MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Rain ended qualifying early on Saturday afternoon as Hendrick Motorsports turned hot laps at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Kyle Larson will lead the organization to the green flag from sixth place.

RELATED: Engineering for beginners: The challenges of building an engine for Mexico City

Sunday’s main event will be the first NASCAR Cup Series race outside the US since the touring series visited Japan in 1998. Chase Elliott, who qualified 12th, leads the team in most wins at a road course with seven total. Teammate Larson follows close behind with six. 

Make sure to tune in Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET on Prime Video to watch the historic race.

Check out the starting lineup below:

NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup

1. Shane Van Gisbergen, No. 88
2. Ryan Preece, No. 60
3. Ross Chastain, No. 1
4. Ty Gibbs, No. 54
5. Michael Mcdowell, No. 71
6. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet
   
7. Todd Gilliand, No. 34
8. A.J Allmendinger, No. 16
9. Joey Logano, No. 22
10. Daniel Suarez, No. 99
11. Kyle Busch, No. 8
12. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Llumar Chevrolet
    
13. Josh Berry, No. 21
14. Erik Jones, No. 43
15. Riley Herbst, No. 35
16. Chris Buescher, No. 17
17. Justin Haley, No. 7
18. Ryan Blaney, No. 12
19. Chase Briscoe, No. 19
20. Austin Cindric, No. 2
    
21. Austin Dillon, No. 3
    
22. Tyler Reddick, No. 45
23. Carson Hocevar, No. 77
    
24. Zane Smith, No. 38
25. Bubba Wallace, No. 23
26. Cole Custer, No. 41
27. William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet 
    
28. Ty Dillon, No. 10
29. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet 
    
30. Brad Keselowski, No. 6
31. Christopher Bell, No. 20
32. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
33. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
34. Cody Ware, No. 51
35. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
36. Noah Gragson, No. 4
37. Ryan Truex, No. 11
38. Kathrine Legge, No. 78

NASCAR schedule updated 

Saturday, June 14

• 4:30 – Xfinity Series race, CW
• 7 – México Series race two, no TV

Sunday, June 15

Mexico City weather 

Rain is forecasted on and off this weekend. Make sure to stay tuned for the latest updates and changes to the schedule. 

For the first time in 67 years, the NASCAR Cup Series will head outside of the U.S. for the 2025 Viva México 250 on Sunday. The green flag will drop at 3 p.m. ET at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, setting up plenty of potential 2025 NASCAR Mexico sleepers. As the only Mexican driver to win on the Cup Series, Daniel Suarez could be popular for 2025 Viva Mexico 250 betting even though he is a +1400 longshot. In his favor is that he’s coming off back-to-back top 20 finishes and won his last start in the NASCAR Mexico Series. At the top of the 2025 NASCAR at Mexico City odds is three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen (+330), followed by Christopher Bell (+700) and William Byron (+800).

Before entering any 2025 Mexico NASCAR picks, be sure to see the latest 2025 NASCAR at Mexico predictions from SportsLine’s proven projection model. Developed by SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, the proprietary NASCAR prediction model simulates every race 10,000 times and has nailed a whopping 22 winners since 2021, including four winners in 2025.

SportsLine simulated the NASCAR Viva Mexico 250 10,000 times. Here are the three NASCAR longshots to target, according to the model:

Best NASCAR at Mexico City longshots (odds subject to change):

• A.J. Allmendinger (+1200)
• Daniel Suarez (+1400)
• Kyle Busch (+1400)

A.J. Allmendinger (+1200)

The veteran has two career starts at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and secured podiums in each. Both came on Champ Car World Series as he placed third in his debut there and then was runner-up in his second start. This season on the Cup Series, Allmendinger is poised for his best finish in nearly a decade and is in the top 20 of the NASCAR standings. He enters the Viva Mexico 250 with three straight top 20s for the first time since July 2023 and has four straight if you count his seventh place at the All-Star Open Race. With all three of his career Cup Series victories coming on road courses like what he’ll see on Sunday, Allmendinger’s experience shouldn’t be discounted as he can be wagered on with the help of a DraftKings promo code:

Daniel Suarez (+1400)

