Trackhouse Racing star Shane van Gisbergen has won the Viva Mexico 250 in Mexico City to take his first Cup Series win of the season.

It is just the second Cup victory of van Gisbergen’s career following his previous success in Chicago in 2023, with the road course specialist once again proving his worth south of the border this weekend, converting his pole position into the win.

The Kiwi has now locked himself into the 2025 Cup Series playoffs, doing so in emphatic fashion having finished over 16 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor, Christopher Bell – the largest margin of victory in the series since 2009.

Elsewhere in Mexico City, Chase Elliott came home third in the No. 9 for Hendrick Motorsports, whilst Michael McDowell and John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top five in the No. 71 and No. 42, respectively.

It was a relatively quiet and calm ending to the race. However, the start had been anything but, with two cautions inside the opening seven laps of stage one as rain fell and caused chaos, including a six-car wreck that later saw Kyle Busch retire due to the damage that he had sustained. Busch now drops below the cut-off line in his hunt for a playoff spot this year, having climbed into the top 16 in recent weeks.

Stage one eventually went on to be won by Ryan Preece ahead of Ryan Blaney, with van Gisbergen having collected maximum points in stage two ahead of Bell.

With that said, let’s take a look at the full race results below, with stage results included.

READ MORE: Denny Hamlin DEMOTED after Mexico City as popular NASCAR star profits

NASCAR Cup Series: Who won the Mexico City race?

READ MORE: Kyle Larson and Carson Hocevar among NASCAR stars hit with penalties at Mexico City

NASCAR Cup Series: Mexico City Stage 2 results

NASCAR Cup Series: Mexico City Stage 1 results

READ MORE: NASCAR confirm Joe Gibbs Racing penalty after Mexico City mishap

How many laps is the NASCAR Mexico City race?

The NASCAR Mexico City race will require 100 laps to complete.

What date is the 2025 NASCAR Mexico City race?

Sunday, June 15th 2025.

What time is the 2025 NASCAR Mexico City race?

The NASCAR Mexico City race will start at 3:00 PM ET.

What channel is the NASCAR Mexico City race on?

Amazon Prime will broadcast the race with radio coverage from MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Where is the NASCAR Mexico race located?

The NASCAR Mexico City race is a 242-mile long NASCAR Cup Series motor race held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico.

How many miles is the NASCAR Mexico City race?

The NASCAR Mexico City race is 241 miles or 389.46 kilometers.

When was the NASCAR Mexico City race first run?

The 2025 NASCAR Mexico City race is the first event at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

NASCAR HEADLINES: Kyle Busch suffers playoff blow as team set for penalty after Mexico City

Related

Are you ready for some racing, Chicago?

NASCAR is gearing up for a more streamlined Chicago Street Race weekend event on July 5-6, with an accelerated setup and breakdown schedule that is likely to reduce the frustration of the city’s drivers.

The race, which is in its third year, will once again feature a 12-turn, 2.2-mile course through Grant Park, down DuSable Lake Shore Drive and up Michigan Avenue, which will be closed off and lined with fences, grandstands and hospitality suites. But a relocated concert stage will replace the Skyline, a mammoth temporary structure along Columbus Drive that last year housed the most expensive suites overlooking the start/finish line at Buckingham Fountain.

The Chicago Street Race features an Xfinity Series race on Saturday, July 5, and the Grant Park 165 Cup Series race on Sunday, July 6. One musical act — Southern rockers the Zac Brown Band — are scheduled to play after the Xfinity Series race.

The buildout and breakdown of the pop-up racecourse in Grant Park have been reduced to 25 days, shaving nearly two weeks off last year’s construction schedule for the July Fourth weekend event.

The first street closing is scheduled for this Thursday — nine days later than last summer — with Balbo Drive shutting down from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive. In addition to several lane and temporary closings, Ida B. Wells Drive will be the next full street closing from Michigan Avenue to Columbus Drive beginning June 23.

Street closings will pick up speed in and around Grant Park the week before the event, culminating with the complete shutdowns of DuSable Lake Shore Drive from Randolph Street to McFetridge Drive, and Michigan Avenue from Roosevelt Road to Monroe Street, beginning July 3.

Are rain delays the NASCAR Chicago Street Race’s superpower? The course ‘puts on a great show,’ Jeff Gordon says

Michigan Avenue is expected to be fully reopened by the morning of Monday, July 7, along with northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive. The southbound lanes of DuSable Lake Shore Drive are scheduled to reopen before midnight on July 8.

The last trace of the street course is scheduled to be removed by July 14, also days ahead of last year’s timetable.

