The Miami International Autodrome will host Formula E racing for the first time as the race organizer announced its provisional 2025–2026 season calendar.

The Formula E World Championship will feature 18 races across 12 cities, including new races in Madrid and Miami’s International Autodrome. The event at Miami International Autodrome at Hard Rock Stadium, where Formula 1 races each year, marks the second time since Season 1 that the circuit has come to South Beach; Formula E raced earlier this season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“We are delighted to host Formula E and welcome the 2026 Miami E-Prix to our circuit,” said Tyler Epp, president of the Miami International Autodrome. “We have built a strong relationship with Formula E over the past several years and enjoyed hosting their Evo Sessions in March. As we continue growing the car culture of South Florida, hosting the 2026 Miami E-Prix brings more world-class motorsports action to Miami Gardens, while also allowing us to expand on our shared values of sustainability, technology and innovation.”

The all-electric series’ 12th season begins on December 6, 2025, on the streets of São Paulo before it returns to Mexico City in January. Formula E then makes its first race appearance at the Miami International Autodrome on January 31.

“We’re excited to bring Formula E back to Miami for season 12, this time to the world-class setting of the Miami International Autodrome at Hard Rock Stadium,” said Nacho Calcedo, Formula E host cities director. “Miami is a city that lives and breathes entertainment and innovation, making it a natural fit for our championship. Returning here marks an important milestone in our journey in the U.S., and we can’t wait to deliver a spectacular event that continues to connect with both passionate motorsport fans and a new wave of electric racing enthusiasts.”

February includes a nighttime doubleheader under the lights in Jeddah while Madrid debuts on the calendar in March at the Circuito de Madrid Jarama — the first time Formula E has raced in the Spanish capital — and the first world championship motorsport event held in the city since 1989.

Returning venues include Berlin, Tokyo and Shanghai, each hosting doubleheader race weekends. Monaco continues to host back-to-back races on its iconic street circuit. The season concludes in London, with a doubleheader at the Excel on August 15–16, 2026. Formula E is expected to announce two more race locations later this year.

Mexico City Event Info:
Date: Sunday, June 15
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Format: 100 Laps, 242 Miles, Stages: 20-45-100
TV: Prime
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Friday: 1:05 p.m. ET, Cup Practice (Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Friday: 3:55 p.m. ET, Cup Practice (Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 12 p.m. ET, Cup Qualifying (Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3 p.m. ET, Cup Race (Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• The NASCAR Cup Series makes its debut at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico, this weekend for the 16^th points race on the schedule.
• In 266 road course starts all-time in the NCS, Jack Roush’s Fords have won six races and tallied 43 top-five and 93 top-10 finishes, along with six poles. In those 266 starts, an RFK Ford has led 640 laps for an average finish of 17.4.
• RFK Racing put all three Fords in the top 10 last weekend at Michigan, with Buescher (2^nd) leading 13 laps while Preece (9^th) and Keselowski (10^th) rounded out the top 10.
• It marked the first time RFK Racing has placed three cars inside the top 10 since Daytona in July of 2016.

6 Team Info:
Driver: Brad Keselowski
Crew Chief: Jeremy Bullins
Partner: Castrol

17 Team Info:
Driver: Chris Buescher
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Fastenal

60 Team Info:
Driver: Ryan Preece
Crew Chief: Derrick Finley
Partner: Kroger / Colgate

Keselowski at Mexico City
Starts: —
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —

• Keselowski makes his 50^th road course start in the NCS this weekend in Mexico City, where he has three runner-up finishes. In his career, he has 11 top-10 finishes on road courses, but is winless in his 49 starts.
• In his lone road course race this season at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), he finished 15^th after starting 26^th.
• Keselowski has made two career starts at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the NXS, including a P8 finish in 2008.

Buescher at Mexico City
Starts: —
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —

• Buescher makes his 40^th start at a road course in the NCS this weekend, where he has 16 career top-10 results, including 14 of the last 17.
• He has one Cup Series win in his career on a road course, Watkins Glen last season, and finished seventh at COTA earlier this season despite starting 24^th.
• Buescher has finished eighth or better in six of the last eight road course races.

Preece at Mexico City
Starts: —
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —

• Preece is set for his 25^th Cup Series race on a road course this Sunday, where he has a best finish of ninth at the Daytona Road Course (2021) and Watkins Glen (2024).
• He recorded his sixth top-10 finish of the season last weekend at Michigan, which is a career-high for the Berlin, CT native.