A native of Monterrey, Mexico, Suarez got his racing start in his native country and was the youngest driver to win on the NASCAR Mexico Mini-Stocks. More recently, Suarez started a single race in the 2024 NASCAR Mexico Series, and he won that 150-lap race. While this year on the Cup Series got off to a rocky start, he has performed better as of late, and if you take out crashes that derailed his chances, he has five straight top 20 finishes. Also, no one on the Cup Series is as well-versed with Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez as Suarez is as he competed on it over a dozen times in the Mexico Series, including racking up three checkered flags. The local favorite can be had at +1400 with at DraftKings:

Kyle Busch (+1400)

The Xfinity Series is also resurrecting its Mexico race this year after last holding a race in the country in 2008, and Kyle Busch just happened to be the winner in that final race 17 years ago. So, he’ll have a good feeling stepping back onto the track, and his success on other road circuits will also give him confidence. No active driver has more starts (57), top 5s (20) or top 10s (30) than Busch at road courses like what he’ll see in Mexico City. Busch has also improved his finish over each of his last three starts of this season, with an eighth-place last week at Michigan. Given his momentum, success at comparable tracks and a winning history with Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Busch would be a steal at +1400 and can be wagered on with a Caesars Sportsbook promo code.

More top NASCAR at Mexico expert picks, longshots revealed

You’ve seen the NASCAR longshots from the model. Now, see the full 2025 NASCAR Mexico leaderboard, including forecasts for who finishes first. Visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that has nailed 22 winners, including Elliott’s victory at Bowman Gray, Larson’s win at Miami, Bell’s All-Star victory and Hamlin’s Michigan win.

You can also view expert advice before locking in your NASCAR at Mexico picks. Visit SportsLine now to see expert Steven Taranto’s picks, including an epic longshot of over 25-1, all from an expert who has nailed 17 NASCAR winners. 

Visit SportsLine now to see McClure’s top NASCAR DFS picks, all from the daily Fantasy professional who has won more than $2 million playing DFS. 

2025 NASCAR Mexico odds, drivers, lineup

(odds via DraftKings are subject to change)
Shane Van Gisbergen +330
Christopher Bell +700
William Byron +800
Tyler Reddick +800
Kyle Larson +800
Chase Elliott +1000
AJ Allmendinger +1200
Kyle Busch +1400
Daniel Suarez +1400
Chris Buescher +1600
Ross Chastain +1800
Michael McDowell +1800
Alex Bowman +2500
Carson Hocevar +2800
Chase Briscoe +3000
Ty Gibbs +3000
Austin Cindric +3500
Denny Hamlin +4000
Ryan Blaney +4000
Joey Logano +5500
Todd Gilliland +15000
Bubba Wallace +15000
Brad Keselowski +15000
Noah Gragson +20000
Ryan Preece +20000
Justin Haley +20000
Austin Dillon +20000
Zane Smith +25000
Cole Custer +25000
Josh Berry +30000
Riley Herbst +30000
Erik Jones +30000
Ricky Stenhouse +40000
John Hunter Nemechek +40000
Ty Dillon +100000
Katherine Legge +100000
Cody Ware +100000  

By JOE REEDY

NASCAR fans have grown accustomed to seeing speed, throttle and braking on broadcasts for years. There has been one measurement, though, that has eluded networks and viewers for years.

Until now.

Viewers of the Prime Video races have been able to see fuel usage with the introduction of the Burn Bar. Race teams have measured burn rates and fuel levels down to the last ounce for years, but the methodology has been kept secret for competitive reasons.

Prime Video, though, developed an AI tool using car data available to broadcasters and teams that can measure miles per gallon. The Burn Bar made a brief appearance during Prime’s first broadcast, the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25. It has been used more frequently the past two weeks and will be deployed again on June 15 during the race in Mexico City.

NASCAR on Prime analyst Steve Letarte, a former crew chief for Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., contributed to the development of the Burn Bar and sees it as the first step in taking race analysis to a new level.

“It’s the first true tool that is taking information off the car, making calculations and then displaying to the fan a calculation or measurement that is being used in the garage. And it does affect the team,” he said. “There’s not a sensor on the car giving us miles per gallon. It’s a mathematical calculation of other cars performances.”

The AI model analyzes thousands of performance data per second, including a range of in-car telemetry signals, RPMs, throttle and optical tracking of each car’s position. The model then evaluates each driver’s fuel consumption and efficiency throughout the race.