Read more about the full schedule of activities for the weekend, along with what you can bring and other FAQs.

Pre-race activity in Grant Park, per the city of Chicago

Thursday, June 19, beginning at 12:01 a.m.: Full closing of Balbo Drive from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive. “No parking” restrictions will be put in place along southbound and northbound Columbus Drive between Jackson and Balbo drives.

Friday, June 20, beginning at 12:01 a.m.: Curb lane closing on northbound and southbound Columbus between Jackson and Balbo.

Monday, June 23, beginning at 12:01 a.m.: Full closing of Ida B. Wells Drive from Michigan Avenue to Columbus, westbound between Congress Plaza Drive and Michigan Avenue will remain open and eastbound will be closed.

Monday, June 23, beginning at 10 p.m. until 6 a.m.: Tuesday, June 24: Temporary closing of northbound Michigan Avenue between Congress Plaza and Jackson drives.

Wednesday, June 25, beginning at 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Thursday, June 26: Temporary closing of northbound Columbus Drive between Balbo and Jackson.

Chicago Street Race adds Arby’s as major sponsor for July Fourth NASCAR event

Street closings

Thursday, June 26, beginning at 10 p.m.: Closing of Jackson Drive between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive.

Friday, June 27, beginning at 12:01 a.m.: Closing of Balbo Drive from Columbus Drive to Michigan Avenue.

Saturday, June 28, beginning at 10 p.m.: Closing of Congress Plaza Drive.

Monday, June 30, beginning at 12:01 a.m.: Closing of Columbus from Jackson to Roosevelt Road.

Wednesday, July 2, beginning at 10 p.m.: Closing of westbound and eastbound Roosevelt Road from Michigan Avenue and DuSable Lake Shore Drive.

Thursday, July 3, beginning at 12:01 a.m.: Closing of southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive between Randolph Street and McFetridge Road.

Thursday, July 3, beginning at 10 p.m.: Closing of northbound and southbound Michigan Avenue from Roosevelt to Jackson and northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive between Randolph and McFetridge.

Race weekend street closings – Saturday, July 5, and Sunday, July 6

• Southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive from Randolph to McFetridge.
• Northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive from McFetridge to Randolph.
• Northbound Michigan Avenue from Roosevelt to Monroe.
• Southbound Michigan Avenue from south of Monroe to 8th Street.
• Monroe from Michigan Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
• Columbus from Roosevelt to Monroe.
• Roosevelt from DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Michigan Avenue.
• Jackson from Michigan Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
• Balbo from Michigan Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
• Ida B. Wells Drive from Michigan Avenue to Columbus.
• Congress Plaza Drive from Harrison to Van Buren Street.
• Northbound Indiana Avenue from Roosevelt to 13th Street.
• Post Place: Entrance and exit of Lower Wacker Drive.
• Garvey Court.: Entrance and exit of Lower Wacker Drive.

Sunday, July 6-Monday, July 7: Select streets will begin reopening following the conclusion of the event. NOTE: The priority streets to reopen are DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue. Other street closures will remain in effect as the breakdown of the track wall, fence and viewing structures takes place.

Northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive will begin reopening Monday, July 7, at 6 a.m., with all NASCAR-related breakdown activity expected to conclude by end of day July 14.

Public transportation

Because this is a big event, the city is encouraging people to take public transportation, and CTA and Metra said they will provide beefed-up service over the weekend.

rchannick@chicagotribune.com

Originally Published: June 16, 2025 at 11:10 AM CDT

There are plenty of talking points following the NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico City. Sure, it was the first Cup race held outside the US since 1958. Or why not talk about the chaotic start to the race with the rain? How about Shane van Gisbergen proving he’s not a one-hit wonder? Don’t get me wrong, other drivers had fast cars and made great drives. However, SVG won by over 16 seconds. Some may frown at it, and in some cases, hate that he’s now in the playoffs. But don’t hate the player, hate the game. One thing is for sure: NASCAR Cup Series racing in Mexico City was worth it.

SVG Proves He’s Road Course King in Mexico City, Shakes Up Playoffs

The guy had the speed from the drop on, despite some travel issues. He put his No. 88 on the pole with Ryan Preece alongside. Both were able to showcase some speed throughout Sunday’s race, but Preece, not being a true road racer, hit plenty of bumps later in the race.

The unknown was the best way to describe the Viva Mexico 250.

For the first time in our 77-year history, the Cup Series is racing in Mexico City!

