Dale Earnhardt Jr. beamed with pride after Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Mexico City. His team, JR Motorsports, won the race with fill-in driver and Cup Series regular Daniel Suárez.

The Mexican’s weekend began with a heavy crash car during qualifying. The JR Motorsports crew scrambled and prepared a backup car, but Suárez was forced to start at the tail end of the field in 39th place. But by the checkered flag, he was leading and held off Taylor Gray by 0.598 seconds to record an emotional win.

The victory made headlines in his native Mexico, where Suárez, who grew up in Monterrey, is a national sports hero and icon. Junior, JR Motorsports, and Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks put their efforts together to not only put Suárez in the JR Motorsports car but also to see him reach Victory Lane.

“Hey, we put good cars on the track,” Junior good-naturedly bragged in a post-race media session. “I think any one of those Trackhouse guys could get in those cars and go to Victory Lane.”

Junior then praised the Trackhouse racing team for a “great job” of hiring “top-notch drivers”.

“Either way, I think we’d still be sitting here [in the winner’s media session] today because I told Justin (Trackhouse owner Justin Marks), ‘Man, we’ve worked with all your guys and they’re just amazing’,” said Dale Jr.

“He’s done such a great job if you think about their talent in the Cup Series plus, [Connor] Zilisch. They do a really good job of hiring really top-notch drivers,” he added.

Junior has known Suárez since his early days in NASCAR, first in Trucks, then Xfinity, and finally, the Cup Series.

“I’ve been pretty good friends with Daniel over the years, as well as [Trackhouse teammate Ross] Chastain. So it’s kind of fun to put them in good race cars and have them go out and run well and have fun doing what they do,” Junior said.

“There’s not a lot of pressure on them usually — except for maybe this weekend — to run in the Xfinity Series, so it’s fun to do that with them and put a good car underneath them,” he elaborated.

However, while there was little pressure on Suárez behind the wheel, there were tons of pressure on Junior and his team.

A backup car, a comeback, and Victory Lane

The JR Motorsports team had to pull out a backup car after Suárez crashed during qualifying, basically having to rebuild the car from scratch. Suárez then worked his way through the pack to reach Victory Lane.

“There’s a lot of pressure as an owner to make sure you supply them with a winning vehicle, and we feel like we can do that,” Junior acknowledged.

Dale Jr. knew there was a lot of attention on Suárez — and JR Motorsports indirectly — to do well not only in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, but also Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race. If Suárez can double-up, it might lead to a national holiday in Mexico on Monday.

“I knew coming here with Daniel was going to be a great experience just because of the reception that he would have, the attention around him driving. Daniel drove such a smart race, made minimal mistakes, put himself in position to win, and drove a smart few laps at the end,” Junior said.

“I felt great about the job the team did. I saw all of the mechanics as they were coming to the car at the podium, and I told them, ‘You’ll never forget days like this,’ where you have trouble,” he added, praising the crew.

Junior reiterated the daunting challenge that they had overcome to see their driver on Victory Lane.

“You have to get a backup out, build the car right there, right before the race begins, and your driver goes out there and wins the race. These are the moments that you always remember,” said Junior.

“I will say that the experience down on the racetrack and going through the whole post-win process — photos, the podium — is unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced at another race,” he added.

The podium ceremony was also something new for the NASCAR fraternity.

“We don’t traditionally do podiums, and we don’t traditionally have someone as beloved as Daniel win in Mexico or any foreign country, so [it’s a] pretty unique set of circumstances really. That made this very special and memorable,” said Dale Jr.

Junior added that the weekend in Mexico exceeded their usual race experiences. He hoped NASCAR would get to return, as it had been a lot of fun.

Russell’s wins his fourth career GP while McLaren’s Lando Norris crashed out after touching teammate Oscar Piastri three laps from the finish.

George Russell won his first race of the Formula 1 season as the Mercedes driver held off defending race winner Max Verstappen at the Canadian Grand Prix.

It was the fourth victory of Russell’s career, and the race ended under a yellow flag when McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris staged a wheel-to-wheel late battle that ended with Norris hitting the wall on Sunday.

Russell started on pole for the second consecutive year in Montreal and held the advantage most of the race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The British driver became the fourth race winner this year, joining Piastri, Norris and Verstappen, the four-time reigning F1 champion.

Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli finished third behind Verstappen for his first F1 podium.

The two McLarens came together when Norris, then in fifth, attempted to pass Piastri multiple times on the 67th lap out of 70.

Norris ultimately ran into Piastri and bounced into the wall, drawing a safety car for the final laps.

Piastri finished fourth, ending an eight-race podium streak dating back to the second race of the season. McLaren as a team failed to reach the top three for the first time this year.

Norris, who ended at a standstill by the side of the track with no front wing and a broken car, was quick to blame himself.

“I’m sorry. All my bad. All my fault. Stupid from me,” he said over the team radio.

Piastri pitted as the safety car was deployed and rejoined with a tyre advantage over Antonelli that he could not use as the racing never resumed.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and sixth with Fernando Alonso seventh for Aston Martin and Nico Hulkenberg bringing in more solid points for Sauber in eighth place.

Piastri stretches his lead over Norris in the drivers’ championship to 22 points after 10 of 24 races in the 2025 season.

The next race of the F1 season is the Austrian Grand Prix on June 29.

MEXICO CITY — Alex Bowman wasn’t sure he was going to make the trip to Mexico City because of lower back pain suffered in “the hardest hit of my career” at Michigan last week.

As late as Wednesday — the day before he was scheduled to leave for NASCAR’s first points-paying Cup Series race of the modern era outside the United States — the Hendrick Motorsports driver was so sore he didn’t know if he’d be able to get in the car.

He was still sore after two days of practice at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, but it was after he got out of his No. 48 Chevrolet and not while he was driving. Bowman said his hit registered 50 G-force.

“I don’t know if on paper that’s the biggest (hit) I’ve ever taken, but it’s the most painful one I’ve ever taken, for sure,” Bowman said Saturday. “Even compared to when I broke my back, it’s way more pain than that was.”

Bowman last Sunday slammed hard into the wall at Michigan in a head-on impact at approximately 150 mph. The hit was so fierce that it lifted the rear wheels in the air. Although nothing was broken, he has severe lower back pain on his right side that shoots into his leg.

The 32-year-old kidded he’s been a bit of a “crash dummy” of late: Bowman missed five races in 2022 with a concussion suffered at Texas, and he broke his back in a 2023 sprint car crash that led Rick Hendrick to ban him from further extracurricular racing.

Although he’s ranked 13th in the Cup Series standings, he didn’t want to miss a race considering the recent slump Bowman is going through. He has finished 27th or worse in seven of the last nine races and has five finishes of 35th or worse.

Even though Bowman made it to Mexico City and says he feels fit enough inside the car, Anthony Alfredo is on standby in case Bowman can’t complete Sunday’s race on the 15-turn, 2.42-mile layout.

Alfredo, a full-time driver in the Xfinity Series, does simulator work for Hendrick Motorsports. He has 42 starts in the Cup Series, including one start earlier this year at Talladega Superspeedway.

Bowman, who qualified 29th, hopes to be able to complete the race.

“The goal is to get all the laps in and go from there,” Bowman said. “It hasn’t been a fun week at all. Wednesday was probably the worst day, but we’re here and ready to go. It’s all in the right side of my lower back and then through my lower right leg. Everything is really tight. It’s all muscular. Definitely a lot of pain.”

SHANE IN THE RAIN

Shane Van Gisbergen won the pole for Sunday’s race in Mexico City in a rain-shortened qualifying session.

The New Zealander got in three qualifying laps and took the top spot with a lap of 93.904 mph to put his No. 88 Chevrolet from Trackhouse Racing out front.

Van Gisbergen proved to be a master of racing on a wet road course in his NASCAR debut when he won on the rain-drenched street course in Chicago in 2023. That victory led to a career change for Van Gisbergen, who was an Australian V8 Supercars champion but made the move to NASCAR after shocking the Cup Series with his Chicago win.

With rain expected Sunday in Mexico City, many believe Van Gisbergen is the favorite to pick up his second career Cup victory.

“I don’t know, that’s your guys’ jobs, but I do know that we will be competitive if we get everything right,” he said. “It’s so hard to know what the car’s going to be like — it’s a different track, how it’s going to be affected by the altitude and the surface. We should be up front. These are the types of tracks I’m good at, so we’ll see.”