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Michigan: Buescher 2^nd, Preece 9^th & Keselowski 10^th.

Points Standings (17: 14^th, 60: 16^th, 6: 32^nd): Buescher remains 20 points above the cutline, while Preece is tied with Kyle Busch for the final playoff spot. Keselowski sits in 32^nd despite a strong points day at Michigan.

RFK Racing PR

Sabatino Moto sells a lot of motorcycles. The shop is often the top seller of Royal Enfields in the Western United States. In some months, Sabatino is the top Royal Enfield seller in the whole United States. Sabatino does more with less – the dealership only has five employees. In a world of Goliaths, this David is doing well.

Eric Sabatino started out working on classic Vespa and Lambretta scooters, then branched out into older British motorcycles. At first, he lived in an RV next to his shop. Sabatino’s first step up was a contact with Tomos mopeds, who talked him into renting a small commercial space. The nascent dealership prospered, and Tomos mopeds were soon joined by Sym lightweights.

Sabatino Moto was then located in one unit of a larger building. When the pandemic hit, the other tenants gradually moved out, and the dealership rented the rest of the building. Eric then convinced Royal Enfield to give him a franchise, which they agreed to if he would move to a larger space across the street.

“I was in the right place at the right time,” Sabatino says. When Sabatino got its franchise, Royal Enfield was selling motorcycles geared to Western roads and riding styles and offering a quality product, a three-year warranty and very attractive pricing. Shortly afterwards, the dealership picked up a Moto Morini franchise.

At present, Sabatino sells Royal Enfield, Moto Morini, Sym and Royal Alloy scooters, and a wide range of pre-owned motorcycles and scooters, some of which qualify as vintage machines. The shop also continues to work on the classics.

“We like vintage bikes,” Sabatino admits. “The other vintage repair shops in this area closed this year, and we are now the only shop in town. It’s not the most profitable part of the shop, but we do make money – and vintage people will often want to buy an Enfield to ride when the BSA or 1960s Ducati single is down.”

Sabatino Moto quickly established itself as a people-friendly space, and soon became a hub for riders and friends. The dealership is right next to a motorcycle-themed coffee shop. Riders come for the coffee and pastries and then go look around the dealership.

“Our slogan is ‘Sell motorcycles and be nice to people,’ Eric says. “We are successful because people can come here, hang out and talk bike, and we have competitive prices. There are even two retired guys who are here a lot and act as volunteer salespeople.”

Besides the customer stream that results from having a dealership right next to a biker hangout and word of mouth from enthusiastic owners, Sabatino gets door swings from events the shop either puts on itself or sponsors. The dealership puts on a variety of events, including hot dog evenings, where the dealership brings out a grill, hot dogs, buns and condiments, and invites anyone with a motorcycle to show up, and demo days. The shop also sponsors most motorcycle-oriented local events, including charity rides, such as the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, the Spring Scooter ride, and bike nights.

“It gets our name in front of people,” he says. “Our shop location is key. We are near a suspension bridge that leads directly out of town and onto great, twisty roads.”

Once a potential customer walks in, the dealership wants that person to feel comfortable. Sabatino works hard to make his shop an unintimidating place for any potential customer. “I try to push back on machismo. I like making bikes accessible.” Women make up 30-40% of Sabatino Moto’s customer base, drawn by the friendly atmosphere, the variety of new and old scooters and smaller and pocketbook friendly motorcycles – and the sight of women employees.

“Women like to see women at a dealership,” he notes. “They don’t like walking into what looks like a men’s club.” New employees are trained never to assume that the male member of a couple is the one who wants to buy a motorcycle, and to make sure to talk to both people.

Sabatino’s customers are a cross section of the Portland public – old riders, first time riders, all sorts of people. Sabatino Moto started to see a lot of new riders during the pandemic. While this has tapered off a bit, the shop still sees a lot of new riders and has Team Oregon motorcycle training brochures to pass out to interested people.

Team Oregon is the trademark of the joint program of Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of Transportation to provide motorcycle training to new riders. The dealership also advertises with Team Oregon, which means that Sabatino Moto is featured on the Team Oregon website, seen by every new rider in Oregon as a Supporting Dealer, with a link to Sabatino’s website.

Sabatino does not have an extensive website, and there are few bells or whistles. It lists new and used machinery for sale. There is an application to take a test ride, a finance application, an application for an insurance quote, a page to contact the dealership, and not much else.

