. Had a safe, amazing, great experience.”

He isn’t wrong. Getting 40 Cup cars down to Mexico from Michigan is going to be a big challenge, similar to how Formula 1 transports its teams. Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovations Officer, recognised the challenge back in September last year, going on to say, “We’ve already done a handful of planning so far, and we’re going to have a lot over the next nine in a half months. That’s everything from making sure our haulers can get from Michigan, if they’re going to stop in Charlotte they can get the Charlotte and make their way down to Mexico City. It’s a pretty far drive to Mexico City. It’s a drive to Laredo, Texas or just south of that to the border, and it’s about double that to get to Mexico City.” 

Outside of the challenge, Johnson found the race to be an exciting opportunity. “I’m excited for our teams to go down there and compete. And I hope it really helps generate more interest and popularity in and around our sport. I think international growth is a big market for us. I think that any international interest also influences national interest. It continues to help corporate America or global corporate companies pay closer attention. We are not trying to be anyone else. We are NASCAR, and I’m really proud of the product we put on track.” 

With NASCAR going to Mexico, there are big benefits for the racing series. Think about the international media exposure for not just NASCAR, but all American brands, all on the cars. The Mexico City GP gets an average viewership of 1.3 million. If that number adds to the usual NASCAR viewership for the race, it will already be a win for NASCAR’s first international Cup Series visit.

And Johnson knows this well. He moved overseas and raced in IndyCar after retiring from full-time NASCAR competition, which allowed him to have a more comprehensive understanding of how NASCAR is viewed around the world. He has firsthand experience with curiosity, as he explained, “And I do from living abroad see first hand how much interest there is in our sport. People are so curious about it. Our Netflix show has shown people just how serious and competitive this championship is. I’m excited for us to get out. I know logistically it’s been a challenge and I have high hopes for the show we’ll put on and the fan interest that it will drum up and help continue to grow our sport.”

And it’s not just Johnson who’s excited. Hendrick Motorsports driver and Most Popular Driver Chase Elliott couldn’t stop having fun when he visited Mexico alongside a few drivers. Speaking about the experience, he said, “Just a huge thank you to everybody for welcoming us with open arms to your country, to your city. We’re excited to be here. We appreciate the opportunity to come and put on a good show for you and I think that’s all you can ask for is the opportunity and you guys have totally given us that. I think from NASCAR to all the drivers and the teams, we’re excited to be a part of this opportunity and this chance to kind of showcase what we have in the states that we’re accustomed to seeing.”

Well, before we get to Mexico, there is something exciting coming up for Jimmie Johnson.

Jimmie Johnson’s 700th Start Comes Full Circle at Charlotte

Jimmie Johnson’s 2025 Coca-Cola 600 start in the No. 84 vehicle will be more than just another Memorial Day weekend start; it will be his 700th NASCAR Cup Series race. The milestone, which coincides with the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the site of his illustrious career start in 2001, was not planned; rather, it happened by accident. “It really is just luck that the 700th start ends up at Charlotte and the track where I had my first start,” Johnson said on the Rubbin is Racin podcast. “I think we ran nine (races) last year, and once we started planning for this year in the Daytona 500, we realized 700 would be in Charlotte.”

Johnson retired from full-time driving in 2020, but he has continued to be very active in the sport ever since, first as a member of IndyCar and more recently as a part-owner and driver at Legacy Motor Club. Since making a comeback to NASCAR racing in 2023, he has assembled a modest but well-known driving schedule that includes a few starts in venerable races like the Chicago Street Race, the Coca-Cola 600, and the Daytona 500.

Despite his reputation as a meticulous and cerebral racer, known for calculating risk and understanding every inch of data, Johnson admits this milestone wasn’t part of a carefully crafted send-off. “I’m a numbers guy, but I literally have not been paying attention to this,” he said. “It would have been amazing to plan on being done at 700 or some element of, but that’s really not the case.” The milestone might not even signify the end. Johnson alluded to further racing in the future, despite rumors that 700 starts would be a poetic farewell. “We’re looking at that as one of the many options which would then put me in the car a fair amount next year,” he noted, leaving the door open for a continued presence on track in 2026.

Johnson’s 700th start at Charlotte is a fitting fusion of history, serendipitous events, and persistent competitiveness, whether it marks the end of a chapter or another milestone in a lengthy legacy.