But, he added he actually despises racing in the rain despite his superior skills at maneuvering slick surfaces.

“I absolutely hate racing in the rain, but I’m good at it,” he said. “I’d rather it didn’t rain, but if it happens, we put the wets on and go. I just don’t enjoy it. It’s just never fun. You’re always sliding around, and it just turns stuff into chaos. It’s fun to watch, but I don’t really enjoy driving.”

Ryan Preece in a Ford for RFK Racing qualified second and was followed by Ross Chastain, Van Gisbergen’s teammate at Trackhouse. Ty Gibbs in fourth was the highest qualifying Toyota driver.

NASCAR driver Parker Kligerman has shared an emotional tribute on X after the passing of his team owner, Charlie Henderson. The official announcement from Henderson Motorsports was made on Saturday in Mexico.

Kligerman has raced for Henderson Motorsports since 2017 and admitted that Charlie and his family came to his rescue during challenging phases of his career. Kligerman’s most recent Truck Series win with the team was at Daytona. Unfortunately, his truck was disqualified in the post-race inspection.

One point Kligerman mentioned about Charlie was that he prioritized team interest to win, even if the decision was not financially viable. Kligerman stated on X:

“Very sad day for this sport and the Henderson family. Charlie, his whole family & this race team have meant so much to me over the last decade.

“When I first got to Henderson motorsports I’ll never forget looking at a banner in their race shop full of the amazing drivers who had driven for them since the 70s. True hero’s of the sport

“I wasn’t sure if my name would make it up on that banner but by the time we got our first win, I knew I had a home.

“Charlie and his family in some of my tougher moments in my racing career, have always been there to give me a shot and truly believed in me when many others didn’t. And together we have done some incredible things!

“And It was all led by Charlie, who would always push us to make the cars faster, he’d ask us incessantly, ‘what do you need to win?’ He was so dedicated even when it wasn’t in his best financial interest!

“But no matter what he would always text me ahead of races including this year starting about 3 months before Daytona, he would send me morning text that said ‘We will Daytona!’

“A couple months later we did. Unfortunately he wasn’t there but seeing him afterwards, that meant the world to him.

“Of all his racing he wanted to win Talladega, Daytona and Bristol. He got those.

“Thank you Charlie for being the incredible, supportive, passionate racer that myself and many other racers owe a debt of gratitude for your support and love of racing.”

Henderson Motorsports released a statement after Charlie’s passing.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our team owner, Charlie Henderson. Charlie was not only the driving force behind Henderson Motorsports, but also a beloved member of the NASCAR community and a dear friend to us all.

“Charlie was the second longest active team owner in NASCAR, behind only the Wood Brothers. He began his racing career at Kingsport Speedway in 1975 and had been a part of NASCAR since 1982. His passion for racing, commitment to his team, and love for the sport left a lasting impact on everyone who had the privilege of working alongside him.

“He built this team on hard work, family values, and a love for competition that will continue to inspire us moving forward.

“We are grateful for the many years of leadership, friendship, and memories that Charlie gave to Henderson Motorsports and the entire NASCAR community. We ask that you keep the Henderson family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

Our thoughts are with the Henderson family.

The best in NASCAR head south of the border for the first time ever on Sunday, as the Cup Series gets set to host the Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

• Stream NASCAR on Prime Video (30-day free trial)

This is shaping up to be a very intriguing event. Not only is it the second road course race of the 2025 season, but the NCS is really heading into a great unknown with racing in Mexico City. The track has been famous for running Formula 1 events in the past, but hardly ever seeing stock cars take to sharp corners.

For a few years, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, formerly known as the Busch Series, used to run at the Autodromo, with names like Martin Truex Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch having won races at the track.

However, that circuit was specifically designed for NASCAR. The circuit today’s drivers will be turning on is the similar circuit that F1 and other motorsport series compete on.

After last weekend’s race at Michigan International Speedway, where Denny Hamlin beat out William Byron, Hamlin moves up to third in driver’s points with three wins on the year, trailing Byron and Kyle Larson in the standings.

NASCAR CUP SERIES

Viva Mexico 250

When: Sunday, June 15

Time: 3 p.m. ET

Where: Autodromo Hermanso Rodriguez (Mexico City, Mexico)

Stream: Prime Video (30-day free trial)

Check out the NASCAR schedule and results here