It doesn’t seem to matter – eager buyers flock to Sabatino Moto regardless. Sabatino has a 4.5 star rating on Yelp and a 4.8 star rating on Google. Reviewers cite being greeted on arrival, the friendly staff and intelligent answers to questions. Kudos were given to the shop for giving a realistic time for pickup after completion of maintenance work and for making phone calls to customers stating their bike was ready. 

“We are a small dealership,” Sabatino says. “We work hard. I have no idea what will be happening in five years, because everything is a surprise. I hope in the next five years I pay off debt, keep my crew and keep doing what I am doing.”

Sabatino Moto
8501 N Lombard St,
Portland, OR 97203
(971) 266-4345

OEM: Royal Enfield, Moto Morini, Sym and Royal Alloy

Aftermarket: Shoei, HJC, AGV, Torc, Icon and RST. In-helmet communication systems from SENA, and RAM handlebar mounts for cell phones.

Number of employees: 5

In the end, Denny Hamlin had enough horsepower to get by William Byron at Michigan.

And then he had enough gas in the tank to complete the 400 miles and bag his third trophy of the season. It’s also the 57th win of his career, which is 11th best all-time and three away from catching Kevin Harvick and reaching the top 10.

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After the checkers, he revved it and smoked it just enough to run out of gas and his No. 11 Toyota needed a tow to Victory Lane. No big deal, you likely say.

Well, probably not. But all the same, Denny might want to start saving on that Sunoco bill because his accompanying NASCAR job — team co-owner — might come with some financial headwinds in the coming weeks.

LIKE PRIME? VOTE: Do you like NASCAR TV broadcasts on Amazon Prime Video?

That’s right, Denny will be going right from post-victory interviews to a chat with the lawyers. But not before first checking in with the obstetrician.

Huh?

Let’s get up to speed …

First Gear: Worried? Not Denny

Michigan International Speedway is NASCAR’s fastest track, and no, we couldn’t say that if speeds weren’t restricted at the two highest-banked superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega) as well as the newest too-fast-for-sanity track (Atlanta).

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In-car telemetry showed cars tickling and even surpassing 200 mph on the Michigan straights. Stressing the horses to such degrees naturally takes a lot of fuel, which is why Michigan occasionally comes down to who’s done a better job of calculating the mileage and, when needed, loosening the laces on the right shoe in order to feather that throttle.

A final caution with 53 laps remaining around the 2-mile oval left no room for error on fuel. William Byron, who reluctantly gave up the lead to Hamlin with four laps left, ran out of gas and had to quickly dive to the pits coming off Turn 4 with the white flag in sight.

Denny being Denny, he claimed afterward he wasn’t worried about his own gas gauge, even after Byron disappeared from his mirror for obvious reasons.

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“No, not really,” he suggested.

He has other issues on his mind, you know. Longtime fiancee Jordan Fish spent the weekend back home, awaiting the birth of the couple’s third child.

And there’s that other thing …

Second Gear: Courtroom setback precedes on-track victory

We haven’t revisited the courtroom for a few weeks, so let’s check in.

Uh-oh, we have actual movement, and not just paperwork involving the ongoing antitrust case filed by 23XI and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR.

Last week, a federal appeals court overturned an earlier judgement that allowed 23XI (owned by Hamlin and Michael Jordan) and Front Row to keep their coveted charters and all the benefits that come with those Cup Series “franchises” — each is a three-car team.

The teams were given until June 19 to file for a rehearing. If they don’t file, or if they do file and get another negative judgement, the appeals court’s verdict is set and the two teams can have their charters stripped by NASCAR, which would take away their automatic entry into each race and, more importantly, cost them the financial benefits of being a chartered team (bigger weekly payouts, etc.).

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The automatic race entry isn’t likely a big deal, since Cup races rarely reach the maximum 40-car limit. Lost revenue streams, however, is another thing entirely.

Beyond the current dust remains the early-December trial date that will ultimately settle the ugliness, unless something is worked out before then.

Third Gear: NASCAR stretches its southern boundary

For the first time since early March, the Cup Series visits a road course this coming weekend. But this isn’t Watkins Glen, Sonoma or any of the other familiar layouts. It’s the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.

Hopefully we’ll talk more about those Rodriguez brothers later in the week.