Letarte worked with Prime Video “Thursday Night Football Prime Vision” analyst Sam Schwartzstein and Amazon Web Services during the process. They came up with four methodologies that were tested during the first part of the season, which was broadcast by Fox. Schwartzstein and Letarte would then get the data from teams after races to see how close they were until they picked one that worked the best.

The Burn Bar received its toughest test during last week’s race at Michigan as the final 48 laps were run without a caution flag. Most teams made their final pit stops with 50 laps to go, meaning teams were going to be down to the end of their fuel runs at the checkered flag.

“We projected William Byron to run out, which he did, and then we were on the razor’s edge for Denny Hamlin. And then watching the truck push him back into victory lane at the end, knowing he was as close as we thought he was. What a cool way to see this feature come to life and elevate NASCAR broadcasts,” Schwartzstein said.

Alex Strand, Prime Video’s senior coordinating producer for live sports, also sees the Burn Bar as the first tool of many that Amazon and Prime Video can develop for its coverage. Prime Video is in the first year of a seven-year agreement to carry five races per season.

“It’s really cool to live in a world where it shows us that anything is possible. We’re starting with something that we’re really excited about, but it’s setting us down a path that will open up new doors for us,” he said. “I think that’s what we’re really excited about is to say, ‘OK, we’ve had success in Year 1 on a feature that’s resonated with fans right out of the gate.’ It raises the table for our offseason.”

After the June 15 race in Mexico City, Prime Video’s coverage for this season wraps up with the race at Pocono on June 22.

Originally Published: June 14, 2025 at 3:20 PM EDT

After seventeen years, the NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the Chilango 150. Who can master the 15 turns in Mexico City? Read all about this Saturday’s race before the cars hit the track.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Chilango 150 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez Preview

Last time we saw Xfinity Series cars on track in Mexico City, Kyle Busch had just joined Joe Gibbs Racing. He only had 13 previous victories in the series. He won his fourteenth race the last year, the Series raced in Mexico City.

Today, as the Xfinity Series makes its return seventeen years later, Kyle Busch has 102 victories and drives for Richard Childress Racing.

Who can add their names to the list of winners at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez with Kyle Busch, Martin Truex, Denny Hamlin, and Juan Pablo Montoya?

Race Preview:

The Chilango 150 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a 158-mile, 65-lap race around the 15-turn, 2.42-mile road course in Mexico City. There will be stage cautions on laps 20 and 40, with the checkered flag flying on lap 65. A total of $2,151,939 is available to finishers of the race.

Teams will have 6 sets of tires to use in qualifying and during the race. The tires are the same road-course tires used at previous tracks this season. In addition to the normal racing slick tires, Goodyear has brought the wet-weather racing tires. Teams will have 4 sets of wets, 3 sets being for the race.

Mexico City poses a new challenge to the Xfinity Cars: altitude. Charlotte, where most of the teams are based, is at 750 feet above sea level. Mexico City is at 7,300 feet above sea level. Air is thinner, putting strain on the drivers and cars. Can they physically handle the race? And could the new performance characteristics of the car become a factor in the race?

The Track: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez broke ground in 1959 as a Formula 1 track. It has hosted F1 24 times in the past. The NASCAR Xfinity Series first raced at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in 2005, the first race outside of the United States for Xfinity. The track and its altitude created unique challenges for the teams, allowing for only the best to conquer it. From 2005 to 2008, it hosted Xfinity, until the logistics and cost of racing in Mexico City became too much for teams.

The four previous winners are Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Martin Truex Jr. The 2025 race will be held on a different layout than what was previously run, so the track record is up for grabs.

Xfinity Series Point Standings:

Here are the Xfinity Series points following the Nashville Race:

1. Justin Allgaier: 583
2. Austin Hill: 491
3. Sam Mayer: 473
4. Jesse Love: 432
5. Connor Zilisch *: 395
6. Sheldon Creed: 381
7. Carson Kvapil *: 380
8. Brandon Jones: 379
9. Jeb Burton: 365
10. Ryan Sieg: 365

Read More: Justin Allgaier Scores Big in Nashville Xfinity Series Race

Drivers Joining The Xfinity Series This Weekend:

With this race being so big, many drivers are joining the field. Daniel Suarez will drive the #9 for Junior Motorsports. Ty Gibbs will pilot the #19, and Christopher Bell will be in the #20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. NASCAR Mexico Series champion Ruben Rovelo will drive the #35 Chevy for Joey Gase Motorsports. Brad Perez, crew member for Alpha Prime Racing with tons of road racing experience, will drive the #45 Chevy for that team. Andres Perez, who graduated from the Mexico Series into the Truck Series, will drive the #91 for DGM Racing.