We are underway at #NASCARMexico on @PrimeVideo! pic.twitter.com/NDntc4PUnh

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 15, 2025

The field quickly took the green, but rain began to fall, so a yellow was brought out to let the drivers come down and switch to rain tires. Everyone but Chris Buescher and Austin Cindric came down for the wets. Those two remained on slicks (regular tires). That made the next restart and the two or so laps after that crazy.

Things ended ugly for a lot of frontrunners on lap 7, as Kyle Busch came to hot in turn 1 and cleared out a lot of cars, including Kyle Larson, Justin Haley, AJ Allmendinger, among others. It was an ugly moment, as the cars just plowed into each other. To think how hard those cars hit, only Busch and Larson were all but destroyed.

We have trouble!

Multiple cars are involved! pic.twitter.com/ETMmptWak2

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 15, 2025

Gibbs Blows Great Opportunity Again

Strategy was the ultimate choice throughout this race. For a time, it looked like Ty Gibbs might be in line for his first career Cup win. There was a time he had the speed to match and maybe even beat SVG. Then again, Gibbs has had the worst start to his career yet, but after a third-place finish at Michigan, it appeared Mexico City was going to be a good day.

Gibbs, SVG, and Ross Chastain had the pace early and often. As did Cindric for a time, as he went nearly the whole first half of the race without pitting.

The No. 88 is setting the pace!@shanevg97 leads the way at #NASCARMexico. pic.twitter.com/CrpiAOb69d

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 15, 2025

The playoff spot battle would be a heavy discussion point throughout the day. Preece scored the stage one win, with plenty of the top contenders on the season failing to score points. Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott did a good job on the day, though. Elliott, in fact, throughout most of the race, could get the most out of his car to pass people. Much like he did before the Gen-7 car, when he won seven road course races, the most of all active drivers.

Good Luck Stopping SVG on the Road Courses

SVG and Gibbs continued to battle throughout the rest of the race until the final round of pit stops. SVG baited Gibbs into not pitting before a caution came out. This put Gibbs behind several cars, who were already good to go to the end.

The No. 54 did not want to see this caution. https://t.co/liRYQTiUlH pic.twitter.com/9QFxSw7kFq

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 15, 2025

That caution all but ended Gibbs’ chance of keeping up with SVG. Plus, he faded late and made room for Christopher Bell and Elliott to be the only ones who may have had something for SVG. Looking back now, truthfully, no one had anything for the No. 88 as he beat Bell by over 16 seconds. Thus, SVG reigned supreme in Mexico City.

SVG WINS IN MEXICO! pic.twitter.com/CcHSV3Y6o5

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 15, 2025

The top three drivers, SVG, Bell, and Elliott, all got to partake in a podium celebration, which was a neat moment. But with Shane winning, things have really gotten interesting in the playoff field.

Pride on the podium. #NASCARMexico pic.twitter.com/zBsrlSqCtO

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 15, 2025

Playoff Shakeup

Speaking of the playoff shakeup, van Gisbergen goes from 33rd in points to locked into the playoffs. That also moves plenty of drivers who had great days below the cutline. Preece felt like he was in a good spot, but now he’s below the cutline. Now the series is at 10 winners, with still 10 races to go. Plenty of bumps and turns ahead. Which means not to say anything bad about SVG, but the playoff format has become even more questionable at best these days.

Who knows what could happen the rest of the way? And with so many drivers mad after Mexico City, this season is far from its last controversy.

Stenhouse v. Hocevar

That brings me to the one moment that certainly won’t be the end of the line. We’ve already seen Ricky Stenhouse Jr mad at Carson Hocevar following their run-in at Nashville a couple of weeks back. Well, more fire got added to the pot. The pair managed to find themselves in an entanglement late in the race on Sunday. Hocevar appeared to overcook it into the stadium turns and tagged Ricky, sending him spinning.

At the time, Hocevar was a lap down and out of the running, while Stenhouse was still up in the thick of things, fighting to better his finishing position. The pair exchanged words following the race. The onboard camera was able to pick up a lot of what was said. More or less, Stenhouse is sick of him and ready to settle it, but not until they are back in the US.

The incident and the exchange. pic.twitter.com/nqOjNWYogW

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 15, 2025

The blood is certainly boiling throughout the garage, after Mexico City. I suppose the Pocono Mountains will be a good place to settle. Oh, wait, probably just more trouble is ahead. NASCAR Cup racing and Mexico City were a perfect mix, it was. They certainly won’t be chatting over tacos and margaritas anytime soon.

