In a very true sense, NASCAR will experience a groundbreaking when the NASCAR Cup Series caps off what will be a historic weekend.
For the first time, the league’s top series will stage a points event south of the U.S.’ border on Sunday, June 15, at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez course in Mexico City.
But this groundbreaking didn’t happen overnight. It’s a partial groundwork resulting from seeds planted some 20 years ago. All of that has built up to this weekend, and it began in the spring of 2005.
It was not the top series in NASCAR, but rather the NASCAR Xfinity Series (was then the NASCAR Busch Series) on the famous Mexican road course that spearheaded NASCAR’s first foray into Mexico. NXS would race there from 2005-08.
A quick run down the starting order of that race showed that with NASCAR’s No. 2 series in town, it was a moment in history that many countrymen wanted to be part of, both as drivers and as those with business interests.
All told, a total of nine drivers hailing from Mexico rolled off the grid that March afternoon. Of those, Adrian Fernandez had the best showing by far, charging 30 positions from near the rear of the field to finish 10th in the Lowe’s-sponsored Hendrick Motorsports entry.
The next-closest home-country driver in the final order that day? Jimmy Morales in 20th, as drivers ran head-on into another challenge. Fellow Mexico native Jorge Goeters, who started from the pole, ended up having engine trouble and retired with about 15 laps to go.
Beyond the Xfinity Series regulars, a slew of Cup drivers were in the field, with the likes of Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Elliott Sadler, Rusty Wallace and Jamie McMurray making it an even more crowded field.
The field was full of talent, but jumping in a stock car that a driver seldom races carries its challenges even for natives of a country serving as host. That’s a setback that isn’t likely this weekend for NASCAR’s current favorite son from Mexico: Daniel Suarez.
Other than the drivers, hoods of the cars showed enthusiasm for NASCAR in 2005. Brands such as Pelon Pelo Rico, Telmex and Telcel adorned the hoods and quarter panels.
The race itself wasn’t much to remember. Martin Truex Jr., who was in his second Xfinity season for Chance2 Motorsports after winning the title the following year, led 45 of the 80 laps and beat Harvick by 6.2 seconds. But that weekend was about far more than the on-track product. It was about introducing NASCAR, which was at the height of its popularity at that time, to the Mexican culture.
And it was a booming success, with the recorded attendance being 94,229 people, and that was just an Xfinity race. Imagine the possibilities for this weekend when the premier series of NASCAR makes its way to Mexico City.
This weekend will mark a new era for NASCAR, but a four-year span that began 20 years ago helped blaze the trail.
Brad joined Frontstretch.com in 2020 and contributes to the site's 5 Points To Ponder column and other roles as needed. A graduate of the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady School of Journalism and Mass Communication, he has covered sports in some capacity for more than 20 years with coverage including local high school sports, college athletics and minor league hockey. Brad has received multiple awards for his work from the Georgia Press Association.