Meanwhile, if it all sounds a tad familiar, it’s because NASCAR’s Xfinity Series raced at the Mexico City track four straight years, from 2005-2008. The race winners were Martin Truex Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya, and two dudes still very active today — Kyle Busch and, yes, Denny Hamlin.

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This effort poses a ton of logistical lifting for the Boys in Operations, who must navigate the distance and, more cumbersome, the chore of getting those packed haulers through customs at the border. What could go wrong?

Hopefully nothing.

Fourth Gear: Dodge racing back to NASCAR … in a Ram

“That thing got a Hemi?”

Man oh man, you could hardly go to a commercial break 20 years ago without hearing that phrase during an ad for Dodge Ram.

And now it’s coming back. About every half-generation, it seems, there’s a breakthrough in NASCAR’s manufacturer roll call. Dodge is the newest, announcing this past weekend that the Ram is returning to the Truck Series next season.

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Dodge was last in the Truck Series in 2013, and last raced the Cup Series in 2012. The Ram returns next February at Daytona. How long before the Charger makes its way to the Xfinity or Cup Series? No word yet, but you have to assume it’s part of the grand plan.

And yes, they’re also bringing back the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8.

Hubba-hubba.

— Email Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR: Denny Hamlin gives it the gas. Mexico next. Yep, it’s a Hemi

CONCORD, N.C. – A lot of unknowns surround the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, so teams will have to rely on their general knowledge of road courses to help them with this one.

Chase Elliott has an average finish of 9.0 at road courses, the highest amongst the Hendrick Motorsports quartet. Being known for his mastery of the left and right turn tracks, Elliott will be looking to earn his first win of the year and punch his ticket into the playoffs. At Circuit of The America’s earlier in the year, he finished one position outside the podium in fourth.

RELATED: William Byron still leads points standings after Michigan

Kyle Larson is no stranger to the varying corners and changing elevations that road courses bring to the table. Boasting the team’s highest average start of 7.6 on serpentine layouts, Larson is always a threat to win at one of these tracks. While issues took him out of contention to win at COTA in round three, don’t count Larson and his six road course wins out.

William Byron has recently become more akin to the twists turns of road courses. Two victories and six poles ought to be enough to show his improvement on NASCAR’s wildcard venues. He also finished second at COTA this year after working his way upfront for the latter half of the race.

RELATED: First to the party: Hendrick Motorsports’ history of success in inaugural races

Alex Bowman has quietly become a top road course racer over the course of his Cup Series career. After a slew of near misses, the Tucson, Arizona, native broke through at the Chicago Street Course for his first win on a track turning left and right. He’ll aim to do the same in Mexico this weekend.

History is about to be made at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Here’s a look at Hendrick Motorsports history at road courses:

The decision to add a Mexico City Cup race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for 2025 season is a big step in NASCAR’s plans for international expansion. It’s also quite the undertaking, especially with roughly 80 haulers driving over 2,000 miles directly from Michigan International Speedway to Mexico City.

Besides, the Cup Series hasn’t raced outside of the United States in over 25 years, and the category hasn’t held a points-paying championship event outside the U.S. since 1958. 

Prior to the Mexico City announcement, the series had also been considering a date at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada and showcased ambitions for expanding into Brazil. 

Daniel Suarez is NASCAR’s top international driver as the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion with race wins across all three national divisions. But there are only a handful of international drivers who have won at the top level of the sport, and the list of international races is even shorter. Here are the few tracks outside the U.S. where NASCAR has managed to get its passport stamped:

1952 Unnamed 100-mile event – Stamford Park – Niagara Falls, Canada

Canadian flag

Photo by: FIA World Rallycross

The first Cup race outside of the United States took place on July 1st, 1952. The Ontario half-mile dirt track had been around since 1923, but closed one year after the Cup Series visited. Known as a ‘car killer,’ it lived up to its name against the early pioneers of NASCAR. Paying an admission of one dollar for adults and 50 cents for children, spectators watched on as only three of the 17 starters made it to the finish line in the 200-lap race. Buddy Sherman made his ’52 Hudson last, averaging a speed of 45.610mph and winning by two laps over NASCAR Hall of Famer Herb Thomas. It was Sherman’s only victory in the Cup Series.

1958 Jim Mideon 500 – Exhibition Stadium – Toronto, Canada

Race winner Lee Petty

Photo by: NASCAR Media

On July 18th, 1958, NASCAR returned to Canada to race inside the now-demolished Canadian National Exhibition Stadium, competing on a 0.333-mile asphalt oval that had a striking resemblance to Bowman Gray Stadium. Lee Petty would take victory, leading 29 of 100 laps in a race that only lasted 46 minutes. 