Read More: Shane van Gisbergen Shocks In Chicago

Main Photo: James Gilbert, Getty Images

Recording Date: 6/15/2025

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/QUAKER STATE FORD MUSTANG
START: 20TH STAGE 1: 19TH STAGE 2: 22ND FINISH: 18TH POINTS: 15TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric fired off from the 20th position for the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series points race in Mexico City following a rain-shortened qualifying session Saturday. Shortly after the drop of the green flag, wet weather returned, bringing out the first caution of the day. While many drivers opted to pit for rain tires, Cindric opted to stay out on slicks and restarted on the front row, but lost ground quickly. A few laps later the yellow flag waved again for a multi-car incident and Cindric reported that the track surface was very sensitive to the conditions. As the rain was lightening up, the Menards/Quaker State team again opted to stay out on slicks. When Stage 1 concluded, Cindric was scored 19th. With the track continuing to dry, Cindric stayed out during the break and restarted seventh. In the second segment, he began to lack rear grip, but continued to fight for track position. Crew chief Brian Wilson elected to pit with four laps remaining in the segment, calling the Team Penske driver to pit road for four fresh slick tires and fuel. Cindric finished Stage 2 22nd as varying strategies played out. He restarted 16th and steadily gained position, reaching the top 10. He was racing in the third position when the No. 77 brought out a caution on Lap 64 and headed to pit road for fresh tires and fuel. The No. 2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse restarted 21st, but nifty work by Cindric gained him multiple spots as he maneuvered through chaos that was transpiring ahead of him. When the checkered flag waved on the historic event, Cindric crossed the line in the 18th position.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “All in all, it was a great experience getting to race in Mexico City for the first time, and everything about the weekend was unique. The conditions and strategy definitely made for an interesting race, but I’m proud of the effort from our No. 2 Menards/Quaker State team.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 WURTH FORD MUSTANG
START: 18TH STAGE 1: 2ND STAGE 2: 4TH FINISH: 14TH POINTS: 7TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Wurth Ford Mustang Dark Horse scored a pair of top-five stage finishes en route to a 14th-place finish Sunday in Mexico City. The NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural race in Mexico City saw a caution for rain on the opening lap, prompting a majority of the field to hit pit road for wet weather tires as a steady rainfall around the 15-turn road course set in. After restarting 19th, crew chief Jonathan Hassler made the call to leave Blaney on track while a majority of the leaders hit pir road under green prior to the stage end. Blaney cycled to second in the running order while chasing down the No. 60 for the stage win, but ultimately settled for a second-place finish in Stage 1. After making the change back to slick tires during the stage caution with the weather having moved out of the area, the No. 12 team remained on the same strategy as the opening stage as Blaney worked his way back up to fifth in the running order by lap 40. He picked up another spot in the final five laps of the segment to come away with a fourth-place result in Stage 2. Blaney lined up to restart 25th following a four tire stop under yellow before making his way up to seventh when the caution flag flew in the middle of the green flag pit cycle on lap 65. The Wurth Ford took the ensuing green flag from 15th with 32 laps to go as the 100-lap event stayed caution-free the rest of the way with Blaney taking the checkered flag 14th.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “Good points day for our 12 group and proud of the effort all weekend. I felt like we had a shot at a top-10 during that final run but came up a little short at the end. It was a great experience here in Mexico City and it was cool to see it all come together the way it did.”
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG
START: 9TH STAGE 1: 24TH STAGE 2: 29TH FINISH: 21ST POINTS: 9TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse came away with a 21st-place finish Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural race in Mexico City. After gaining three spots in the first few corners of the opening lap, rain brought out the first caution of the afternoon before the field made it back to the start-finish line, prompting teams to pit for wet weather tires. On the ensuing run, crew chief Paul Wolfe made the call to pit for four slick tires with three laps remaining in the opening stage in an effort to flip track position, resulting in a 24th-place finish in Stage 1. After staying out during the stage caution, Logano moved up to 11th in the running order to take the green flag for Stage 2 but was pushed off-track in turn four by the No. 3, dropping the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford back to 29th. Logano worked to regain ground on the field prior to another four tire stop prior to the stage end on lap 41, culminating in a 29th-place finish in Stage 2. Following a caution on lap 65, Logano lined up to take the green from 22nd with 32 laps to go and worked his way back into the top-20 early in the run before settling for a 21st-place finish.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “Just a couple unfortunate moments early on that set back our Shell-Pennzoil team and forced us to flip our strategy. We never really had a chance to recover from that but still proud of the effort from the 22 team this weekend.”
The NASCAR Cup Series heads north to Pocono Raceway on Sunday, June 22. Coverage of The Great American Getaway 400 begins at 2:00 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Team Penske PR

What’s Happening?

Chase Elliott will race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this weekend, piloting the Hendrick Motorsports No. 17 at Pocono Raceway.