Who Will Win?

When I look at who wins this race, I am looking at several factors. Experience on this road course, physicality, and equipment. I think Daniel Suarez has the best shot at winning this race. He is familiar with this track, the altitude, and has a great ride in the #9 Camaro from JRM. He is the lone Mexican driver in the Cup, and I think this weekend will be a huge moment for Suarez. It is for sure Suarez’s race to lose.

Ty Gibbs is in the field for this race. He won his first-ever Xfinity race on the Daytona road-course and beat Kyle Larson at Road America. I think the small factor that he has never raced here before won’t turn me away from picking Gibbs as a potential winner this Saturday.

Connor Zilisch has been the talk of the road courses all season. Won on debut at Watkins Glen, and another victory on the road-course at Circuit Of The Americas. He has raced all over the world and I think we could see another Zilisch win on Saturday.

Read More: Connor Zilisch Overcomes Penalty to Win COTA Xfinity Series Race

How To Watch The Xfinity Series at Mexico City:

Here is the schedule for Saturday’s Chilango 150 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez:

Saturday, June 13th:

• Practice
  • 11:05 AM Eastern
  • Coverage is on the CW App
• Qualifying
  • 12:10 AM Eastern
  • Coverage continues on the CW App
• The Chilango 150 
  • 4:30 PM Eastern
  • Coverage switches to the CW, alongside radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Stay Connected to Last Word on Motorsports for NASCAR’s Exciting Weekend in Mexico City

Main Photo: IMAGO, Icon Sportswire

Recording Date: 03/04/2007

Shane van Gisbergen scored his second career NASCAR Cup Series pole position, and his first pole of the 2025 season, on Saturday as he narrowly defeated Ryan Preece for the top qualifying spot for Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Ross Chastain, Ty Gibbs, and Michael McDowell locked down the remainder of the top-five starting spots.

Here is the official starting lineup for Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 in Mexico City:

Danica Patrick had a stellar career in motorsport, but that hasn’t stopped the cruel trolls from trying to tear her down – and her dad, T.J., has the perfect response

Danica Patrick’s dad, T.J., has reacted to the harsh words aimed at his legendary motorsport daughter.

With a distinguished career in both IndyCar and NASCAR, Patrick made history in 2008 by winning the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first female to triumph in an IndyCar event and nabbing the title of the first woman with a pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The racing icon has recently opened up about her personal life, including her relationship status, following spicy revelations, and revisited her previous stance on being considered a sports sex symbol. She also recently slammed Olympic icon Simone Biles.

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Since hanging up her helmet in 2018, the 43-year-old remains a staple in the racing world, dishing out expert commentary for Sky Sports’ F1 broadcasts in the UK and supporting FOX Sports at last month’s Indy500.

Sharing insights into his daughter’s skills and resilience, T.J. highlighted her competitive edge in conversation with racing pundit Kenny Wallace: “I just kind of giggle, but I know and the right people know that if you put her in a race car, she’s going to be almost, if not quicker than any guy in a car.

“I mean, in the right circumstances, she can do it. Just like most drivers that make it to the top level, you don’t make it to the top level by being average.”

He added: “You know, she’s never had an easy pass in her life. Nobody’s let her by. Everybody that races with Danica races harder than they do any other guy.

“So I was very hard on her. I mean, she claims it was too hard at times, but then again I’d like to ask, would you have made it if I wasn’t?

“I mean you look at Tiger Woods’ dad; he was the same way with him. So I wanted her to be the best that she could be, and I didn’t want her to slack off a bit.”

In the fast lane of family talent, Patrick’s sister, Brooke, also showcased her motorsport prowess. T.J. has even suggested that Brooke had an edge over Patrick, saying: “Brooke was faster.

“So we started go-kart racing. Brooke was so tiny that her feet were in the front of the staring rods.

“Brooke was faster by herself, but she didn’t like the bumping and grinding and all that. So she bailed out, and then it was basically Danica, so we started going after it.”

Away from the tracks, Patrick’s personal life has been no secret. Her romance with fellow Cup Series star Ricky Stenhouse Jr. concluded in 2017.

She later opened up about her relationship with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, acknowledging the turmoil they faced.