However, the most important story of this race may not be who won, but who made their debut. The 21-year-old son of Lee Petty — Richard Petty — made his first of 1,184 starts in NASCAR’s last points-paying Cup race outside of the United States. The future ‘King’ of NASCAR was wrecked out of the event when he got in the way of the fastest man in the field — his father. 

1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500 – Calder Park Thunderdome – Melbourne, Australia

Marcos Ambrose, the only Australian driver to win at the Cup level

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

30 years after the last Cup race on international soil, the sport made the bold step to host a non-points race on the other side of the planet. On February 28th, 1988, NASCAR ventured far beyond the continent of North America to race in Australia. The 280-lap race took place on the oval at Calder Park Raceway with 24-degree banked corners. 

The 32 starters featured several stars from the Australia/New Zealand motorsport world, including Bathurst 1000 champions Dick Johnson, Jim Richards, and Allan Grice. But it was the NASCAR regulars who dominated the event with Neil Bonnett capturing the checkered flag just ahead of  Bobby Allison in a 1-2 finish for the Alabama Gang. The event led to the creation of a NASCAR Australia racing division, which operated from 1989 to 2002.

In modern NASCAR, several drivers from ‘down under’ have made the trek across the ocean to race in NASCAR, showing how the bond remains strong between the two. Australian Marcos Ambrose and New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen, both champions of the Supercars division, have gone on to become winners at the top level of NASCAR.

1996 & 1997 NASCAR Thunder Special – Suzuka Circuit – Suzuka, Japan

NASCAR Suzuka race

Photo by: Yukio Yoshimi

In the next decade, NASCAR shifted focus to Japan as its next destination for an exhibition race. Following the completion of the 1996 season, the sport sanctioned a race on the East Course layout of the Suzuka Circuit on November 24th.

The interest around the event was electric. It attracted Japanese racing stars such as ‘Drift King’ Keiichi Tsuchiya, as well as Hideo Fukuyama, Akihiko Nakaya, and Kazuteru Wakida. Rusty Wallace beat Dale Earnhardt by just over a second, leading 84 of 100 laps en route to the victory.

Due to the success of the race, NASCAR returned one year later to do it all again. However, rain became an issue for the sequel. The sanctioning body broke out the wet-weather tires for the special event, and most of the NASCAR drivers in the field were about to get their first experience racing in the rain. Mike Skinner won the day, beating Mark Martin by 3.7s.

These races served as inspiration for future F1 driver and Le Mans 24 champion Kamui Kobayashi, who was a spectator there. In 2023, he fulfilled a lifelong dream when he finally made his NASCAR Cup debut.

1998 Coca-Cola 500 – Twin Ring Motegi – Motegi, Japan

Motegi circuit logo

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

For the third consecutive year, NASCAR returned to Japan on November 22nd, but this time, they went oval racing. After two years at Suzuka, the race moved to the oval track at Twin Ring Motegi for a 201-lap event.

31 drivers started the race in a field that saw Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. compete against each other in Cup cars for the very first time. The race came down to a showdown between Jeff Gordon and Mike Skinner. Gordon was fresh off his third Cup title and ran Skinner down in the closing laps. He got all the way to the right-rear of his fellow Chevrolet driver, but could not quite get alongside as the checkered flag flew.

After Japan

NASCAR’s three-year experiment in Japan was over and while many thought it was the beginning of something, it turned out to be the end. Cup cars have not raced outside of the US since that day in November, almost 27 years ago.

In the years that followed, the Xfinity Series raced in Mexico City and Montreal. The Truck Series also journeyed north for an event at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. NASCAR has since formed international stock car racings divisions in Mexico, Brazil, and even Europe. In 2016, the sport had its first foreign-born driver win a national-level title when Suarez became champion of the Xfinity Series. New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen made history as the first driver in 60+ years to win on debut when he won the 2023 Cup race at the Chicago Street Course. And at Watkins Glen in 2022, the series set a record for countries represented in a single Cup race with seven total.

NASCAR has been edging closer to an international race in recent years and the powers that be have shown renewed interest in global expansion. When the Cup Series races in Mexico later this week, they will make history and hopefully, mark the start of a new era of NASCAR racing in the country.