NASCAR in Mexico City: Where to watch, start time, stream, lineup, race preview for inaugural Viva Mexico 250

Compared to all other forms of motorsport throughout the world, NASCAR maintains an identity as being distinctly and unmistakably American. But as the language of racing is universal, so is the language of NASCAR.

For the very first time in the sport’s modern era, the NASCAR Cup Series races outside the United States this weekend with its first trip to Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the Viva Mexico 250. Located in Mexico City and named for Mexican racing heroes Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez presents a 2.42-mile, 15-turn course that will greatly challenge the Cup field as they try to become the first of their generation to win a points-paying international race at the highest level of stock car racing.

Denny Hamlin gets waiver from NASCAR to skip Mexico City race following the birth of his son

Steven Taranto

Where to watch the NASCAR Cup Series in Mexico City

When: Sunday, June 15, 3 p.m. ET
Where: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez — Mexico City, Mexico
Stream: Amazon Prime

Starting lineup

Shane van Gisbergen won the pole for the Viva Mexico 250 in qualifying on Saturday, setting the fastest time (92.776, 93.904 mph) in a session that was cut short by rain. Van Gisbergen’s pole is his first of the season and the second of his Cup career.

1. #88 – Shane van Gisbergen (R)
2. #60 – Ryan Preece
3. #1 – Ross Chastain
4. #54 – Ty Gibbs
5. #71 – Michael McDowell
6. #5 – Kyle Larson
7. #34 – Todd Gilliland
8. #16 – A.J. Allmendinger
9. #22 – Joey Logano
10. #99 – Daniel Suarez
11. #8 – Kyle Busch
12. #9 – Chase Elliott
13. #21 – Josh Berry
14. #43 – Erik Jones
15. #35 – Riley Herbst (R)
16. #17 – Chris Buescher
17. #51 – Justin Haley
18. #12 – Ryan Blaney
19. #19 – Chase Briscoe
20. #2 – Austin Cindric
21. #3 – Austin Dillon
22. #45 – Tyler Reddick
23. #77 – Carson Hocevar
24. #38 – Zane Smith
25. #23 – Bubba Wallace
26. #41 – Cole Custer
27. #24 – William Byron
28. #10 – Ty Dillon
29. #48 – Alex Bowman
30. #6 – Brad Keselowski
31. #20 – Christopher Bell
32. #42 – John Hunter Nemechek
33. #47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
34. #51 – Cody Ware
35. #4 – Noah Gragson
36. #11 – Ryan Truex
37. #78 – Katherine Legge

Storyline to watch

The unfamiliar settings and language barrier of Mexico City (Daniel Suarez not included) aren’t the only adjustments needed this week. There is also the matter of Mexico City’s elevation, as Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez sits at an elevation of nearly 7,500 feet above sea level. That’s over three times the elevation of the next-highest Cup Series track above sea level, which is the Las Vegas Motor Speedway at a meager 2,000 feet.

Higher elevation, of course, means less oxygen, which puts a premium on the strength and conditioning of each Cup driver as well as the steps they’ve taken to prepare for Mexico City’s environment. But just as the drivers are affected physically by the higher altitude, so too are the machines they drive.

The thinner air at higher elevation will also affect the engines of each Cup car, with Roush Yates Engines CEO Doug Yates telling reporters this week that Mexico City’s air could reduce horsepower by as much as 20%, with cooling the engine being a major challenge at low speeds under caution. In advance of this, NASCAR will allow each manufacturer to use two different sets of hood louvers during practice to see which one best cools the engine, which will then be used for the rest of the race weekend.

Engine failures were a constant during NASCAR’s first stint racing in Mexico City when the Xfinity Series visited Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the 2000s, as there was an average nearly seven engine failures a weekend between 2005 and 2007. However, there were no engine failures in 2008, the last race at Mexico City before being taken off the schedule.

NASCAR news of the week

• This weekend’s race in Mexico City will take place without Michigan winner Denny Hamlin, who announced Thursday that he would not travel to Mexico while he attends to his fiancee after the birth of their new son. NASCAR has granted Hamlin a waiver to maintain his playoff eligibility despite missing a race, while Ryan Truex will drive the No. 11 in Hamlin’s place.
• Following a vicious head-on impact with the Turn 2 wall at Michigan, Hendrick Motorsports shared Thursday that Alex Bowman was evaluated for back pain and that Xfinity Series driver Anthony Alfredo will be on standby should Bowman need a relief driver in Mexico City. Earlier this week, Jeff Gordon told SiriusXM that Bowman was “very sore” but OK after this accident.
• Prior to last Sunday’s race in Michigan, Ram Trucks officially announced they will re-enter the Craftsman Truck Series in 2026, bringing a new manufacturer to NASCAR and marking the return of a Dodge brand for the first time since they left the sport following the 2012 season. In addition to Ram, NASCAR senior vice president and chief racing development officer John Probst shared the sanctioning body is “very close” to a deal with another manufacturer to join the sport.
• Travis Carter, a longtime fixture in the NASCAR garage as a championship-winning crew chief and later a car owner, died Tuesday following a short stay in hospice at the age of 75. As a rookie crew chief in 1973, Carter led Hall of Famer Benny Parsons to his first and only Winston Cup championship, kicking off a career that saw him win the 1975 Daytona 500 with Parsons and also lead Harry Gant to great success throughout the 1980s. Carter later became the owner of Travis Carter Enterprises, which fielded cars throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s for Jimmy Spencer as well as others like Darrell Waltrip, Todd Bodine and Joe Nemechek.

Pick to win

Shane van Gisbergen (+330) — There was some talk after Circuit of the Americas earlier this year that van Gisbergen may have lost his advantage as a road course racer or that the rest of the Cup field has caught on to the technique that he brought with him from V8 Supercars to win in his debut at Chicago in 2023. Whether that proves to be the case remains to be seen, and it wasn’t as though SVG was an also-ran at the first road race of the season at Circuit of the Americas.

Van Gisbergen led 23 laps on his way to finishing sixth at COTA in March, a clear message he’s still got the right stuff on road courses. Not only that, but SVG has started coming into his own as a whole, as he’s finished inside the top 20 in three of his last four starts. Suggesting that the No. 88 team now has a higher baseline for pace beyond road racing.